ID124 Changemakers: Equipping all students with a sustainability lens

The Idea

The creation of a compulsory Level 4 module (working title: Changemakers) that gives every undergraduate student a shared, assessed foundation in the knowledge, skills and values underpinning sustainability literacy and Social, Environmental and Ethical Responsibility (SEER).  

In the context of escalating ecological challenges, sustainability is often understood through an environmental lens. However, it is increasingly recognised as a systems-based concept that reflects the interconnected environmental, social, economic and cultural factors shaping our world.  

Without a shared and firm foundation in sustainability literacy and SEER, students may encounter differing interpretations and unequal opportunities to develop the holistic thinking, ethical reasoning and critical enquiry skills required to navigate complex global challenges. Establishing this foundation would enable graduates to understand the wider consequences of decisions and actions for people, places and the planet, equipping them to contribute responsibly and effectively in their personal, civic and professional lives. This is central to the Education for Sustainable Development agenda and sits at the heart of Keele's purpose. 

The module would establish a coherent “Keele Lens through which students can examine contemporary challenges from multiple perspectives and consider their social, environmental and ethical dimensions. It would develop core knowledge of sustainability and systems-thinking; global challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); ethics and responsible practice; governance and civic engagement; innovation and sustainable futures; cultural and global perspectives; equity and inclusion; and alternative economic models. Through reflective, interdisciplinary learning, students would build experience and capacities in thinking across boundaries and disciplines, ethical reasoning, collaborative problem-solving and responsible decision-making- supporting academic success across programmes and strengthening progression into the Global Challenge Pathways.  

Commercially, this provides an opportunity to create a condensed, Keele‑owned sustainability literacy package addressing gaps in existing (limited) products, such as Carbon Literacy Training developed and licenced by Manchester Metropolitan University and TASK, run by the French-based organisation, Sulitest. Since 2025, the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings has awarded points for higher education institutions which assess sustainability literacy, and uses Sulitest TASK as an example, despite this having limited take up (less than 100 institutions globally, and only a couple in the UK). As a recognised sector leader in sustainability (Global Sustainability Institution of the Year in 2021) and planetary health (consistently securing no 1 global positions in planetary healthcare education rankings), a Keele-designed model would carry strong credibility and could be licensed or certified for external partners, such as universities and colleges, and businesses wishing to build capability in ESG, carbon accounting and wider sustainability practice. This positions Keele not only as a university delivering sustainability education internally, but as a provider of sustainability expertise to wider society, aligned with our civic mission and regional influence. 

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

Social, environmental & ethical responsibility is a core Keele graduate attribute and sustainability literacy is increasingly expected of graduates, as reflected in external narratives and benchmarks, yet sustainability remains inconsistently understood and unevenly embedded across disciplines. A compulsory, assessed foundation module would ensure that all students develop a shared understanding of sustainability and sustainable development, grounded in understanding of planetary systems, ethics, social justice, economic systems and global perspectives- strengthening educational coherence and evidencing graduate outcomes.  

It also supports Keele’s distinctive interdisciplinary identity: GCP is expanding and redesigning delivery to enhance interdisciplinarity and cohort experience, and a shared foundation would amplify this impact and reduce fragmentation. 

Importantly, such a foundation supports the development of core skills such as systems thinking, critical and ethical reasoning, collaborative working, and responsible problem-solving, enabling students to recognise interconnections, navigate complexity, and understand the wider implications of decisions across environmental, social, and economic domains. It also fosters key values and attributes, such as responsibility, curiosity, justice, empathy, and global awareness, supporting graduates to act with integrity, cultural awareness, and a sense of agency in addressing real-world challenges. 
 
This approach reflects the essence of Lord Lindsay's vision for Keele, embodied in the original Foundation Year, which sought to develop graduates with intellectual curiosity, capable of understanding complex issues from multiple perspectives and applying their knowledge with wisdom, responsibility and social purpose. ‘Changemakers’ would provide a contemporary vehicle for that vision, equipping students to engage with the interconnected social, environmental and ethical challenges of the twenty-first century1.

How We Would Implement This Idea

Develop and coordinate the module drawing on expertise from professional and academic services staff, including GCP teaching teams and members of the Education for Sustainable Development Community of Practice, in combination with student voice. Create a reusable set of core learning units (e.g. Earth systems & Planetary Health, SDGs and Global Challenges, Sustainable Economies and Innovation, Governance, Policy & Civic Engagement, Equity, Justice & Inclusion, Cultural Awareness & Global Perspectives) complemented by discipline-relevant seminars. Run a parallel staff education strand so staff can embed sustainability confidently across modules without needing to be specialists. 

Delivery could follow a hub‑and‑spoke model where the hub delivers shared content for all students and the spokes are discipline‑relevant seminars, tutorials or applied case studies led locally, making the module flexible and responsive to programme needs while keeping workload manageable2.  

Over time, drawing on this model, distinctive Keele-developed sustainability literacy packages could be licenced for external use, addressing limitations of narrower or decontextualised sustainability literacy products while creating commercial potential.

What Success Would Look Like

Success would be that every Keele student has a robust understanding of sustainability and sustainable development, able to apply systems thinking, ethical reasoning and global perspectives confidently within their discipline. Students are better prepared to act as effective, responsible and ethically grounded global citizens, equipped to navigate uncertainty, complexity and moral dilemmas in professional and civic life, underpinned by values including responsibility, curiosity, justice, empathy, and integrity, alongside a strong sense of agency and global awareness. Keele would be known for positioning sustainability and societal impact at the heart of its educational model, reinforcing Keele's distinctive identity as a university committed to interdisciplinary learning, social responsibility and the development of graduates equipped to address the challenges of their time. 

Staff would report increased confidence in embedding sustainability meaningfully across curricula, supported by a shared “Keele Sustainability Lens.” GCP benefits from stronger preparedness and progression, and Keele gains external recognition for creating a scalable, evidence‑based sustainability literacy model with commercial and societal impact.

_{1 It is notable that several emerging strategic ideas point towards similar themes and areas of development for Keele’s future education model. For example, those focused on a shared first-year grounding in interdisciplinary education (ID018, ID073), enhanced interdisciplinarity and flexibility (ID063, ID185), embedding Global Challenge Pathways and challenge-led learning (ID091, ID205), strengthening skills and thinking capabilities (ID107, ID207), and future-focused or impact-driven education (ID163, ID210, ID220). It may therefore be helpful to consider this idea alongside related proposals, to explore how these overlapping priorities might connect more cohesively and to identify opportunities for greater alignment and mutual reinforcement across the evolving curriculum.} 

_{2 It may be useful to consider this in tandem with other related ideas such as ID018, ID073, ID091 and ID210 to identify viable/effective routes for delivery.}