Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and widen access to digital skills

Author

Dr Eleni Meletiadou
Associate Professor in Management Learning and Education, London Metropolitan University

Sustainable development is an imperative of our time. The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 to 2014) stressed the role of education in global sustainable development. Since the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations in 2015, SDG 4 specifically aimed to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” It also aspired to promote the acquisition of sustainable skills and knowledge which would hopefully lead to sustainable lives for all people. As a result, the role of education, specifically in promoting communication, networking, research and innovations, and access to information are important strategies for achieving the SDGs. Artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly contribute to the implementation of the SDGs by offering innovative solutions and enhancing the efficiency of processes aimed at achieving these goals (Filho et al., 2024).

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an important social goal across the HE sector and strongly links to efforts to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Increasing and enhancing the provision of ESD within HE enables transformative learning for students, which can empower them to make informed decisions and become change agents for sustainable futures. Guidance on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in HE, jointly published by QAA and Advance HE, inspires and engages stakeholders, outlines competencies, and advises on the assessment of ESD, as and for learning. However, there is little information available in the sector regarding how providers can use Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a force for good to promote ESD.

Furthermore, research has indicated that a number of students, for instance, mature and BAME students, struggle in terms of their digital literacy and need support to develop their confidence and find career-enhancing positions when they graduate.

Through fieldwork involving a consortium of HE institutions in Europe, this QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project will explore innovative ways in which AI can be used to promote ESD and implement the United Nation’s sustainable development goals at Higher Education Institutions (HEI), how HEIs can address key challenges of the digital divide, such as access to technology and AI tools and digital (especially AI) literacy enhancement in HE.

We aim to push the sector to move sustainability education out of the margins and beyond simply badging course content with ‘single-issue’ UN Global Sustainable Development Goals. The project will have a strong focus on developing graduates who can lead change for sustainability and use Generative AI despite the challenges they may face when trying to develop their digital skills.

Through this Collaborative Enhancement Project we will produce resources that aim to:

• reduce student and staff anxiety over the use of Generative AI and ESD
• reduce the racialised and age-related barriers that exist as regards digital learning
• lessen staff time dealing with queries and complaints
• reduce awarding gaps
• increase the use of more accessible and inclusive use of Generative AI as a force for good promoting ESD

provide a collective understanding of the ways in which: (a) students can use AI independently to develop their digital literacy in terms of ESD-focused modules/courses, and (b) staff can use Generative AI to promote ESD in their classes to enhance ALL their students’ academic performance and increase their learning motivation.

The overall aim will be to establish the practical (digital) skills and attributes needed to equip learners for operating in high levels of uncertainty and a fast-changing environment. Increasing and enhancing the provision of ESD within HE enables this transformative learning for students, which can empower them to make informed decisions and become change agents for sustainable futures.