DMU staff are encouraged to join a new team of Co-Leads for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at DMU – working to support colleagues across the university to adopt ESD in the curriculum. Details below, deadline noon on Monday 23rd September 2024. Complete the MS Form here to apply.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Co-Leads

There are two ways to take on this role:

  • 0.1FTE (contract extension or time allocated within existing role), for the remainder of 2024/25. Potential for continuation and extension in 2025/26, subject to available funding.
  • Colleagues with existing time allocation that could be used for this purpose, such as DMU Teacher Fellows, are also encouraged to complete the Expression of Interest form (a smaller indicative  time contribution, such as 0.05FTE could be agreed in such cases).

Context and Purpose of roles:

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is one of three priority themes of activity within DMU’s ‘Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals’ cross-cutting theme in the university’s ‘Empowering University’ strategy.

ESD aims to transform learners and society through activities across the university curriculum, encompassing taught courses, extra-curricular activities and engagement with wider stakeholders. For all learners, ESD aims to develop the attributes, values, knowledge and skills to enable them to make a positive difference to sustainable development challenges, such as economic inequalities, environmental harms or social injustice.

For taught courses, this typically involves highlighting sustainable development challenges and opportunities, and adopting experiential, real-world-engaged pedagogic approaches.

The ESD Co-Lead roles aim to support DMU’s ongoing efforts to address ESD across the whole curriculum through:

  • Supporting staff to develop their ESD practice and address ESD in DMU’s Curriculum
  • Engaging with students directly or through resource development to engage them with sustainability linked to their DMU course and experience
  • Develop and disseminate their own practice and gain further experience in supporting others with ESD adoption

The role offers strong alignment with criteria for Senior or potentially Principal AdvanceHE fellowship, or DMU’s Teacher Fellowship and AdvanceHE’s National Teacher Fellowship schemes, offering opportunity for professional development, enhancing pedagogy and influencing others.

Planned activities:

  • Supporting 1-2 DMU programmes to adopt or enhance ESD using the ‘CoDesigns’ framework
  • Lead on one or more of the following (roles to be shared across the Co-Lead team):
    • Convening the ESD Forum community of practice (bi-monthly sessions and email list) to share practice and ideas
    • Convening the ESD Enhancement group, meeting quarterly for staff with relevant roles to collaborate to further ESD
    • Revise and update staff-facing resources hosted by the DMU Education Academy
    • Revise and update student-facing resources on DMU Basecamp
    • Facilitate or co-lead ESD workshops at internal meetings and events
  • Other enhancement activities as agreed with the Co-Lead, responding to opportunities, institutional priorities or potential distinctive contribution of Co-Leads

Mentoring support will be offered by Dr Andrew Reeves, DMU ESD Academic Lead. The Co-Leads will form a team to work on the above activities, reporting quarterly to DMU’s University Sustainability Committee, chaired by PVC Sustainability Prof Simon Oldroyd.

How to Express Interest

Complete the MS Form here to express interest by noon on Monday 23rd September 2024.

Selection/shortlisting will be done by the current ESD Academic Lead and members of the DMU SDG Hub on the basis of:

  • Motivation – including what would you distinctively bring to the role
  • Practice; Supporting Colleagues; Knowledge and learning

If short interviews are required, these will be held on Friday 27th or Monday 30th September.

The specific time allocation (0.1FTE or otherwise) will be subject to negotiation and agreement with applicants and approval of Head of School or equivalent for staff in Directorates. The purpose of the roles is to create extra staff capacity – it is very unlikely that the role can be awarded to any colleagues whose 2024/25 commitments cannot incorporate a 0.1FTE (or similar) allocation. If you have queries on this, please contact Andrew Reeves on areeves@dmu.ac.uk

If you are not shortlisted, one of the ESD Co-lead team will still aim to meet with you to discuss opportunities and support to further your practice and influence on ESD.