The document discusses innovative methods for education for sustainable development at the tertiary level. It outlines how education for sustainable development has been identified by the UN as important for achieving sustainable development. It then describes several experiential methods used for tertiary education for sustainable development, including planning games, project learning, mathematical modeling, and science education. Examples of projects implemented at Aalen University involving these methods are also provided.

1. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Methods for Education
for Sustainable Development
Innovative Methods for
Tertiary Education for Sustainable Development
International Conference on
Engineering and Business Education
 Ulrich Holzbaur 1,2
 Gerrit Jordaan 2
 Monika Bühr 1
1 Aalen University of Applied Science, Aalen, Germany
2 Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa

2. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Concept
 Innovative Non-traditional
 Methods Education
Training
 Tertiary University
 Education ESD
for
Sustainable
Development SD

3. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Outline
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been identified by the
UN as the most important measure to reach Sustainable Development.
> Implemented ESD in tertiary education
Why:
 orientation towards the future, shaping competences
 How:
 innovative methods of teaching and learning
 What examples
 Experiential methods:
Planning Games Success in Small Business, Eco²
Project Learning PPM / ESPRESSO
 Mathematical Modelling Modelling for Insight not for Numbers
Science Education Explorhino

4. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Sustainable Development
 World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
 Integration of
 Socioeconomic Development
 Environmental protection
 Integration of
 Intergenerational Justice
 Intragenerational Justice
.. to meet the needs of
the present without
compromising the
chances of future
generations to meet
their own needs ..
.. to meet the needs of
the present without
compromising the
chances of future
generations to meet
their own needs ..
.. to meet the needs of
the present without
compromising the
chances of future
generations to meet
their own needs ..

5. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Methods for ESD
EcoGames
Planning Games
Education for Sustainable Development
ModellingProjects
Project Method
Experiential
Methods
Science
Education
STEM
MINT

6. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Planning Games
 Learning by playing
 Didactics
 Situations
 Planning Game:
 Initial Conditions = Starting Position
 Decisions to be made
 Dynamics = Rule
 Criteria
 Conceptual Basis:
 Dynamics
 Decision
 Goal
 Didactics
 Planning game is more than hard + soft - ware

7. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Example:
Success in Small Business

8. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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 Development of modular set of planning games
 From basic economic knowledge to the business plan
 Foster entrepreneurship and economic knowledge (pillar of ESD)
 Create employment and safe workplaces (impact on SD)
 Joint project of Aalen University and CUT + VUT South Africa
- faculty of management and economics
- science park, technology transfer, entreprenurship/innovation/ center
- sustainable development teams, communtiy development
- teacher´s education
with partners from industry and business
Example:
Success in Small Business

9. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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 Students will be involved in the
 Requirements Analysis and Development of game and manuals
 Testing and training the trainers
 Game can be adapted to tertiary and higher education (university:
economics and general education, industry, administration)
Example:
Success in Small Business

10. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Project Method (PPM)
 Carry out projects that have
 real-life training effect for the students
 excellent chances of success
 positive impact on community development
 Treat projects like planning games

11. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Ecology and Ressources
Quality
Entreprenurship
Science and Statistics
Transdisciplinary Work
Documentation
Literature Survey
Team Work
Communication
Setting Targets
Project Mangement
Project Number P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 PN
Project Portfolio

12. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Experiential aspects of
projects
 Activation and Decision: Students plan and control, decide and act
 Dynamics: as the projects evolves, problems arise and are solved
 Didactics: the supervisor considers didactical aims and principles
 Skills: Soft skills and competences are supported
 Experience: the supervisor considers didactical aims and introduces
activation
 Model orientation: the project can be seen as a real world model of
real problems
 Success: the preparation and control by the supervisor ensures
training success and achievement of project results
 Shaping competences: Project portfolio convers subjects and
competences for ESD

13. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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 Course on Engineering Managemen
 Bachelor
 Project management
 Sustainable development
 Master
 Mathematical Modelling
 Excellence and Sustainability
 Support of projects on
 Green Eel EMS
 Experiential orientation in ESD
 Regional marketing
 Aalen for All / barrier free
 Energy information
 public transportation
 security feeling and crime prevention
Project Examples from
Aalen University

14. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Project Example
Aalen for all – Barrier free

15. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Project Examples -
Regional marketing
 Aalen 2006 …

16. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Project Example
EMS for schools

17. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Education for
Sustainable Development
UNESCO Decade Education for Sustainable Development
Projects (2 years each)
 Integrate ESD systemically via Projects (4)
 Green Eel Environmental Management System (4)
 Experience sustainability in the city of Aalen (3)
 Sustainability@CUT (2)
Contributions
 Day of open University + Sustainable Event Management
 “Sustainability kitchen “format + Manager´s cookbook
 Guide Aalen barrier free
Aalen as a City of the EDS Decade (2)

18. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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ESPRESSO
Experience Science and
Practical RElevance
and learn Sustainably
by means of
Sustainability prOjects

19. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Mathematical Modelling
as ESD
 Shaping competences are general
 Sustainable development needs also the competence to assess the
consequences of our activities
 The basis for SD was a mathematical model and a simulation

20. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Modelling and shaping
Competences
 Modelling is essential for perception, communication, knowledge
creation and planning. Hence, modelling supports the following
shaping competences:
 foresighted thinking;
 interdisciplinary work;
 planning and implementation;
 reflection on individual and cultural models.
 Shaping competences and modelling:
 1. ethics as a very abstract level of thinking.
 2. knowledge: competency to acquire and integrate new knowledge
 3. planning as a model of the future
 4. action: competency to implement plans
 5. reflection: competency to analyse and reflect on processes

21. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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 The optimal use of renewable energy needs
models on several scales of
 Space
 Time
 Number
 Reliability
 Decisions
 Carriers
Example: Modelling for
Renewable Energy

22. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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 Problems in Sustainable Development are too complex to be modeled
with one formal mathematical model (Network, differential equation, …)
 Important aspects need to be modeled:
 Structure and relations
 Dynamics and feedback loops
 Decision and behavior
 Uncertainty
 The Atlas covers all aspects
with
common semantics
and
compatible syntax
Modelling
Atlas

23. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Science Education by Teaching:
Explorhino
 Explorhino has a focus on young learners
 Students learn by contributing to teaching units and classes.
examples:
 Water analysis
 CO2
 Acids
 Paper recycling
 Cooking skills
 Biogas plant
 Brewing beer
 Soap production
 Cleaning
 Energy
 Fire and safety

24. © Prof. Dr. Ulrich D. Holzbaur, AAUAS STZAM
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Work supported by a grant from Baden-Württemberg
ministry of science, research and culture within the
programme
„Welcome at Science“
ESPRESSO:
Experience Science and
Practical RElevance
and
learn Sustainably
by means of
Sustainability prOjects