228
V. Odell et al.
Keywords Communicating sustainability · Education for sustainable
development · Student engagement · Sustainable development goals · Visual
displays · Visual aids
1 Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to give new and significant insight into the use of
visual aids to engage staff and students with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the curriculum and extra-curricular activities carried out at
Nottingham Trent University (NTU). Using extra-curricular visual displays, is both
a dynamic and delightful way to raise awareness, contrasting the traditional style of
having a stall which allows learning to be extended outside of the classroom. Visual
aids and displays in teaching are not a new concepts, in 1973 Horn described that students were “perpetually confronted, enticed, entertained and even overwhelmed by
the dynamic imagery of television, movies, and an endless stream of other pictureorientated media” (pp. 18–19); which now with the use of the internet and social
media, the volume of visual communications has only grown.
This highlights the importance of being able to create visual displays that can
stimulate curiosity and interest amongst staff and students around the SDGs, whilst
also motivating and encouraging them to make a positive change towards the underlying SDG targets. Horn further highlights that the most effective and important
part of visual communication is that it commands attention, reaching out to the
intended audience, through applications of colour, variation (which the SDGs already
embrace), texture and frequent change, so that it does not simply blend into the background to be forgotten. Currently most research into the behavioural effect of visual
communication is focused on advertising and political campaigns, as highlighted
by Fahmy et al. (2014), and show that images are powerful in attracting viewers’
attention and retention. The power of visual communication in teaching may be
underutilised and could be a useful tool to influence student’s behaviour patterns
towards sustainability.
This chapter aims to inform engagement activities in a variety of different educational and campaign settings to embed the SDGs using mixed approaches.
It will show the initiatives already carried out across NTU in the curriculum to
encourage engagement with the SDGs. Followed by collating some of the leading
research on communicating sustainability and how this can be translated into an
effective SDG communication campaign, emphasising the importance of message
framing in communication activities, the inclusion of students in the development
phases and being aware of the potential barriers. The final part will provide case
studies on the three visual displays that took place across NTU during the academic
year 2017–18, sharing best practices and recommendations.
V. Odell et al.
Keywords Communicating sustainability · Education for sustainable
development · Student engagement · Sustainable development goals · Visual
displays · Visual aids
1 Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to give new and significant insight into the use of
visual aids to engage staff and students with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the curriculum and extra-curricular activities carried out at
Nottingham Trent University (NTU). Using extra-curricular visual displays, is both
a dynamic and delightful way to raise awareness, contrasting the traditional style of
having a stall which allows learning to be extended outside of the classroom. Visual
aids and displays in teaching are not a new concepts, in 1973 Horn described that students were “perpetually confronted, enticed, entertained and even overwhelmed by
the dynamic imagery of television, movies, and an endless stream of other pictureorientated media” (pp. 18–19); which now with the use of the internet and social
media, the volume of visual communications has only grown.
This highlights the importance of being able to create visual displays that can
stimulate curiosity and interest amongst staff and students around the SDGs, whilst
also motivating and encouraging them to make a positive change towards the underlying SDG targets. Horn further highlights that the most effective and important
part of visual communication is that it commands attention, reaching out to the
intended audience, through applications of colour, variation (which the SDGs already
embrace), texture and frequent change, so that it does not simply blend into the background to be forgotten. Currently most research into the behavioural effect of visual
communication is focused on advertising and political campaigns, as highlighted
by Fahmy et al. (2014), and show that images are powerful in attracting viewers’
attention and retention. The power of visual communication in teaching may be
underutilised and could be a useful tool to influence student’s behaviour patterns
towards sustainability.
This chapter aims to inform engagement activities in a variety of different educational and campaign settings to embed the SDGs using mixed approaches.
It will show the initiatives already carried out across NTU in the curriculum to
encourage engagement with the SDGs. Followed by collating some of the leading
research on communicating sustainability and how this can be translated into an
effective SDG communication campaign, emphasising the importance of message
framing in communication activities, the inclusion of students in the development
phases and being aware of the potential barriers. The final part will provide case
studies on the three visual displays that took place across NTU during the academic
year 2017–18, sharing best practices and recommendations.