Opportunities and Challenges
of Digitalization to Improve Access
to Education for Sustainable
Development in Higher Education
Oliver Ahel and Katharina Lingenau
Abstract Both the implementation of sustainable development and the integration
of digitalization in higher education are globally discussed topics. Combining these,
digitalization could be the key to enlarge the scale of students getting access to
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In this chapter the opportunities
and challenges of digital transformation as a possibility to improve access to ESD
in higher education are discussed. The chapter includes an introduction about the
achievements in the integration of ESD in higher education and discusses the latest
trends in digital transformation in higher education. Furthermore, a short overview
about the main political programs to support ESD and the dissemination of the
sustainable development goals (SDGs) is provided. Subsequently, the concept of
the “Virtual Academy of Sustainability”—a successful project at the University of
Bremen that teaches and promotes ESD via digital media—will be introduced and
challenges and opportunities presented.
Keywords Higher education · Sustainable development goals · Digital
transformation · Curriculum
1 Sustainability in Higher Education
This chapter provides an overview of the aspirations to facilitate sustainable development through education. It underscores the notion that sustainable development
for all countries is only truly possible through comprehensive cross-sector efforts
beginning with education (UNESCO 2014c). Furthermore, the role of digitalization
for improving Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and championing the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be examined. To illustrate this point, a
case study about the Virtual Academy of Sustainability at the University of Bremen
O. Ahel · K. Lingenau (B)
Virtual Academy of Sustainability, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
e-mail: lingenau@uni-bremen.de
O. Ahel
e-mail: oliver.ahel@uni-bremen.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_21
341
of Digitalization to Improve Access
to Education for Sustainable
Development in Higher Education
Oliver Ahel and Katharina Lingenau
Abstract Both the implementation of sustainable development and the integration
of digitalization in higher education are globally discussed topics. Combining these,
digitalization could be the key to enlarge the scale of students getting access to
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In this chapter the opportunities
and challenges of digital transformation as a possibility to improve access to ESD
in higher education are discussed. The chapter includes an introduction about the
achievements in the integration of ESD in higher education and discusses the latest
trends in digital transformation in higher education. Furthermore, a short overview
about the main political programs to support ESD and the dissemination of the
sustainable development goals (SDGs) is provided. Subsequently, the concept of
the “Virtual Academy of Sustainability”—a successful project at the University of
Bremen that teaches and promotes ESD via digital media—will be introduced and
challenges and opportunities presented.
Keywords Higher education · Sustainable development goals · Digital
transformation · Curriculum
1 Sustainability in Higher Education
This chapter provides an overview of the aspirations to facilitate sustainable development through education. It underscores the notion that sustainable development
for all countries is only truly possible through comprehensive cross-sector efforts
beginning with education (UNESCO 2014c). Furthermore, the role of digitalization
for improving Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and championing the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be examined. To illustrate this point, a
case study about the Virtual Academy of Sustainability at the University of Bremen
O. Ahel · K. Lingenau (B)
Virtual Academy of Sustainability, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
e-mail: lingenau@uni-bremen.de
O. Ahel
e-mail: oliver.ahel@uni-bremen.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_21
341