The Baltic University Programme Workshop 23 april 2013 Web based educational material for Sustainable Development

The ”old” course SBR The course A Sustainable Baltic Region, SBR, was introduced in 1997; during a number of years it registered 4000 students at about 100 universities. At its introduction it was rather unique. Not so many were well acquainted with the concept of sustainable development. The material consisted of 10 thematic books each 50 pages and 10 45 minute videos.

The ”new” course SBR Even if much of the original material is still valid very much has happened on the topic over the 15 years which has passed. A team of 13 BUP enthusiasts gathered at Hel Marine Station in August 2011 to put together an updated course, long due. A structure was decided on and a beginning of the new course was made. Since then the writing had been concluded over a period of one year, mostly by me. The reference group was enlarged over time to 21 persons. Many contributed importantly.

The design of the new SBR course The basic lay-out is borrowed from the on-line SWM course: small introductory texts with pictures and links. About 30 parts. It has been successfully used for may years. What now exists on the Internet is not a course – it is a material to be used for a course, like the series of books and videos we had. It is much more comprehensive than before. It should be useable for all kinds of students, from humanities to technologies. Links are from existing material on the Internet and our own publications.

All BUP material has been made available on the Internet has part of the process

Why web-based? Students, especially in the East, are less willing to study by reading physical books. They want material on the Internet, films and lectures (my prejudice?). The topic of Sustainable Development is since some time in very rapid development. It is more easily updated on the Internet. Material on the Internet can be used for distance education mode not only on campus. .

What to include in a course on Sustainable Development? Sustainable development itself. The politics of Sustainable Development, UN conferences etc. Science and technologies for sustainable development. The management of sustainable development

Tricky questions What is actually sustainability politics? Is there a consensus on how a society should be governed to sustain? What is sustainable human welfare? Is there a consensus on constitutes wellbeing, happiness etc. in the longer term?

www.balticuniv.uu.se/sustainabledevelopmentcourse