Sustainability Curriculum in UK University Sustainability Reports

Abstract

One of the major barriers to incorporating sustainability in the HE curriculum is its absence from the university sustainability strategy, the annual reflection of which is the annual sustainability report. While strategies specify targets, reports record what has already been achieved. In that respect, reports function as internally created reviews of universities’ sustainability activity. Various reviews of sustainability teaching activity have taken place in the UK HE sector. The current study attempts to explore formal sustainability teaching provision exclusively through HEIs’ annual sustainability reports. The sample consists of the most recent, whole-institution sustainability reports issued by UK HEIs from 2016 to 2018. An exploratory content analysis identifies sustainability curriculum coverage patterns, using a coding frame based on the STARS framework. Findings suggest that of the 167 UK HEIs 4% report on their sustainability curriculum provision comprehensively. The findings might be of interest to sustainability professionals in the reporting or the curriculum provision end. The study hopes to encourage wider coverage of sustainability curriculum provision in HE sustainability reports.

Appendix A

List of UK higher education providers (Higher Education Statistics Agency)

1. Aberystwyth University

2. Anglia Ruskin University

3. Aston University

4. Bangor University

5. Bath Spa University

6. Birkbeck College

7. Birmingham City University

8. Bishop Grosseteste University

9. Bournemouth University

10. Brighton and Sussex Medical School

11. Brunel University London

12. Buckinghamshire New University

13. Canterbury Christ Church University

14. Cardiff Metropolitan University

15. Cardiff University

16. Conservatoire for Dance and Drama

17. Courtauld Institute of Art

18. Coventry University

19. Cranfield University

20. De Montfort University

21. Edge Hill University

22. Edinburgh Napier University

23. Falmouth University

24. Glasgow Caledonian University

25. Glasgow School of Art

26. Glyndŵr University

27. Goldsmiths College

28. Guildhall School of Music and Drama

29. Harper Adams University

30. Heriot-Watt University

31. Heythrop College

32. Hull York Medical School

33. Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

34. King’s College London

35. Kingston University

36. Leeds Beckett University

37. Leeds College of Art

38. Leeds Trinity University

39. Liverpool Hope University

40. Liverpool John Moores University

41. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

42. London Business School

43. London Metropolitan University

44. London School of Economics and Political Science

45. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

46. London South Bank University

47. Loughborough University

48. Medway School of Pharmacy

49. Middlesex University

50. Newman University

51. Norwich University of the Arts

52. Oxford Brookes University

53. Plymouth College of Art

54. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

55. Queen Mary University of London

56. Ravensbourne

57. Roehampton University

58. Rose Bruford College

59. Royal Academy of Music

60. Royal Agricultural University

61. Royal College of Art

62. Royal College of Music

63. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

64. Royal Holloway and Bedford New College

65. Royal Northern College of Music

66. Sheffield Hallam University

67. Southampton Solent University

68. SRUC

69. St George’s Hospital Medical School

70. St Mary’s University College

71. St Mary’s University, Twickenham

72. Staffordshire University

73. Stranmillis University College

74. Swansea University

75. Teesside University

76. The Arts University Bournemouth

77. The British School of Osteopathy

78. The City University

79. The Institute of Cancer Research

80. The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts

81. The Manchester Metropolitan University

82. The National Film and Television School

83. The Nottingham Trent University

84. The Open University

85. The Queen’s University of Belfast

86. The Robert Gordon University

87. The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

88. The Royal Veterinary College

89. The School of Oriental and African Studies

90. The University of Aberdeen

91. The University of Bath

92. The University of Birmingham

93. The University of Bolton

94. The University of Bradford

95. The University of Brighton

96. The University of Bristol

97. The University of Buckingham

98. The University of Cambridge

99. The University of Central Lancashire

100. The University of Chichester

101. The University of Dundee

102. The University of East Anglia

103. The University of East London

104. The University of Edinburgh

105. The University of Essex

106. The University of Exeter

107. The University of Glasgow

108. The University of Greenwich

109. The University of Huddersfield

110. The University of Hull

111. The University of Keele

112. The University of Kent

113. The University of Lancaster

114. The University of Leeds

115. The University of Leicester

116. The University of Lincoln

117. The University of Liverpool

118. The University of Manchester

119. The University of Northampton

120. The University of Oxford

121. The University of Portsmouth

122. The University of Reading

123. The University of Salford

124. The University of Sheffield

125. The University of Southampton

126. The University of St Andrews

127. The University of Stirling

128. The University of Strathclyde

129. The University of Sunderland

130. The University of Surrey

131. The University of Sussex

132. The University of the West of Scotland

133. The University of Wales (central functions)

134. The University of Warwick

135. The University of West London

136. The University of Westminster

137. The University of Winchester

138. The University of Wolverhampton

139. The University of York

140. Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

141. University College Birmingham

142. University College London

143. University for the Creative Arts

144. University of Abertay Dundee

145. University of Bedfordshire

146. University of Chester

147. University of Cumbria

148. University of Derby

149. University of Durham

150. University of Gloucestershire

151. University of Hertfordshire

152. University of London (Institutes and activities)

153. University of Newcastle

154. University of Northumbria at Newcastle

155. University of Nottingham

156. University of Plymouth

157. University of South Wales

158. University of St Mark and St John

159. University of Suffolk

160. University of the Arts, London

161. University of the Highlands and Islands

162. University of the West of England, Bristol

163. University of Ulster

164. University of Wales Trinity Saint David

165. University of Worcester

166. Writtle University College

167. York St John University