A Critical Examination of Hong Kong Universities’ Efforts in Transforming Teaching and Learning for Sustainability

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Institutional Responsibilities for Teaching, Learning, and Community Engagement

Abstract

Higher education institutions are vital for achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hong Kong’s eight public universities have been recognized for integrating sustainability institutionally, but efforts mainly focus on environmental management rather than embedding sustainability in teaching and learning. This study summarizes and compares these universities’ approaches, revealing strong autonomy and collective, bottom-up sustainability efforts. Yet, challenges persist, including a lack of institutional guidelines for integrating sustainability competencies and the risk of superficial action due to ranking pressures. To address these issues, the chapter proposes a practice-oriented holistic framework, offering a pragmatic roadmap for the eight universities to more effectively incorporate sustainability into teaching and learning, thus fostering sustainability competencies for students and faculty.

Authors

• Weiyan Xiong, Education University of Hong Kong

• Yabing Liu, Education University of Hong Kong