Impact Evaluation: Online Education for the Sustainable Development Goals

• In Event: Poster session 2

Proposal

Education for sustainable development received a large boost with the inception of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Aligned along three pillars of development, including economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental stability, the SDGs provided a roadmap forward for global development that expanded upon, and in many cases, took up the shortcomings of the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) was launched in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. We aim to accelerate joint learning and promote integrated approaches that address the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting the world. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

The SDG Academy, the flagship educational initiative of the UNSDSN, has a mandate to create and curate high quality educational content on the SDGs. Over the last four years, the Academy has established a library of over 25 online courses that have reached over 200,000 people across 190+ countries. The SDG Academy continues to expand its offerings and provides this education free as a global public good.

In 2018, the SDG Academy began an impact evaluation to fully comprehend the progress that has been made towards its mission. The methodology of the impact evaluation has been drawn from a logical framework developed to organize its activities and inputs against anticipated outcomes and impacts. The logframe takes into account critical perspectives on logframe analysis including Hummelbrunner’s (2010) work on development interventions. It is a qualitative analysis, supplemented robust statistical (descriptive) data.

The impact evaluation is being formatted into a report that offers points of success as well as improvement in the areas of online education and education for sustainable development. The report seeks to display voices from around the world on the effectiveness of online education for sustainable development, and offers insights, anecdotes, and overviews of the challenges to promoting sustainable development/sustainable development goals in a digital world.

Author

• Amber Webb, Head of Programs and Partnerships, SDSN