Sustainable education

Sustainable development at the heart of education

The theme of sustainable development appears as an important element in university education and is part of the priorities of the University of Namur, as recalled in the Charter of our Institution: "the training of students and researchers who are responsible actors in society constitutes the primary objective of the University".

The issue of sustainable development requires reflection, implies contradictions and should encourage students to ask themselves questions (develop a critical mind) by providing them with a grid for reflection. The concept of sustainable education follows the same logic. By sustainable teaching, we mean a teaching method that aims not only at the acquisition of disciplinary content, but also and above all at the acquisition of more transversal skills, the development of autonomy capacities, etc.

Numerous initiatives exist within UNamur in the field of education linked to sustainable development, in fields as varied as economics, law, computer science, physical, chemical and biological sciences, medical and biomedical sciences, geography, philosophy, history, in-service teacher training, language teaching, North-South cooperation...

Courses that integrate the Sustainable Development Goals

Four levels of involvement of sustainable development in courses can be distinguished:

  • courses with a direct link to sustainable development
  • courses with a visible side link;
  • other courses, by inserting touches on sustainable development through examples or illustrations drawn from this issue;
  • in all cases, by training students in questioning and critical thinking so that they can reflect on societal problems
List of courses per faculty

(In the language in which the course is taught)

List of the training courses integrating the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Continued training courses intergrating the sustainable development goals

IRDENa Institute

The Institute for Research in Didactics and Education (IRDENa)

The Institute for Research in Didactics and Education (IRDENa) gathers researchers from different Faculties and Departments, which offers a multidisciplinary approach and aims to amplify the synergies between researchers in the world of education and didactics.  Their mission is to encourage the emergence of new research objects and methodologies, from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds.  More information about IRDENa (in French)...

The Chairs