RCE Penang - 2018

Development of Knowledge Brokering Module for Empowering Higher Education Leadership in ESD
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Development of Knowledge Brokering Module for Empowering Higher Education Leadership in ESD
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Penang
Contributing organization(s) : 
AKEPT (Academy of Higher Education Leadership, Malaysia), Larut Matang Forestry Department, Perak. School of Educational Studies, USM. School of Humanity, USM.
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Munirah Ghazali
Organizational Affiliation: 
RCE Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia
E-mail: 
munirah@usm.my
Format of project: 
Manuscript, power point
Language of project: 
Bahasa Malaysia and English
Date of submission:
Web link: 
http://www.rce-penang.usm.my
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 4.7 – Education for Sustainable Development
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Local
SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 4.7 – Education for Sustainable Development
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Country: 
Malaysia
Location(s): 
Penang, Malaysia
Address of focal point institution for project: 
RCE Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang Malaysia
Ecosystem(s):
Forest
Target Audience:
Higher, Teacher Ed.
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Universities and Higher Education institutions are seen as one of the players to move ESD as enabler of SDG’s. Faculty members through their curriculum, research and community engagement have strategic avenues to infuse ESD in these areas. Therefore, it is important that faculty members are aware of ESD. This project aims to design a module to enable higher education faculty member to infuse ESD in their curriculum, research and community engagement.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The UNECE ESD Competence Framework (2011) identifies knowledge, skills and attitudes (learning to be, learning to know, learning to do, and learning to live together) that educators should develop in order to effectively embed sustainability within their teaching practice.
Higher Education/faculty members are powerful actors to reorient and transform the student learning experience towards sustainable development. However, the reality is that teachers lack professional development opportunities which help them to develop competences to re-think and change their teaching practice towards sustainability. This project aims to provide a module to empower faculty members to infuse ESD within their teaching practices, research and community engagement.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
October, 2017 to October, 2018
Rationale: 
As an active agent of social change, educational practitioners including policymakers, researchers, lecturers and students at the HEIs level should develop proper understanding to implement ESD practices in education both now and in the future. This will shape the impact of generating sustainable culture among students in university and community members at large. While practitioners are expert in their own field they still need to see example of best practices on how ESD could be infuse in respective curriculum.

This project propose that educational practitioner need or require training, knowledge and approaches in the form of best practices to further enhance their ESD understanding and internalization to cultivate all citizens.
This main objective of this project is to report on an initiative to develop a comprehensive module which is oriented as Knowledge Brokering Module (KBM) to mainstream ESD in higher education. This module will guide lecturers in higher education to systematically infuse ESD in their existing curriculum, research and community engagement.
Objectives: 
1. Develop KBM modules for understanding the depth and broader issues about SDG, ESD in term of its context, contents and knowledge.
2. The main themes of ESD focused in the module: Health, Biodiversity, Local Knowledge, Water and Climate Change Education
3. Methodology: Tools and technology for ESD, SD issues, Case study and field trip, ESD problem solving.
4. Implementation, Design product (modules, activities, programs), Workshop with selected participants and input to refine module
5. Output: KBM (ESD element, Objectives, Target groups, Implementation, Activities, Outcome), Best practices and short term course outline for Knowledge Brokering Module aimed at infusing SD/ESD within the various higher education ecosystem (teaching, research and community engagement)
Activities and/or practices employed: 
Workshop, site visits, World café, meetings and case studies in line with the following methodology:
A series of workshop focused on the following:
Contents: SDG, ESD contents, context and knowledge, main themes of ESD: Health, Biodiversity, Local Knowledge, Water and Climate Change Education
Methodology: Tools and technology for ESD, SD issues, Case study and field trip, ESD problem solving- Implementation, Design product (modules, activities, programs), Workshop with selected participants and input to refine module
Output : KBM (ESD element, Objectives, Target groups, Implementation, Activities, Outcome)
: Best practices
: Short term course outline for Knowledge Brokering Module
Size of academic audience: 
100 higher education faculty members
Results: 
Currently, the project is at the stage of developing the modules which later will be tested with higher education faculty members, in collaboration with AKEPT: Higher Education Leadership Academy, Malaysia Ministry of Education
Lessons learned: 
One of the main challenges in this project is to formulate theoretical underpinnings that would address change for more sustainable behavior. Therefore, the module will address the HE faculty at 4 roles as: individual, practitioner, trainer and finally researchers in the academic community. The module too will include case studies of actual field work.
Key messages: 
This project focus on infusing ESD in the higher education sectors focusing on three pathways: curriculum, research and community engagement. There will be two phases:
Phase 1 Development of KBM Module
Design of the Activation Course that is seen as nascent materials to be further developed with the participants of the Knowledge Brokerage Module, i.e. the RCEs and RCE candidates in Malaysia.
Preparation of the Knowledge Brokering Module (KBM) with the RCEs
Preparation of the materials and consolidation training strategies.
Phase 2: Training of lecturers in higher education either directly to them or through training of trainers.
Conducting the KBM with an idea to integrate the knowledge of the participants into the initial materials and to developed strategies for the course delivery.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
This module which is developed in Malaysia will also be useful for other Higher education institutions.
Funding (any relevant information about or acknowledgement of funding of activities or projects described in the case study)
Funding: 
Funding is from AKEPT, Malaysia Higher Education Leadership Academy.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon photo1.jpg (120 KB) Participants group photo Munirah Ghazali
Image icon photo2.jpg (264.34 KB) Case Study: Larut Matang Forestry Department: Mangrove Munirah Ghazali
Image icon photo3.jpg (195.64 KB) Case study: Georgetown UNESCO Heritage sites Munirah Ghazali
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Indirect
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Indirect
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Indirect
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Direct
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Direct
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Indirect
Traditional Knowledge  
Direct
Agriculture 
Indirect
Arts 
Indirect
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Forests/Trees 
Indirect
Plants & Animals 
Indirect
Waste 
Indirect
Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development – Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
Indirect
Update: 
No