Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to provide participants with opportunities to focus on learning, teaching and leisure activities for sustainability. Students do few major assignments and fulfil obligatory participation in organising on-line classes and informed debate. The course is taught online and it is obligatory to attend 80% of classes according to the course plan.

Examples of issues to be dealt with:

• Activism in learning and teaching
• Place-based and experiential education
• Behavioural change
• Science learning, technology and sustainability
• Creativity, creation of knowledge and social sustainability
• University education, adult learning
• Formal, informal and non-formal learning
• Social Entrepreneurship Education

See the course in the UI course catalogue here.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of the course students can:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of issues and models related to learning and teaching for sustainability.
• relate the issues implicit in educational action for sustainability to students’ own work in learning and teaching for sustainability.
• analyze and evaluate different approaches and contradictions that arise when working with learning and teaching for sustainability.
• can engage in difficult dialogue and work with controversial issues in writing and oral debate.
• debate their ideas on learning and educational action for sustainability and related problems and solutions with both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• state a position or present objections, scrutinize assumptions and implications of different ethical perspectives.
• engage in and interpret academic readings showing autonomy in dialogue within and beyond own subject field.

Course schedule and assessment:

• Course schedule:
  • Weekly lessons on Friday afternoons from 15 January to 23 April.
  • Please note that classes will be scheduled on Icelandic time (GMT +0)
• Mode of study:
  • Distance learning with real -time participation in online meetings
• Assessment:
  • 80% obligatory attendance in classes
  • Assignments include discussion papers, oral presentations in class and a final paper. To pass the course students need to get minimum grade 5.0 for each assignment and fulfil obligatory attendance (see above) and participation in classes.
  • Students will receive a transcript of records upon completion of the course.

Application procedure:

Students apply via the University of Iceland’s application portal.

All students must attach to their application:

• a copy of their current transcript from their home institution
• and the information page of their passport or another form of valid travel ID to their application.

Application deadline is 1 December 2026.

Applications will be answered by 15 December. All relevant information will be sent to accepted students, with acceptance letters and instructions on how to access the Canvas online learning platform.