Over four decades, education for sustainable development (ESD) has evolved from an idea to an actionable framework, including a road map toward 2030. While gaining momentum at the turn of the 21st century with information technology (IT) advancements, the universal utility of eLearning was validated during the COVID-19 pandemic when it became the predominant teaching-learning solution globally. Despite its versatility, and potential, eLearning for ESD remains underutilised. To that end, this work aims to share insights from a global trial conducted by the International Material Flow Management Network University (IMAT-NU) since 2018 grounded in ESD. The course in focus deals with complex systems optimisation for resilient societies in the energy-climate era. Targeted at graduate students in the International Material Flow Management Master's program, the annually offered course has ca. 50 enrolments from around twenty countries. Organised in a cross-university student cohort setting, the course covers key subjects, including climate change, climate financing, circular economy, and zero-emission systems design for resilient societies. Pedagogical and learning aspects (synchronous and asynchronous) were analysed using the community of inquiry (COI) framework. Findings indicate significant challenges in "teaching presence" stemming from IT infrastructure limitations where course management requires substantial human capital to address geographical, cultural, and language diversity challenges. Additionally, self-directed learning (particularly andragogical aspects) poses a significant challenge in "cognitive presence". Overall, the insights demonstrate eLearning's leveragability to efficiently and cost-effectively mobilise pedagogical resources while developing an internationally oriented community of learners and facilitating global outreach for a crucial subject of the Anthropocene: resilience.

Authors:
Ranahansa Dasanayake, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Aurélie Kono, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Ranahansa Dasanayake is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, Trier University of Applied Sciences in Germany

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