Sustainability Toolkit – Phase 2 plan

For both the Sustainability and Engineering Ethics toolkits, the strategy for promotion and dissemination will focus on 3 priorities:

a.     Build awareness of the toolkit by highlighting the need/problem and the resource/solution;  

b.     Build understanding and engagement by helping educators to know and use the toolkit; 

c.     Motivate action by getting others to advocate for and champion the toolkits, and to submit further resources. 

We can break this down into the following outputs and activities for Sustainability:

Who/What/When

Output or activity

Notes 
  • Privately commissioned
  • Impact study.

 
  • This study will inform the further enhancement of the Ethics Toolkit, determining where attention should be prioritised, and will influence the ongoing development of the Sustainability Toolkit.

 
  • Run a dedicated workshop session (~half day). 
  • This workshop will be developed/delivered in partnership with other Toolkit contributors. 
  • Funding would be required to support travel.  
  • SEFI Sustainability SIG (Special Interest Group) 

 
  • Collaborate on a webinar workshop series which would feature an Ethics Toolkit resource per session, encouraging attendees to become familiar with, use, and then report back on integrating the resource. 
  • EPC would work in collaboration with our partners and Toolkit contributors to develop/deliver these. 

 
  • Present a paper on the impact of the Ethics Toolkit (via data/testimonials).  
  • The lessons learned from this paper will inform our continued development of the Sustainability Toolkit.
  • Funding would be required to support travel.  
  • Our proposal was accepted after a very competitive submission process and ASEE is the world’s largest conference of engineering educators with a very strong Ethics subcommittee. 
  • The lessons learned from this paper will inform our continued development of the Sustainability Toolkit.
  • WEEF 2024 
  • Workshop both Toolkits 
  • Funding would be required to support travel. 
  • Run sessions on the Toolkit at WEEF 2024.
  • EPC Congress 2024 
  • Workshop both Toolkits 
  • Funding would be required to support travel   
  • Run sessions on the Toolkit at EPC Congress 2024.
  • Advance HE
  • PEIs
  • Sponsorship
  • Continuing professional development. 
  • Feedback from users of the Ethics toolkit and stakeholders at various pre-launch feedback sessions for the Sustainability Toolkit suggests a demand for an ongoing programme of professional development opportunities for both toolkits, potentially with sponsorship, or in partnership with leading organisations in the CPD field for the HE sector. This is unlikely to be fully realised in a year, but a trial programme would be developed and piloted.
  • Educators and other stakeholders need to understand where and how changes can be made in the curriculum to embed ethics and sustainability, so that they can fully engage with the toolkit resources and delivering system change.
  • PEIs accreditation committees
  • Integration with accreditation.
  • Reach out to the accreditation committees of the PEIs in order to establish what they need to help them better understand our resources and how they relate to the accreditation process of HEI courses.   
  • The toolkits need to address the needs of accreditors as well as educators.
  • Through the accreditation committees of the PEIs a framework will be established to help them better understand the toolkit resources and how they relate to the accreditation process of HEI courses.
  • This could even involve developing training modules or short courses for accrediting personnel. 
  • Toolkit contributors
  • Develop, produce and publish further Toolkit content.
  • Continued support for systems of expanding the toolkits, including commissioning, creating and compiling resources, a network of reviewers, and a fast-track process from review to publication of content.

New content to be informed by:

  • Our partners
  • AdvanceHE ESD Guidance, March 2021
  • Engineers Without Borders UK (EWB-UK) Reimagined Degree Map
  • Requests from academics.
  • Pitches from contributors.
  • Sustainability Ambassadors
  • Expand, strengthen and publicise the community.
  • Continued support and guidance for the existing Ethics Ambassadors community and extension into a Sustainability Ambassadors community to ensure the toolkits become an ongoing, regular component of engineering teaching and highlighting excellence in integrating ethics and sustainability.  
  • Build a network of champions in Sustainability Ambassadors.
  • Continue our partnership with Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network and develop the Sustainability Ambassadors with this group.
  • Connect with our partners Engineers Without Borders UK (EWB-UK) 
  • Begin engagement with the Engineering for One Planet Network. 
  • EPC leads
  • Toolkit contributors
  • Run a rewards and awards scheme for Toolkit contributors.
  • E-badges for contributors, that can be used on their email, website and other communications. 
  • Develop a microcredential that is connected to completing a training 
  • Awards for highest quality content and most popular content. 
  • Award to help an educator/institution embed Sustainability in a module or course. 
  • Media
  • HEIs
  • PEIs
  • Other media and institutions
  • Promote and disseminate the Toolkit. 
  • Run a campaign of weekly mini blogs promoting each piece of Toolkit content.
  • Promote the Toolkit daily on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn).
  • Launch the Toolkit during an in-person event at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
  • Sent out a media release to engineering and education press.
  • Create an Educators’ Pack and sent it out to all UK HEIs with engineering departments.
  • Publish blogs from educators on their personal experiences using the toolkit.
  • Build a network of champions in Sustainability Ambassadors.
  • Reach out to engineering podcasts/social media/student unions. 
  • Continue our partnership with Petrus Communications / EOP and EWB-UK press teams to cross-promote activities to a wider audience.
  • Reach out to engineering podcasts/social media/student unions etc.
  • HEIs and engineering staff
  • PEIs
  • Other interested parties
  • Workshops (in person).
  • A roadshow (taking workshops to various HEIs or other locations).
  • This will either be run by the EPC or via a CPD provider.
  • EPC 
  • Sustainability Ambassadors 
  • HEIs 
  • PEIs 
  • Other interested parties 
  • A self-study module. 
  • This will be a number of linear modules, available online. 
  • This will either be devised and run by the EPC and the Sustainability Ambassadors or via a CPD provider. 
  • External provider

 

 

 
  • Build a portal.
  • To maximise impact and effect change globally, the toolkit materials should not be confined to the EPC website. While this may be the ideal place for this content to reach UK engineering academics, a wider audience in other stages of education and internationally can be reached by developing a bespoke portal allowing the toolkits to reside and be updated on the EPC website, through an API on other sites (including RAEng’s own), and on a dedicated URL such as “engineeringsustainability” which would rank more highly on internet searches.
  • This is unlikely to be realised within a year, but funding is needed until the next phase of Siemens support is likely to be available in Q3 of 2024.
  • Siemens may also be able to provide technical support in kind.
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