Teaching and Learning

ESD is an educational approach focused on empowering our students with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to make informed decisions and take responsible actions that creates an economically viable, environmentally sound, and societally just world for present and future generations.

We embed the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across our curriculum, using critical, inclusive, and active learning to build key student competencies. The 17 SDGs, set by the United Nations in 2015, address global social, economic, and environmental challenges to create a more sustainable, equitable future. All Ulster staff integrate the SDGs and related subject knowledge into their teaching.

The Ulster University Principles provide the foundation for our operational plans and for the continuous enhancement of Learning, Teaching and the Student Experience. The Ulster University Qualities are the common features of our provision that collectively defines our approach to learning, teaching and the student experience.

Quality 3: Sustainability

Ulster University’s programmes aim to prepare students for current and future sustainability challenges.  Our learning, teaching and student experience aims to support the development of students as responsible, active and inclusive global citizens.

Our Graduate Attributes are designed to set our graduates apart, helping them excel academically while preparing them for the future.

Attribute 4: Active Citizen

Someone who is engaging, ethical, sustainable, making a positive impact.

Citizen with Integrity

A student who displays this skill can:

• Be critically self-aware - recognising individual strengths and opportunities for development
• Uphold strong moral principles and act with honesty, reliability, and respect for others
• Develop a sense of one's values for ethical choices and actions that will benefit others
• Value different world views and cross-cultural diversity

Inclusive Citizen

A student who displays this skill can:

• Actively participate in local communities and global society
• Demonstrate inclusive behaviour toward different abilities, backgrounds and beliefs
• Use empathy to encourage inter-cultural respect

Sustainable Citizen

A student who displays this skill can:

• Take responsibility for their actions for sustainability issues
• Adopt a practical approach to solve sustainability challenges

Future Thinker

A student who displays this skill can:

• Understand and evaluate possible, probable and desirable futures to create a personal vision of the future
• Understand and contribute towards current and future local and global challenges
• Future gaze to deal with change

Ulster University has been awarded the SOS-UK Responsible Futures Accreditation. Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) Responsible Futures is a whole-institution supported change programme and accreditation mark designed to embed sustainability across all aspects of student learning.

Accreditation is awarded to institutions following a student-led audit of 50 criteria covering key themes such as benchmarking, leadership & strategy, policy & commitment, interventions, and outreach.

Responsible Futures is intended to support an education system which equips graduates with the necessary competencies to face and address the climate and ecological emergency and deliver on climate justice, to avoid repeating mistakes of our past.

By following the Responsible Futures framework, partnerships are signposted towards and supported to realise institutional changes needed to develop a learning experience which supports graduates to develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, and attributes to actively contribute to a socially just response to the climate crisis.

Ulster University participates in the annual SOS-UK SDG Teach-In. This initiative is designed to raise awareness about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and why they should be at the centre of higher education, to inspire and empower students to confront the most pressing challenges of our time, and to take action towards a more sustainable future for all.

Ulster University educators are encouraged to ‘Take the Pledge’ to include the SDGs in at least one teaching/learning support session with students, during the month of March. In 2025, Ulster University ranked 2nd amongst the institutions taking part for number of educators pledging to take part, and 6th for highest percentage of students reached by the campaign.