LT1095 Learning and sustainable development 6.0 credits

The course examines sustainable development from both a learning perspective and an engineering perspective. It builds on the programme’s previous courses in sustainable development, pedagogy and didactics, and prepares students for work-based learning, advanced subject didactics and the degree project.

The course covers the following areas:

The nature of sustainability challenges: ecological, social and economic dimensions; the climate transition towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice and climate resilience within the framework of planetary boundaries.

Intractable problems and systems thinking: conflicting goals, stakeholder perspectives and systems analysis approaches, as well as addressing controversial issues in teaching.

Learning for sustainable development: didactic models and research perspectives.

Methods for teaching sustainable development, e.g. role-play and game-based learning, dilemma exercises, and data visualisation and data physicalisation.

Design for sustainability and learning: design methods and prototyping.

AI and sustainable development: AI as a tool in teaching and development, responsible use, and the environmental, social and economic impacts of AI.

The overall aim of the course is to develop students’ ability to promote learning for sustainable development, both in their role as upper secondary school teachers and in their role as engineers. The course combines an understanding of the nature of sustainability challenges with the pedagogical ability to teach about them, and with the ability to design solutions and learning activities, both with and about AI.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Describe and analyse key concepts, objectives and challenges within sustainable development, including net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice and climate resilience within the framework of planetary boundaries.
2. Analyse sustainability challenges as intractable problems and justify strategies for addressing them.
3. Plan, implement and evaluate teaching on sustainable development for upper secondary school, based on their own subject area.
4. Design, test and evaluate a prototype, product or learning activity for sustainable development.
5. Use AI in teaching and development, and critically assess its potential, limitations and impact on sustainability from ecological, social and economic perspectives.
6. Reflect on their role as a teacher and engineer in promoting sustainable development, as well as on the ethical and democratic aspects of teaching sustainability issues.

At least one university-level course covering the fundamentals of sustainable development, equivalent to at least 5 credits, e.g. AL1130.

At least 15 credits in pedagogy, didactics and/or VFU.

• PRO1 - Project, 2.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• SEM1 - Seminars, 2.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• INL1 - Assignments, 2.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability. The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students. If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Attendance is compulsory for seminars, presentations and certain other specified teaching sessions. For some of these teaching sessions, alternative sessions may be offered in the event of absence; others require physical attendance, and for these, supplementary sessions may only be offered subject to the availability of resources; otherwise, the sessions will need to be retaken at a later date.

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.