Education for sustainability (Ef S) in higher education is an emerging specialisation within the general field of
Ef S. Ef S encompasses cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects, and aims at enhancing a variety of learning
outcomes in these domains and reaching students from all programmes. One of the main challenges for higher
education educators is to design courses in a way that will effectively promote the various learning outcomes of
Ef S. A central question is how sustainability should be integrated into the curriculum; which topics should be
taught and which pedagogies ought to be applied to improve students’ knowledge, skills and motivation to
promote sustainable living. The present study aimed to contribute to the knowledge about students’ learning
outcomes yielded by different designs of Ef S courses. This multiple-case study of three courses used a
mixed-methods design. For each course, we identified its characteristics and analysed students’ self-reported
learning outcomes. We found that: (1) a course with a higher degree of participatory learning, employing a
system approach, promoted the highest and most varied learning outcomes; (2) the lecture-based course yielded
the fewest learning outcomes; and (3) field trips promoted learning outcomes only when accompanied by more
advanced pedagogies.

• Education for sustainability in higher education: a multiple-case study of three courses

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