Pushing the boundaries: the work of the Higher Education Academy’s ESD Project1

Abstract

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is a UK‐wide organisation that works with higher education institutions and 24 discipline‐based Subject Centres to improve the student learning experience. This paper outlines the work of one of its initiatives, the HEA ESD Project. While a small part of the Academy’s overall work, the Project is attracting increasing interest and engagement from the academic community as education for sustainability moves up the agenda of concerns in higher education. A discussion about the context for sustainability in the higher education curriculum and the challenge that this presents to higher education as a whole is presented, and this is followed by a selective account of the ESD Project’s recent and current work.