Theme 3: Innovation in Teaching & Learning
About
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) aspires to stand at the forefront of climate action and sustainability within higher education, championing an integrated vision that combines academic excellence, innovative teaching, and dynamic community engagement. Rooted in the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), MIC has embedded sustainability into the heart of its programmes, pedagogy, and partnerships.
From its forward-thinking undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to its transformative teaching approaches and impactful outreach activities, MIC prepares graduates to address the existing and emerging challenges of our time. Its success will lie not only in what is taught but in how learning is brought to life - through experiential, place-based education, interdisciplinary innovation, and a deep engagement with and commitment to the wider community. MIC’s climate efforts reflect both a vision and a practice of education as a vehicle for environmental stewardship and social justice.
Teaching & Learning
Transformative Programme Offerings: Sustainability at the Core
One of the most critical ways MIC can contribute is through the integration of climate literacy into its curriculum. MIC’s emphasis on education for sustainable development (ESD) ensures that students’ learning journeys are deeply connected to global priorities, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By integrating sustainability and climate-related themes across its teaching and learning programs, MIC equips students with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to drive meaningful change. From teacher education programs that train future educators to embed environmental literacy in schools, to humanities courses that explore social and ecological justice, MIC ensures its graduates are prepared to lead sustainable, ethical, and impactful lives and also to promulgate these values by empowering younger generations to understand the imperatives of life in the coming decades of the twenty first century and to become agents of change themselves.
Curriculum Design
Programme design at MIC can explicitly integrate sustainability and climate action across diverse disciplines, from teacher education to humanities disciplines. The College has an opportunity to design academic programmes that address contemporary global challenges, with a strong emphasis on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Embedding the SDGs into programme design not only aligns with international sustainability frameworks but also reflects MIC’s commitment to preparing graduates who can contribute meaningfully to societal well-being and environmental stewardship.
Undergraduate Programmes
Accordingly, at MIC, sustainability is not an isolated concept but a unifying thread woven throughout its undergraduate curricula, incorporating themes such as environmental awareness, climate justice, and sustainable development principles across a multiplicity of modules that are intended to have both a foundational and transformative effect for students.
Module design is characterised by direct reference to the UNESCO objective to create learning opportunities that are interdisciplinary and holistic; values-driven, that encourage critical thinking and problem solving, that use a wide range of methods, media and activities, that foster participatory decision-making and, that address local as well as global issues.
MIC also aims to embed sustainable energy in all relevant curricula within the Irish school system, in an integrated manner and that all schools have a whole school approach to energy education, and have an embedded culture of sustainable energy. The College strives to achieve this through the delivery of specific ESD electives for pre-service primary school teachers and incorporating the concepts of energy, the environment and climate change across our STEM, Geography and Visual Art modules and curricula for pre-service primary teachers.
While all pre-service teachers gain experience in ESD in their core geography modules, they can also pursue this further through an ESD elective. This module explores the theories and practices related to outdoor learning and sustainability education. It provides principles and guidelines for student teachers to use their local landscape as a key resource for teaching geography. This module aims to provide students with a background in biodiversity, ecology and environmental awareness and care. Theoretical perspectives of Environmental Education and ESD are addressed. One of the core aspects of this module is the promotion of outdoor education. A range of field trips are offered to support classroom- based understanding of our planetary geophysical and ecological systems. These trips include visits to Green Schools, school gardens, local nature reserves and a variety of natural habitats e.g. woodlands, fresh water, and sea shore. Biodiversity is explored in a range of habitats in addition to other key learning contexts such as climate change and pollution. The module places a strong emphasis on integration, i.e. how sustainability education can be linked with all other subject areas in the primary curriculum.
Bachelor of Education programmes containing these features include the following:
This first-year core module introduces Environmental Awareness and Care, equipping future teachers with foundational concepts about ecology and sustainability.
This module includes content focusing on sustainability, responsibility and climate justice.
In the second year, this module empowers student teachers to engage young learners in conversations about climate change. Using practical classroom strategies, students learn to inspire critical thinking and responsibility in primary classrooms.
This is a core module within the B Ed programme incorporating the concepts of Environmental Awareness and Care
A fourth-year elective that exemplifies MIC’s commitment to innovative teaching. Each year, themes such as ocean literacy take centre stage, connecting students to Ireland’s marine environments through immersive learning and interdisciplinary exploration.
MIC also has a Development Education and Global Citizenship Education (DICE) strand within its teacher education provision. DICE enables the College to deliver a variety of modules to pre-service primary teachers and to offer a wide range of workshops, symposia and events for teachers (and the general public). A DICE committee helps to coordinate the integration of DICE themes within the curriculum and includes content and pedagogy experts in STEM Education, CSPE, SPHE and geography.
In the Liberal Arts, the College’s geography modules, rich in both physical and human geography, offer an introduction to climate and sustainability themes as well as elective opportunities to specialise and to gain an intellectual and applied foundation for understanding the complexities of climate change (and forge a pathway towards postgraduate study):
This module examines greenhouse gas emissions and climate variability. Students engage deeply with the role of humans in altering ocean ecosystems and protecting biodiversity.
This module takes a multi-faceted approach, considering the interplay of climatic, hydrological, and ecological systems. Students develop a holistic understanding of environmental change and its impacts.
This module looks at a range of natural events that, while of relatively low frequency, have very large and serious impacts on human populations. These include extreme weather events, storm surges and flooding.
Modules such as Political Geography, Political Ecology, Marine Geography, and Urban Geography and Planning challenge students to think critically about sustainable development, justice, and the future of urban spaces.
Postgraduate Programmes: Towards a Future Focus on Sustainability
At the postgraduate level, MIC offers a suite of innovative programmes designed to meet urgent global challenges and cultivate sustainability leaders:
Master of Education in Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship is designed for educators across all levels, it provides tools to integrate sustainability and global citizenship into teaching and learning. It empowers graduates to foster agency among students, inspiring action for social and environmental justice.
A unique interdisciplinary offering, MA in Climate, Justice & Sustainability blends environmental ethics, climate science, and social sustainability. It challenges students to think beyond technical solutions, exploring the moral dimensions of climate action.
Bridging the divide between Arts and Science, this flexible programme enables students to undertake advanced research on human-environment interactions and sustainability challenges.
In the Liberal Arts at MIC, all disciplines – potentially – have significance for the building an increasingly coherent programme offering for learners wishing to understand the emergent focus on climate and sustainability on their lives and careers, with philosophy taking an early lead in this alongside geography by complementing the latter with new paradigmatic approaches such as climate ethics.
Pedagogy
Pedagogy at MIC further enhances the integration of sustainability by adopting innovative and participatory teaching methods. Techniques such as problem-based learning, collaborative projects, and experiential learning deepen students’ understanding of complex environmental and social issues. By leveraging these methods, MIC cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and resilience among students, skills that are essential for addressing the uncertainties of a changing world. Additionally, the incorporation of indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge and practices enriches learning experiences by offering diverse perspectives on sustainability.
Learning Technologies
The use of new learning technologies also represents a significant opportunity for MIC to advance its teaching and learning mission in the context of sustainability. Online platforms, virtual simulations, and digital tools facilitate access to global resources and foster collaboration among students, educators, and researchers. For example, MIC uses interactive modules to simulate the impacts of climate policies or enable virtual exchanges with international institutions focused on the SDGs. These technologies not only enhance the learning experience but also reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional modes of education, further contributing to MIC’s sustainability objectives.
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Interculturalism
MIC places special emphasis on fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments where all students feel empowered to thrive. By championing the values of diversity and equity, as well as nurturing its learners’ openness to the efficacy of collaboration, the College encourages students to embrace their unique perspectives while working toward shared goals. This formative approach to education creates a ripple effect—MIC graduates go on to inspire, teach, and lead others, making significant contributions to society as educators, leaders, and engaged citizens committed collectively to building a more sustainable and equitable future.
Key Roadmap Actions
The SDGs, established by the United Nations, provide a comprehensive framework for addressing global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation. By embedding SDGs into academic modules, MIC can:
- Enhance students' understanding of global issues and their interconnectedness.
- Foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to sustainable development.
- Promote a culture of sustainability and social responsibility within the college community.
- Align MIC's educational practices with national and international sustainability goals.
To effectively integrate SDGs into the curriculum, MIC will utilise the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) methodology. This framework provides a comprehensive approach to assessing and improving sustainability performance in higher education institutions. The STARS methodology involves the following steps:
- Creating a Baseline: Conduct an audit of SDGs currently integrated into modules during the Academic Year 2024/25. This will involve reviewing course syllabi, learning outcomes, and teaching materials to identify existing SDG-related content.
- Performing a Gap Analysis: Compare the baseline data with the desired level of SDG integration. Identify gaps where SDGs are underrepresented or missing in the curriculum. This analysis will help prioritise areas for improvement and guide the development of new modules or the revision of existing ones.
The key components of the plan to integrate SDGs into the curriculum include:
- Curriculum Development: Collaborate with academic departments to revise existing modules and develop new ones that incorporate SDG themes. Provide faculty with resources and training on integrating SDGs into their teaching practices.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish a system for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of SDG integration. Use the STARS framework to track progress and make data-driven decisions. Regularly update the baseline and gap analysis to reflect changes in the curriculum.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Engage students, faculty, and external stakeholders in the process of SDG integration. Create opportunities for collaboration and feedback to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant and impactful.
- Reporting and Communication: Communicate progress and achievements related to SDG integration to the College community and external stakeholders, using the Climate Roadmap process of reporting under the Climate Action Mandate, as well as institutional annual reports, presidents’ reports to Governing Authority, AOP reports demonstrating progress on implementation of the institutional strategic plan, committee system reports to the wider College community and, of course, self-evaluation reports to the HEA under the System Performance Framework.
It will be important to map and track a robust risk management framework against the institutional objectives set out here and, accordingly, a specific risk register, inclusive of risk mitigation actions and relevant internal controls, will be developed. Key risks envisaged include failure to ensure resource identification and deployment, failure to ensure data availability and integrity, failure to mobilise stakeholder ‘buy-in,’ and failure to maintain consistency in respect of planning and delivery of modules with relevant and appropriate SDG characteristics.
Both the STARS system and the metrics used to deliver GHG reductions, within the SEAI reporting dashboard for public bodies ensure that the College has a data collection and management framework. However, this data will be combined (automatically through workflow) with the curriculum management and programme development modules of academic information systems (including the College’s SRS) to create a bespoke data analytics module within its own Online Analytics System, e-OLAS.
- Expand climate change education modules within the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and postgraduate programmes.
- Develop specialist electives for pre-service teachers focusing on outdoor education, energy literacy, and climate justice.
- Design and deliver professional development (CPD) programmes for in-service teachers on teaching climate change and integrating sustainability into primary and post-primary classrooms.
- Prioritise outdoor and field-based learning in modules to connect students with local ecosystems (e.g., nature reserves, school gardens, coastal habitats). MIC has also created a dedicated outdoor teaching space on its Limerick campus for this purpose and this will be integrated into the College’s overall Landscape Masterplan.
- Enhance place-based education by using Ireland’s unique geography and biodiversity as a key teaching resource.
- Foster hands-on learning through engagement with community-led sustainability initiatives, such as the Tiny Forest Project and Green Schools Programme.
- Develop and promote interdisciplinary teaching methodologies that link sustainability themes across subjects.
- Expand the use of project-based and inquiry-based learning to encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and active citizenship.
- Incorporate digital tools and multimedia resources to support teaching about climate change and global sustainability challenges.
- Be mindful of the risk of enlarging the carbon footprint by inefficient or non-strategic usage of Artificial Intelligence services.
- Launch innovative undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with a core focus on sustainability, climate justice, and global citizenship.
- Expand programmes like the M.Ed. in Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship and MA in Climate, Justice, and Sustainability to attract diverse student cohorts.
- Introduce flexible, micro-credential modules for professionals seeking to upskill in sustainability education.
- Ensure all graduates achieve climate literacy by integrating sustainability knowledge, values, and skills into core learning outcomes.
- Provide opportunities for students to undertake research, projects, and placements focused on climate action and sustainability solutions.
- Promote climate justice awareness through ethical and reflective teaching practices, empowering students to act locally and think globally.
- Deliver ongoing professional development workshops and training for faculty to integrate sustainability and climate action into their teaching.
- Establish a Sustainability Pedagogy Forum for sharing best practices, tools, and resources among academic staff.
- Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty to design innovative, climate-focused modules and programmes.
- Use MIC’s campuses as living laboratories for sustainability, integrating energy efficiency, biodiversity projects, and waste reduction into teaching and learning activities.
- Develop student-led initiatives and partnerships to foster environmental stewardship and sustainability leadership on campus.
- Establish student competitions, events, and showcases highlighting climate action projects and achievements.
- Embed sustainability learning outcomes into curriculum evaluation processes to ensure ongoing alignment with climate action goals.
- Highlight MIC’s leadership in climate education through case studies, publications, and conferences.
- Collaborate with national and international networks to share MIC’s best practices in sustainability-focused teaching and learning.
- Promote student-led projects and initiatives, such as the Green Campus Programme, Tiny Forests, and climate action weeks.
- Foster global citizenship education by providing students with the tools to address social and environmental injustices locally and globally.
- Ensure students graduate as empowered advocates for climate action and sustainability, equipped to lead positive change in their professional and personal lives.
- About
- Teaching & Learning
- Key Roadmap Actions
