Micro-credential in Sustainability

One of Una Europa’s missions is to educate about the big topics of today. Read what our LTF member Melinda wrote about the Una Europa micro-credentials course in sustainability.

Micro-credential in Sustainability

As the year draws to a close, let’s take a moment to look back on one of the things Una Europa has achieved in 2022. On a mission to create a European university of the future, Una Europa added a new micro-credential to its course catalog! The theme is one of the five central academic focuses of Una Europa: sustainability.

Achieving ambitious climate goals requires cooperation across borders and disciplines. The climate crisis is not an issue that can be solved by one country alone. This is where international collaborations like Una Europa come in.

The Una Europa micro-credential in sustainability is a collaboration between The University of Helsinki, the University of Bologna, and the Jagiellonian University of Krakow. It encompasses five multidisciplinary Massive Open Online Courses (or MOOCs) that have to do with the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability. The courses are based on the latest research as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The aim of the courses is to provide students with the basic knowledge about sustainability they need to be a part of the change for a more sustainable future. Laura Riuttanen, university lecturer in atmospheric sciences at the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), says universities can be drivers of that change. Riuttanen is the academic lead on the micro-credential in sustainability. She would like to see universities be an active part of the sustainability transformation: I find that teaching is really the way to transform societies”.

According to Riuttanen, it is important that we update our knowledge on sustainability and on biodiversity so that we know what needs to be done and how we can help. The MOOCs in this micro-credential offer a flexible learning environment, as the online courses can be completed at the learner’s own pace.

The launch event for the micro-credential was held at the Think Corner back in October. The participants had the opportunity to hear about the new micro-credential, as well as discuss topics related to sustainability.

The micro-credential is free for students studying at any of the Una Europa partner universities. After completing all the courses in the micro-credential, students are awarded a certificate as well as 10 ECTS by the University of Helsinki.

 More information about the micro-credential and instructions for how to enroll can be found on the Una Europa website:

https://www.una-europa.eu/study/microcredential-sustainability#content

 

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