Basics of sustainable development (1 ECTS)

Learning outcomes

The student
• understands climate change and its impacts on the global environment and societies
• can analyse the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss and its effects
• is able to assess the state of democracy, social polarisation, and the development of crises in different parts of the world, and identify their impact on sustainable development
• is familiar with key ethical theories and can apply them to the resolution of wicked problems
• is able to develop their own ethical thinking and justify their ethical decisions in the context of sustainability challenges
• can analyse ethical questions in complex and unpredictable situations.
• understands the significance of ecological, social, and economic sustainability and can apply this knowledge in practical contexts.
• is familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and can explain their global relevance
• is able to focus on selected key goals and analyse their implementation and related challenges
• can evaluate the current state of progress toward the goals and propose improvements.
• understands the importance of individual and group-level competences in achieving sustainability and is able to develop their own personal and teamwork skills to promote sustainable development
• can apply the Inner Development Goals framework to practical situations to enhance sustainability and evaluate its impact.

Content

Sustainability Challenges
• Climate change
• Biodiversity loss
• The state of democracy
• Social polarisation
• Conflicts

Ethical Theories and Sustainable Development
• Ethical frameworks and personal ethical thinking in addressing wicked problems

Dimensions of Sustainable Development
• Ecological
• Social (including cultural)
• Economic

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Overview of the SDGs
• Focus on key goals (climate action, reducing inequality, sustainable infrastructure, economic growth)
• Challenges related to the SDGs and the current status of their implementation

Inner Development Goals (IDGs)
• Individual and group-level competences for achieving sustainability

Prerequisites

no pre-requisites

Teaching methods

Pre-recorded Lectures
Lecture Materials
Independent Study
Mini Quizzes
Final Exam

Location and time

Self-paced online course
1 August 2025 – 31 May 2026

Learning materials and recommended literature

All materials are available in the course’s Moodle workspace.

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Each quiz can be completed once. All quizzes are open for the entire course duration.

Student workload

Estimated workload:
- Online lectures and reviewing materials: 7 hours
- Mini quizzes: 3 hours
- Reading reports and completing independent tasks: 14 hours
- Final exam: 3 hours

Content scheduling

Course content:
- Sustainability challenges
- Ethical theories and sustainable development
- Dimensions of sustainability
- UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Inner Development Goals
- Metropolia’s Sustainability Report and Sitra’s Nature Footprint of Finns report

Assessment methods and criteria

Assessment: Pass / Fail.
To pass the course, students must score at least 60%.

Evaluation scale

Hyväksytty/Hylätty

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student
• has achieved the objectives of the course to a satisfactory level
• is able to identify, define and use concepts and models in the subject area of the course
• understands the conditions and principles of the development of expertise.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student
• has achieved the objectives of the course well, although there are still areas where knowledge and skills need to be improved
• has a good understanding of the concepts and models of the subject matter of the course and is able to carry out a reasoned analysis
• is able to apply what they have learned in leisure, learning and working life situations
• understands the importance of expertise in business and is able to analyse their own expertise.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
• has achieved the objectives of the course with excellent marks
• has an excellent command of the concepts and models of the subject matter of the course
• is able to analyse clearly and reasonably and propose practical development measures
• has a good ability to apply what they have learned in leisure, learning and working life situations
• is able to analyse expertise in business and their own development towards expertise.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student
• has achieved the objectives of the course to a satisfactory level
• is able to identify, define and use concepts and models in the subject area of the course
• understands the conditions and principles of the development of expertise.