Paula M. Hernandez-Diaz, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Ulisses M. Azeiteiro, Henri-Count Evans, Inga Grinfelde, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić, João Carlos Correia Leitão, Chunlan Li, Newton R. Matandirotya, Bethwel Mutai, Gustavo J. Nagy, Thierry Razanakoto, Jame Schaefer, Goran Trbic, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Sane Pashane Zuka, Charles Galdies, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Francisco Platas, Mittul Vahanvati, Pedi Obani, Safwatun Nida, Lucas Gabriel Zanon, Mayara Régia Sousa de Melo, Alison Glover, Roman Vakulchuk
This study presents a case study aimed at creating an itinerary for sustainable development that integrates it into the core curriculum offered to all undergraduate programs at Universidad EAFIT, Colombia. The methodology used to create the itinerary employed a mixed sequential design, starting with a bibliometric analysis followed by a thematic analysis, with Universidad EAFIT serving as the study case. The bibliometric analysis enabled the identification of trends and gaps in the literature on transversal curricula in education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education (HE), which found experiential and active learning to be suitable for this research. The thematic analysis enabled the development of an itinerary comprising three key courses: Sustainable Lifestyles, Designing Solutions by Imitating Nature, and Climate Action. The courses were implemented at EAFIT to equip students with the skills necessary to understand the environmental challenges facing humanity and to focus on promoting actions for climate change prevention, mitigation, and adaptation. This chapter shows the importance of experiential and active learning in climate change in higher education, outlining the course structure, established practices, learning tools, and expected outcomes for students and future professionals. The chapter highlights how academic networks contribute to the case, drawing on their previous results at the university as an important input to this urgent call for higher education institutions. The case presented is an alternative model that could be replicated in other higher education institutions (HEIs) or used as a basis for analysis in future research. This model integrates sustainability as part of a comprehensive approach to university sustainability. Some limitations of the study include that the model is in its early stages of application, and its effectiveness has not been thoroughly researched. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
Institute of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia; Center for Sustainable Development (Greens), Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (Unisul), Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil; School of Urban and Regional Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Centre, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Kgotso Development Trust, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay; CERED, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar; Marquette University, Milwaukee, United States; University of Sierra Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Land Economy, University of Malawi, The Polytechnic, Blantyre 3, Malawi; Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Academy for Sustainable Futures, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Casa de Cultura de la UAEMéx en Tlalpan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico; School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom; Science Education Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil; State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil; The Open University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo, Norway; Universidad EAFIT, School of Management, Medellin, Colombia; Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa Univesity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Eswatini, Manzini, Kwaluseni Campus, Matsapha, South Africa
