Designing an ESAP course on sustainability with resources in mind

From theory to practice

Abstract

This paper presents a sustainable approach to course development that is being pursued at the University Language Centre at the Ruhr University Bochum. In order to maintain the quality of teaching, courses for specific academic purposes need to be continuously revised. The article suggests ways in which this resource-intensive process, often seen as unsustainable and inefficient, can be optimised and designed to make the most efficient use of available resources. The model course used to illustrate the approach has sustainability as its main theme. By providing a platform for students to discuss and attempt to solve selected sustainability problems at their own university, the course developers aim to create a stimulating and meaningful framework for the acquisition of specialised language skills and the expansion of knowledge and understanding of current sustainability issues. Finally, this course serves as an example of how the goals of Education for Sustainable Development and sustainability of teaching and learning can be addressed in the local context and implemented in university language teaching.