Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract/Objectives

The objective of this course is to provide university students with a comprehensive understanding of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the specific strategies and measures associated with their achievement, while also fostering students’ capacity and motivation to engage in sustainable development–related industries in the future. Currently, most SDG-related courses in Taiwan place primary emphasis on climate change, environmental ecology, and energy-related issues. In contrast, this course seeks to offer a systematic and in-depth examination of each of the 17 SDGs. To accomplish this objective, the course proposes to implement industry–academia collaboration in teaching by partnering with organizations that have long been dedicated to the promotion of sustainable development. Through the integration of industry practitioners’ perspectives with a strong focus on practical and industrial concerns, the course aims to identify international opportunities, consolidate domestic expertise in sustainable development, and enhance overall competitiveness. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the course is designed to enable students to develop a holistic understanding of sustainable development issues. A variety of diversified learning methods will be employed to guide students in critically exploring a wide range of environmental and sustainability-related issues.

Results/Contributions

This course is structured around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and adopts an interdisciplinary teaching approach to guide students toward a comprehensive understanding of the diverse dimensions and practical implications of sustainable development. A total of 44 students were enrolled in the course during the semester. Faculty members from different colleges and disciplinary backgrounds were invited to participate in teaching, integrating perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, technology, law, and environmental studies to systematically introduce SDG-related issues and assist students in developing integrated and critical perspectives on sustainability.

The course content covered a wide range of topics, including gender equality, art and cultural sustainability, biodiversity, healthcare and rural health, sports technology, energy transition and net-zero legal frameworks, cultural heritage and climate action, social innovation, urban governance, and marine and terrestrial ecosystems. These topics corresponded to multiple SDGs and were explored through concrete case studies and policy analyses, thereby deepening students’ understanding of sustainability issues. Teaching methods combined lectures with cross-disciplinary sharing by faculty members, encouraging students to examine pathways for implementing sustainable development from diverse academic perspectives.

Final learning outcomes were assessed through group-based project presentations. A total of ten group reports were completed, requiring students to integrate course knowledge to analyze and discuss specific sustainability-related topics. This process strengthened students’ problem awareness, data collection skills, interdisciplinary integration, and teamwork abilities. Overall, the course effectively enhanced students’ awareness and understanding of the SDGs and reinforced their capacity to engage with the interdisciplinary collaboration and institutional design essential to sustainable development, demonstrating concrete educational outcomes in advancing sustainability education and fulfilling the university’s social responsibility.

Keywords

sustainable developmentsdgclimate changeCSR

Contact Information

杜雅涵
andreaduh16@gapp.nthu.edu.tw