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Sustainability: how to evaluate your skills?

"To train for sustainability, it is useful to evaluate the knowledge base on which we rely," explains Astrid Dauverné, head of the International Business Management (IBM) program at HEG-Genève. It was on social media that this teacher discovered that there is an online test – The Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge or TASK – to assess all knowledge related to sustainability. Offering this benefit to Bachelor students was a logical step, insofar as the new curriculum explicitly aims to incorporate sustainability across all disciplines. "Interested in this topic, I realized that to address it in the context of teaching, we would have to change our habits both in substance and form. TASK is part of the solution.”

The timing of reaching out to the company that developed this sustainability knowledge assessment tool could not have been better. With its approach grounded in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Planetary Boundaries framework, and the Doughnut Economique model, the French company was looking to expand internationally. The English-language curriculum of the IBM program presented an ideal opportunity to pilot the assessment platform in that language.

Throughout the Training Cycle

Internally, Astrid Dauverné approached the HES-SO rectorate as part of the Former pour transformer ("Train to Transform") program, which aims to embed sustainability across teaching and learning. "Thanks to their financial support, we were able to develop a pilot that covered not only the purchase of licenses, but also the coaching and training hours needed to integrate the tool into our courses," says the program director. "In the new study plan, the ambition is to offer a systemic approach. This is why we introduce first-year students to a shorter assessment, designed to help them grasp the breadth of the subject, identify their gaps, and discover their areas of interest. Then, at the end of the program, the full assessment provides a comprehensive picture of students' sustainability knowledge upon graduation."

Broad in scope, the assessment evaluates knowledge from both a societal and an environmental perspective, as well as the levers for action available to address sustainability challenges. It is precisely this cross-cutting nature that led the rectorate to propose the tool to all Universities of Applied Sciences in Western Switzerland, whose program offerings span engineering, healthcare, and management, among others. Additionally, the platform enables longitudinal tracking across student cohorts, making it possible to measure the impact of teaching over time.

Professional competencies

Beyond the classroom, sustainability knowledge also translates into concrete professional skills. "An added value for students is the ability to include the results of this assessment on their CV or to bring them up during a job interview," notes Astrid Dauverné.

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