The “Sustainability in Accounting and Finance: Developing a Global Mindset” was designed as a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) opportunity for students globally to gain practical awareness of sustainability and environmental management skills in a multi-cultural environment.
Funded by the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities Teaching & Learning Innovation Fund 2023/24, the unique practical non-credit bearing course was designed by Nadia Gulko (University of Lincoln, UK), Elizabeth Gordon (Temple University, US) and Sanlie Middelberg (Northwest University, SA), with the support of Project Assistant Jessica Vertigan (University of Lincoln, UK). This online extra-curriculum short course was delivered by industry practitioners and leading sustainability experts from the UK, USA, South Africa and Australia.
This innovative series of workshops captivated students into the most challenging topics of sustainability and environmental management that organisations face. Each workshop focused on the “What?”, “Why?” and “How?”. Students engaged collaboratively with industry practitioners (beyond traditional guest lectures) to co-create knowledge and better understand their future role in managing environment from different job perspectives.
This course embeds Education for Sustainable Development. It engages academic faculty, students, industry practitioners from different countries, contributing to an international culture of research, innovation in practical teaching, a global mindset amongst students, and adding value to the internationalisation agenda of higher education. The project significantly enhances the student learning experience and employability skills. Specifically, through a series of innovative practical industry-led workshops, the project provides students with a greater awareness of our impact on the planet and skills needed to address global sustainability challenges.
The participants included 180 students and alumni from UK (46%), Ghana (27%), South Africa (17%), USA (8%), Germany (1%) and India (1%). Students completing the course were awarded with a digital badge and certificate of completion.
Overall, the course feedback from the students was excellent: 92% were ‘Very satisfied’ or ‘Satisfied’ with 96% saying that they would recommend this course.
Students commented that they particularly appreciated:
- “The industry exposure and the opportunity to learn emerging trends within the profession”
- “The quality of the speakers. It was always exciting to listen to them sharing their knowledge”
- “The opportunity to meet so many people globally while being virtual”
- “The accessibility of the course and the diversity of the cohort, especially with the breakout rooms”
- “The effort and collaboration made by the education institution leaders, and working professionals in firms to ensure we all have an understanding what the topic is and we can all improve sustainability in Accounting and Finance”.
- “It has been eye opening. I have heard a lot about sustainability over the years but never really paid much attention until this year. I believe the knowledge I have gained will help me help any companies I work for in the future. The most important part of sustainability issues today is awareness, or lack of awareness. Children should be introduced to sustainability early on in school to gain an understanding of its importance.”
To disseminate the project and its finding, a promotional video has been developed to showcase the course’s success. The preliminary findings from the project were presented at the University of Lincoln’s Teaching Showcase event in September 2024, and data analysis is in progress with the aim of creating an academic peer-review publication in 2025.