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Integrating sustainability into university curricula brings diverse challenges and conflicts as separate units vie for ownership of courses and topics. This case study presents a six dimensions sustainability framework developed at The Ohio State University to organize curricula under an inclusive strategy. An interdisciplinary group of faculty focused on sustainability education engaged in a three-phased process including review of sustainability definitions from diverse disciplines; analysis of key aspects of the definitions in conjunction with course descriptions and learning outcomes; and identification of commonalities across the key aspects. This yielded six foundational dimensions of sustainability which serve as a means to assess curricular contributions across University units and topics. The six dimensions framework has been used in practice in multiple contexts. The six dimensions framework provides a way to identify and foster diverse sustainability curricula efforts. It has enabled academic units to describe their disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on diverse sustainability topics and the University to advance a broad sustainability vision. The six dimensions framework provides a novel “big tent” approach to integration of sustainability into higher education curricula. The framework provides guidance about what counts as sustainability while maintaining the breadth that widens participation.
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This content will become publicly available on August 6, 2026
University handprint framework: quantifying the positive impacts of university-led sustainability action research
PurposeThis study aims to introduce the University Handprint Framework – a novel method for quantifying the external positive impacts (“handprints”) of sustainability actions undertaken by higher education institutions. It aims to fill a critical gap in current sustainability tracking systems by enabling universities to measure their contributions to societal and environmental outcomes beyond campus boundaries. Design/methodology/approachThe study presents a case study of a project-based sustainability course that partnered students with external organizations to implement climate-related solutions. The study calculated the university’s potential handprint associated with the course and informed the development of the University Handprint Framework. Data challenges, such as availability, tracking, attribution and double counting of emissions, were addressed in the method’s development to ensure methodological rigor. FindingsThis study results revealed that the course enabled partner organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.04E + 05 kg CO2-eq, which demonstrated a quantifiable, university-enabled carbon handprint beyond campus boundaries. Practical implicationsThe framework offers universities a practical tool to highlight their broader societal contributions and can inform policy, reporting and investment in sustainability education and research. Given universities’ pivotal role in research dissemination, sustainability education and climate change mitigation, showcasing these positive impacts is essential. Originality/valueThis is the first known framework tailored to higher education that enables structured quantification of both potential (ex ante) and realized (ex-post) handprints. It complements existing tools and adds a new dimension to sustainability planning and impact tracking in academia.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2125727
- PAR ID:
- 10643762
- Publisher / Repository:
- Emerald Insight
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
- ISSN:
- 1467-6370
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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