Industry-Driven Design Empowers Sustainable Action
The Setting Your Path to Net Zero microcredential prioritises industry needs from the ground up. Designed in collaboration with subject matter experts within the School of Business and Endeavour Energy, the microcredential equips learners with the skills to advocate sustainable practices within their companies. Participants gain the knowledge and practical strategies to:
This future-focused microcredential goes beyond theory, focusing on practical skills applicable in workplaces. By the end of the learning experience, participants build their ownEnvironmental Sustainability Policy (ESP) and plan out a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS) – essential tools for implementing sustainable practices within their organisations.
The learning outcomes, content, and activities are mapped to the Australian Skills Classification environment management cluster, ensuring graduates possess in-demand skills for:
Engaging Learners: How WSU Reimagines Online Education
WSU's Setting Your Path to Net Zero team pushed the boundaries of traditional online learning through their innovative course design. Leveraging OpenLearning's suite of tools, the microcredential delivers a learning experience that fosters engagement, critical thinking, and the development of real-world skills.
Storytelling for Deeper Understanding: The curriculum is infused with storytelling — abstract concepts are woven into relatable narratives, enabling learners to meaningfully grasp complex sustainability issues. This approach encourages active participation by prompting learners to analyse situations and consider different perspectives.
Immersive Learning Environment: The program incorporates virtual reality (VR) scenarios where learners choose their own adventure to explore concepts in an engaging way. The scenarios can be replayed, reinforcing concepts and encouraging reflection. Learners experience sustainability challenges firsthand, building their problem-solving skills for real-world workplace situations.
Access to Industry Expertise: Interviews with industry experts provide a vital link between theory and practice. By sharing their real-world experiences, learners gain insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing sustainable business strategies.
Prioritising Learner Engagement: The WSU team designed the Setting Your Path to Net Zero microcredential with a focus on creating a visually stimulating and user-friendly experience. This commitment goes beyond aesthetics; it offers a clear learning path. The success of this approach is evident in learner feedback, with the majority of learners praising the positive and engaging nature of the course.
WSU's focus on learner experience ensures participants stay motivated and actively participate throughout the program.
Learning by Doing: A Skills-Focused Assessment Approach
The Setting Your Path to Net Zero employs a robust assessment strategy that goes beyond traditional testing, with OpenLearning serving as a platform for both formative and summative assessment.
Showcasing Skills via OpenLearning Portfolio: The platform automatically gathers a rich portfolio of learning experiences which is also used in assessment. Each learner’s portfolio showcases their growth as they journey towards creating their own Environmental Sustainability Policy.
Learning Through Community: Learners have the opportunity to review each other's work, including Environmental Sustainability Policies, EMS plans, and other assignments. By sharing constructive feedback, learners enhance their critical thinking skills, gain new perspectives, and feel a sense of community.
Multimodal Assessments: Interactive learner scenarios are embedded in the course using CenarioVR, H5P, GoogleDocs, and Qualtrics. Learners also collaborate with peers and facilitators through OpenLearning's post text and gallery widgets, which provide rich evidence of learning for assessment.
Real-World Application and Recognition: Real-life scenarios and activities are directly applicable to learners’ workplaces, ensuring that knowledge and skills gained can be implemented straight away. Furthermore, the completed portfolio aligns with learning outcomes and skills development, and can even be used for credit recognition (2 credit points) towards a Master of Business Administration program at the Sydney Graduate School of Management.
The microcredential exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to online education. By leveraging innovative learning methods and industry expertise, the program empowers individuals and businesses to build a more sustainable future.
Result
The impact of the Setting Your Path to Net Zero microcredential has been significant. Learners have gone on to implement sustainability initiatives within their organisations, reducing carbon emissions, conserving resources, and promoting responsible production and consumption practices.
Follow-up comments reveal a well-curated learning experience, with learner testimonials highlighting the program’s effectiveness:
“[…] The attention to detail, the comprehensive content, and the interactive learning elements are truly commendable.”
“The subject matter itself is one that is so relevant for everyone, […] this course also provides knowledge of how industry actively participates in bringing about change, and how policies and frameworks have developed and for what purpose, in the implementation of industry objectives to create a healthier world.”
“I found the use of SME interview videos in Module 2 of the microcredential really compelling. [...] Having an expert talk about their work, procedures and challenges really encouraged me to work on how I came up with my own responses to the activities.”
Moving Forward
With its proven success and scalable possibilities, the Setting Your Path to Net Zero microcredential is poised to continue its growth. WSU is committed to furthering its partnerships to extend the reach of the program globally, empowering more individuals and organisations to embrace sustainability and shape a more environmentally conscious future.
Conclusion
The Setting Your Path to Net Zero microcredential stands as a testament to WSU's commitment to sustainability education and innovation. By leveraging online learning solutions and collaborative partnerships, WSU has succeeded in creating a transformative learning experience that empowers learners to become champions of sustainability in their communities and beyond. Explore more WSU courses here.
The comprehensive start-anytime microcredential Setting Your Path to Net Zero is designed to equip individuals and organisations with the knowledge and skills needed to drive sustainable change. The microcredential offers a transformative learning experience aimed at empowering learners to become leaders in environmental sustainability.
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