PSAU's Investments in Sustainability Education and Literacy
Sustainability Literacy Embedded at the Core of PSAU’s Educational Mission
Embedding Sustainability across the Curriculum
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) ensures that sustainability is woven into the fabric of its academic programmes. Rather than treating sustainable development as an isolated topic, the university integrates it throughout curricula in all disciplines. Engineering students, for example, encounter real-world sustainability challenges from their very first year: an SDG Week project introduced freshmen to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and tasked them with designing practical solutions to local problems. Such hands-on projects – whether developing a smart waste disposal system or prototyping solar-powered devices – allow students to learn by doing, internalising sustainability principles as part of their core training. Across the institution, departments are revising course content and even creating new courses to address topics like renewable energy, climate resilience, and social responsibility. Each course is mapped to relevant SDG targets, ensuring that classroom learning contributes directly to global goals. By embedding sustainability into traditional subject matter, PSAU graduates emerge with a baseline literacy in sustainable development, seeing it not as an optional add-on but as fundamental knowledge for their field.
Interdisciplinary Research and Real-World Problem Solving
PSAU’s commitment to sustainability literacy extends beyond classroom theory into interdisciplinary research and innovation. The university fosters research initiatives that bring together students and faculty from diverse fields to tackle sustainability challenges holistically. Through the newly launched Global South Partnership, for instance, PSAU collaborates with institutions across Africa, Asia and Latin America on joint projects addressing issues such as renewable energy systems, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation. Students play active roles in these projects – from co-designing solar energy solutions suited to desert climates, to working on community health and well-being initiatives – thereby applying their academic knowledge in real-world contexts. This blend of research and education means learning is not siloed: an engineering student might work alongside peers in agriculture or public health to devise integrated solutions, mirroring the interconnected nature of the SDGs. Such experiences deepen students’ understanding of sustainability as a multi-dimensional, practical pursuit, reinforcing their literacy through application. On campus, too, research labs and living laboratories provide opportunities for learning by inquiry. Renewable energy installations, greenhouses, and smart infrastructure on campus double as training grounds where students analyse data and experiment with improvements. By engaging in interdisciplinary problem-solving, PSAU students gain a nuanced, systems-level understanding of sustainable development – an essential complement to textbook knowledge.
Student Empowerment and Co-Curricular Engagement
A hallmark of PSAU’s approach is the cultivation of sustainability mindsets through student development programmes and co-curricular activities. The university deliberately nurtures student agency in sustainability, empowering learners to take initiative and lead. A vibrant example is the annual PSAU SDG Week, which has evolved into a campus-wide showcase of student innovation. What began in the College of Engineering as a project fair with a “carnival atmosphere” – complete with families and local community members exploring student-built solutions – has grown into a university-wide event featuring projects from all faculties. Students from business to medicine now work in teams to address sustainability issues relevant to their disciplines, then share their outcomes at SDG Week, where the whole university celebrates and learns from their efforts. This celebratory competition not only reinforces knowledge of the SDGs for participants and attendees alike but also boosts student confidence as change-makers.
Beyond such flagship events, PSAU offers numerous co-curricular and extracurricular avenues to build sustainability literacy. Student clubs and volunteer programmes organise tree-planting drives, recycling campaigns, and awareness workshops that connect academic concepts to community action. For instance, a recent student-led initiative transformed parking areas with green landscaping, combining environmental learning with civic engagement. The university’s Deanship of Student Affairs and sustainability committee work hand-in-hand to embed these activities into campus life so that concepts discussed in class – like climate change, biodiversity, or energy conservation – are experienced directly through projects and outreach. This holistic campus culture means that a student’s sustainable education continues after lectures end: whether by debating environmental policy in a student union forum, interning with a local environmental NGO, or simply participating in a “Switch Off” energy savings campaign in the dormitories. Collectively, these experiences enrich students’ knowledge, problem-solving skills and personal commitment to sustainable living, rounding out their formal studies with real-world practice.
Building Green Skills for the Future
PSAU recognises that true sustainability literacy includes a blend of knowledge, skills, and values that prepare students for impactful careers. As such, the university has integrated green skills development into its student training and professional development programmes. In the classroom, traditional lectures are augmented with practical skill-building components: students earn micro-credentials in areas like sustainable design, environmental data analysis, and social entrepreneurship alongside their degrees. These short, certified courses, embedded within academic programmes, equip students with job-ready competencies in high-demand sustainability fields without extending their time to graduation. Likewise, the curriculum emphasises essential transversal skills – critical thinking, ethical leadership, public speaking, even emerging proficiencies like AI-driven “prompt engineering” – all through the lens of sustainability challenges. The aim is to produce graduates who are not just job seekers but job creators and problem-solvers, able to launch green ventures or drive innovation within organisations. Each student is encouraged to view sustainability as central to their professional identity, regardless of their career path. This approach aligns with a growing global consensus that every job in the future can and should be a “green job” in some respect. By prioritising green skills, PSAU ensures its alumni can translate sustainability literacy into tangible solutions and leadership in their workplaces and communities. The success of this approach is evident in student projects that have gained external recognition – for example, an engineering student team’s development of a fuel-efficient vehicle for an international eco-marathon, which merged technical expertise with sustainable design thinking. Such accomplishments reflect how PSAU’s focus on skills and innovation is empowering students to carry sustainability values forward into the wider world.
Accountability through Assessment and Global Benchmarking
Underpinning all these efforts is a strong framework of accountability and continuous improvement in sustainability education. PSAU doesn’t just assume its students are absorbing sustainable development concepts – it actively measures and evaluates their sustainability literacy to guide progress. The university has adopted an internationally recognised assessment tool to periodically gauge students’ knowledge of sustainable development issues. By partnering with the Sulitest Tool for Assessing Sustainability Knowledge (TASK) platform, PSAU conducts standardised sustainability literacy tests for its student body. This provides valuable data on how different programmes are imparting key concepts and where curricula might be strengthened. Students typically take the TASK assessment at various stages (for instance, upon entering and before graduating a programme), allowing the university to track growth in understanding over time. The results inform curriculum design by highlighting which sustainability topics are well-understood and which need reinforcement. Importantly, this external benchmarking also lets PSAU compare its students’ performance against global averages, offering perspective on the university’s standing in sustainability education worldwide.
Participation in the TASK initiative brings PSAU into a global community of universities committed to advancing sustainability literacy. As a member of the TASK “Change Leader” community, the university collaborates and shares best practices with peer institutions on improving pedagogy and student engagement. This international alignment bolsters PSAU’s own capacity – for example, insights from the assessment are used to enhance its contributions to global sustainability rankings and accreditation frameworks. More fundamentally, the very act of measuring learning outcomes in sustainability demonstrates institutional accountability. PSAU treats sustainability literacy as a key learning outcome to be achieved and verified, just like disciplinary knowledge. The university’s Sustainable Development and ESG reports accordingly include education-related metrics, ensuring that progress is transparently documented. This culture of measurement extends to special programmes as well: all student teams involved in PSAU’s Global South Partnership projects, for instance, undergo pre- and post-project knowledge assessments, underscoring the expectation that international project work should increase participants’ sustainability competencies. By rigorously assessing its students, PSAU closes the loop between aspiration and impact – it not only provides sustainability education but also verifies that students are truly gaining the understanding and skills needed to be sustainability literate citizens.
Global Partnerships and Leadership in Sustainability Education
PSAU’s strategy for sustainability literacy is intrinsically linked with its role in global sustainability networks and initiatives. The university understands that advancing education for sustainable development is a collective endeavour, and it has positioned itself as an active contributor on the world stage. PSAU is a member of international consortia and associations dedicated to sustainable development in higher education, working alongside organisations like the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and others to exchange knowledge and co-develop solutions. This global engagement keeps PSAU aligned with the latest best practices – such as the SDSN’s guidance on implementing SDG 4.7 (education for sustainable development) – and inspires new approaches to teaching and learning. It also offers opportunities for students and faculty to participate in high-profile global events. In recent years, PSAU has sent delegations to forums like the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress and the United Nations-led regional SDG workshops, where they showcased campus initiatives and learned from international peers. These experiences enrich the institution’s perspective and signal its commitment to continuous improvement.
Moreover, PSAU contributes thought leadership in shaping how universities worldwide embed sustainability into academics. Notably, the university was a founding participant in the International Green Skills Advisory Board, a global panel convened to design frameworks for cultivating green skills among graduates. Through such roles, PSAU shares insights from its own successes – like its student-centric SDG curriculum and the use of TASK assessments – while also gaining early access to emerging ideas from other innovators. The ethos of partnership extends back to the local and national level as well: PSAU works closely with government bodies, industry partners, and community organisations to align its sustainability programmes with broader societal needs. These partnerships yield internships, community projects, and policy initiatives that further reinforce what students learn in class. They also demonstrate that PSAU holds itself accountable not just internally, but to the wider community of stakeholders invested in a sustainable future. By integrating global partnerships into its educational model, PSAU ensures that its approach to sustainability literacy remains relevant, comprehensive, and forward-looking, continuously informed by both local realities and global developments.
A Holistic and Measurable Commitment
In sum, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University’s indirect yet unequivocal answer to whether it measures sustainability literacy is embedded in the tapestry of its actions. The university has cultivated a holistic ecosystem where academic coursework, research endeavours, student life, and external collaborations all reinforce the importance of sustainable development. Within this ecosystem, the knowledge and values of sustainability are systematically imparted to every student – and critically, they are also measured and validated. From curriculum design that infuses sustainability into every discipline, to vibrant co-curricular programmes that bring theory to life, PSAU leaves no doubt that it considers sustainability literacy a defining attribute of its graduates. By the time a student completes their journey at PSAU, they have not only engaged deeply with sustainability in diverse contexts but have also demonstrated their understanding through global benchmark assessments and real-world achievements. This integrated, accountability-driven approach ensures that sustainability literacy at PSAU is both comprehensive and quantifiable. It reflects an institutional ethos: that educating for a sustainable future is a responsibility to be fulfilled conscientiously, with structured opportunities for learning and growth and clear evidence of success. In championing this ethos, PSAU stands as a model of how a university can nurture enlightened, sustainability-literate leaders and rigorously track its progress in doing so – all in service of a greener, more sustainable tomorrow.
Sustainability Education and Literacy @ PSAU
Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University has adopted a structured and forward-looking approach to measuring students’ sustainability literacy as part of its institutional commitment to sustainability education and skills development.
PSAU embeds sustainability learning outcomes across its curricula, ensuring that all students are exposed to sustainability concepts, green skills, and responsible citizenship regardless of discipline. This foundation is reinforced through project-based learning, interdisciplinary coursework, and experiential activities that allow students to apply sustainability principles in real-world contexts. Academic assessment within these courses provides programme-level evidence of students’ sustainability understanding and applied competencies.
To complement internal assessment mechanisms, PSAU has taken a significant step towards standardised, externally validated measurement of sustainability literacy through its formal engagement with the Sulitest TASK™ platform (Tool for the Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge). By subscribing to TASK™ and joining the TASK Change Leader community, PSAU has institutionalised the use of a globally recognised assessment framework designed specifically to measure sustainability knowledge among higher education students.
The TASK™ platform enables PSAU to evaluate sustainability literacy at scale, using entry- and exit-level assessments, cohort comparisons, and longitudinal tracking of learning outcomes. This allows the University to measure not only student knowledge acquisition, but also the effectiveness of its sustainability-related curricula and co-curricular activities over time. The assessment provides independent, third-party validation of sustainability literacy, strengthening the credibility and transparency of PSAU’s reporting to stakeholders, ranking bodies, and partners.
Furthermore, PSAU’s participation in international initiatives such as Founding Partner of the International Green Skills Initiative and Advisory Board Member for the International Green Skills Assessment Framework as well as pilot institution for assessments under emerging global green skills frameworks positions the University at the forefront of sustainability skills measurement. These engagements ensure that PSAU’s approach to sustainability literacy aligns with evolving international standards and best practice, while remaining responsive to regional and national priorities.
In summary, PSAU measures sustainability literacy through a combination of embedded curricular assessment and institution-wide participation in a recognised global assessment platform. This integrated approach ensures that sustainability literacy is systematically evaluated, continuously improved, and demonstrably evidenced across the student body.
