Abstract:

This study starts from discussing the changing work during the climate change, because higher education should be able to react on the needs and expectations of the working life and simultaneously provide knowledge, skills and competences to develop the working life and the society towards the desired direction. We explore how higher education in Finland is reacting and additionally discuss how it should react. In our approach, the changing work during the climate change is seen also as an opportunity, not only as a threat. We discuss the significance and impact of climate change on higher education and examine how higher education is reacting.

We see sustainable development as an opportunity in changing working life and discuss its significance and impact on higher education. Our case studies focus on two Finnish universities of applied sciences. We explore how these universities implement sustainable development in their actions, what challenges there are and how the actions are developed. Based on this research material we study how higher education is reacting on the changes of work and society under the climate change. The viewpoint in our article underlines the context of learning and teaching, i.e. how climate change and sustainable development should be approached especially from the perspective of learning and teaching targeting the changing world of work.

The research strategy of the article is based on action research, and the research methodology focuses on literature review, document analyses and participatory observation. The documents used consist of authentic documents, such as curricula in Finnish higher education institutions, the documents and research reports about education development on national and European level, and educational policy papers and initiatives in Finland and in Europe. The research methodology of the empirical material is based on the case method, where the research material consists of written and electronic material from the two case universities of applied sciences as well as other data material based on participatory observation.

Keywords:

Higher education, climate change, Finland, sustainable development, changing work.