Warmly welcome to this online course (in English) that starts on November 3 (2025) and ends on January 18 2026. The purpose is for the students to acquire basic knowledge of strategic sustainable development, which then enables participation in some other SSD-related courses at BTH.

The course provides an introduction to the concepts of unsustainability, sustainability, and sustainable development, as well as strategic thinking and planning within the context of sustainable development. It also contains a science-based definition of ecological and social sustainability, along with guidance on how to apply it to create sustainability transformations. For further information on learning entry requirements, learning outcomes, and examinations, please refer to the course syllabus. 

Click on the icons below to arrive at the respective module in the course.

Examinations:

The course is self-paced, allowing students to learn about modules 1-4 at their own pace. Each module concludes with a quiz and a reflective assignment, both of which must be passed (with a maximum of 3 attempts) before proceeding to the next module. Module 5 concludes with oral exams (individual presentations in groups of 3-4 students) in week 51 (re-exams are scheduled for week 2). Time-slots will be available in the Canvas calendar, and more information will be posted later on how to sign up for these time-slots.

Learning activities:

This is a mostly self-paced, asynchronous course, which means that the learning activities include video and reading materials, as well as asynchronous discussions via a discussion forum. There will be individual assignments in the form of quizzes and discussion submissions, as well as a live conversation/discussion with a small group of peers and teachers. Additionally, there will be two (non-mandatory) open office hours per week with teachers. The first two sessions in week 45 (the 3rd at 8:30-9:30 and the 5th at 16:30-17:30) will also serve as course welcoming sessions. We will have these open office hours sessions on the same days and times in the first weeks, and then keep at least one of the sessions. We will use BTH Zoom workplace license for online meetings and the room https://bth.zoom.us/j/64054266324 for online sessions.

Please take the code of honour survey (click on the handshake figure) before starting the course

Sven Borén is the course responsible, and Merlina Missimer is the examiner. Visit the page for more information about the course teachers.