Assessment

For those who wish to develop their own assessment programme for educator competences linked to learning for sustainability, each one of the 12 RSP competences is sub-divided into three learning outcomes. Rather than providing a detailed breakdown of attributes for each competence, the RSP framework identifies a number of underpinning components linked to the learning outcomes that in turn relate to each of the twelve educator competences. 

The competences are not sub-divided further into skills, values, knowledge, etc. for two reasons:

1. This atomises learning into discreet components that can appear meaningless in relation to the educator’s role 
2. Such an approach of assessing individual ‘pieces of learning’ runs counter to whole notion of holistic thinking that is central to sustainable development.

Even the competences themselves should not be viewed in isolation as they can be blended in novel ways according to different contexts. Indeed, a Dutch teacher attending an RSP training program observed, “As soon as you start to teach one of the competences, you inevitably touch on the other eleven.”

We do however accept that some form of assessment is essential for learners, such as student teachers, to demonstrate their competence in these areas. Rather than focus on measurement, the RSP approach is based on quality criteria. For example, see the marking grid that we have developed for use with RSP undergraduate programmes in the UK.

The University of Vechta has developed a self-assessment survey for the participants of the ESD staff training workshops that took place in 2018 and 2019. This self-assessment looks at the development of the 12 RSP competencies and hence the learning outcomes of the staff training workshops.