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CONNECT2030: accelerating sustainability through CARE-KNOW-DO pedagogy and emerging technologies

What is this Challenge About?

A major challenge in achieving the 2030 Agenda is educating a scientifically literate generation capable of driving Social, Economic, and Environmental  Sustainability. Many disadvantaged students feel disconnected from science, limiting their ability to contribute to collective wellbeing and a more equitable, resilient world.

CONNECT2030 explores how connecting schools, universities, and society through open schooling enhances learning outcomes and accelerates the quality of education. Introduced by the European Union in 2015 alongside the UN SDGs, open schooling connects students with real-life problems supported by experts and communities. Through the CARE-KNOW-DO approach:

• Students identify challenges they ‘care’ about in their communities.
• They ‘know’ content in the context of a curriculum relevant to their lives.
• They ‘do’ actions guided by experts and community members.

This approach, developed through European Union-funded projects led by the Open University’s COLEARN network, equips students with actionable knowledge and practical skills, fostering engaging and future-oriented education.

Find out more

CONNECT2030 is an initiative supported by the Open Societal Challenges program of The Open University, in collaboration with various universities in Brazil and the Brazilian government. It aligns with UNESCO’s Global Education agenda to enhance educational research and foster policy innovation. The initiative aims to embed an engaging and meaningful curriculum that equips all students with the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable futures, emphasizing social, emotional, and scientific commitment.

Key Objectives

1. Award and Recognize Best Practices
   Identify and celebrate exemplary open schooling initiatives and innovative uses of emerging technologies that empower learners and address real-life challenges.
2. Inform and Innovate Policy
   Use insights from best practices to shape and advance policies that foster green and digital skills, equipping communities for sustainable futures.
3. Nurture a Sustainable Ecosystem
   Promote a long-term, sustainable open schooling approach through the CARE-KNOW-DO framework and digital transformation, ensuring impactful and resilient education systems.

Connect with this Challenge

Our core team, with extensive experience in securing externally funded projects and engaging in impactful education research, is committed to advancing open schooling and digital transformation through the CARE-KNOW-DO approach. We have a wide network of collaborators, including schools, universities, enterprises, NGOs, and government education departments.

We are actively building partnerships to scale this initiative with UN and UNESCO and welcome early-career academics, educators, and policymakers to join us in shaping innovative proposals for funded projects and solutions for sustainable education. This is a unique opportunity to contribute as co-investigators or lead researchers, collaborate on pioneering research, and influence education policies for a sustainable future.

Visit our website (insert relevant link) to learn more about our partners, ongoing work, and how you can connect with this challenge. Together, we can create a lasting impact for the 2030 Agenda.

Photo: CONNECT2030, recognized as a Top 3 project by UNESCO for Global Education and Digital Transformation (UNESCO GEM 2024, Fortaleza, Brazil).

Partners and Participants:

To learn more about the team, including partners, collaborators, PhD students, and Young Ambassadors, please visit our CONNECT2030 Board

Funders:

The Open University – Open Societal Challenge

Brazil Government CAPES Print for Internationalisation

CALLS for PhD studentship

The Open University UK, WELS – Faculty of Wellbeing Education and Language Studies