We Start Changing the World From Our Campus!

Campuses are small models of our living spaces. Together with the world, we are looking for solutions on our campus for the construction of more sustainable systems. Join us! 

 

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability can be defined as the development that can be realized by meeting the needs of the present generation while anticipating and respecting the needs of future generations.

Why Is Sustainability Important?

Although there are more than hundred countries in the world that are looking for the ways to meet the requirements for their development, concrete efforts should be made to ensure that today's development does not adversely affect the future generations with the increasing threat of climate change. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for improving the lives of populations around the world and reducing the hazardous man-made effects of climate change. In short, sustainability aims to protect our natural environment, human and ecological health while promoting the innovation and without compromising our lifestyle. For this reason, it is of great importance.

A new Academic English course has been opened on the Sustainable Development Goals!

by İsmail Akın | Nov 16, 2021
Course can be taken by any ITU students passing the ITU SFL English Proficiency Exam with a score of 60-74. As the world is changing in accordance with globalization, so are education institutions including higher education.

Course can be taken by any ITU students passing the ITU SFL English Proficiency Exam with a score of 60-74.

Course Catalog on Ninova

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As the world is changing in accordance with globalization, so are education institutions including higher education. With the specification of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations for a changing world, so as to respond to the demands of the current era, many higher education institutions around the world started to incorporate different aspects of SDGs into their curricula. Being one of the SDGs, Quality Education (SDG4) requires ensuring relevant learning for citizenship in a global world, which forms the main pillar for mainstreaming Global Citizenship Education at all levels to engage students in global issues and instill them with necessary competencies for appropriate and adequate comprehension of issues concerning the SDGs. In addition, to raise graduates equipped with skills and competencies required in the 21st century workplace, higher education institutions are continuously innovating their curricula to integrate 21st Century 4Cs skills - Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity- as part of the global sustainable development profile of engineers.

Recognizing that the profile of engineers is a global one with English as one of the core skills, ITU School of Foreign Languages (SFL) has taken the necessary steps to implement English as a primary sustainable development skill for its future graduates. Accordingly, ITU SFL started to offer a new and innovative course titled “ING 100-English through Global Goals”. ING 100 is an interdisciplinary course of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) that will help students develop their English language skills through 21st century core skills- the 4 Cs (critical-thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity) and United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals that have become core to the engineering professional profile. The course was designed to respond to the needs of engineering students in a variety of disciplines in terms of English communication and it started to be implemented as a compulsory course in ITU in the 2021-2022 academic year fall term. In addition to developing students’ English communication, academic and soft skills, the focus on the SDGs encourages students to consider their role as responsible 21st century global citizens. The objectives of this course can be summarized as below:

  1. Enable students to express themselves using appropriate discourse strategies in written and spoken communication
  2. Develop the 4 Cs (Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity) of 21st Century Learning, which are core skills that the students will need in their academic and social lives
  3. Enhance students’ awareness regarding Sustainable Development Goals
  4. Improve students’ collaboration skills in multidisciplinary groups
  5. Develop associated academic practices and soft skills, such as goal-setting, self-reflection and time management

While the content focuses mainly on SDGs and is supplemented by activities requiring active participation of and collaboration among students, assessment is conducted through group poster presentations, integrated communication tasks and group projects in line with the objectives of the course and requirements of 21st century learning and assessment as a whole.

What Can You Do for Sustainability?

Academics

EELISA, with ITU being one of its 9 partners, produces solutions for real-life problems and sustainable development goals with the communities it creates by bringing together academicians, students and non-university institutions and people. Learn more about the EELISA communities DISCOVERY (Designing a Sustainable and Decarbonized University), CRC (Circular and Regenerative Campus Community), SusBCC (Sustainable Buildings and Communities) and many more.

Communities (itu.edu.tr)

EELISA community initiatives (itu.edu.tr)

Sustainable Ecosystem Days, which is the first carbon neutral congress of ITU, has been organized since 2009 and is free of charge to students from many cities of Turkey, academics working with an understanding of sustainability, and industry representatives with a global sensitivity and vision on environmental technologies and sustainable environmental approach.

Click for detailed information.

In the changing world, research topics also focus on sustainability and many project calls are associated with sustainable development goals. We present the current project calls related to sustainability below for you. Don't you think it's time to change the direction of research?

European Hydrogen Week (EHW) 29 November - 3 December 2021

Solar Cofund 2 Call

BiodivERsA+ Project Call

Call for Positive Energy Districts and Sustainable Cities

Project Call for Safe, Resilient Transportation and Smart Mobility Services

Students

Sustainable Ecosystem Days, which is the first carbon neutral congress of ITU, has been organized since 2009 and is free of charge to students from many cities of Turkey, academics working with an understanding of sustainability, and industry representatives with a global sensitivity and vision on environmental technologies and sustainable environmental approach.

Click for detailed information.

Public

Sustainable Ecosystem Days, which is the first carbon neutral congress of ITU, has been organized since 2009 and is free of charge to students from many cities of Turkey, academics working with an understanding of sustainability, and industry representatives with a global sensitivity and vision on environmental technologies and sustainable environmental approach.

Click for detailed information.