Next UNESCO Chair Lecture on Assessment in ESD
The UNESCO Chair in Higher Education for Sustainable Development at Leuphana University Lüneburg and SETRI invites you to the next event in our UNESCO Chair Lecture Series on assessment in ESD taking place on the 24th of August, 2026.
Following the first session held on 1 June, where Aaron Redman from Aalborg University and Caleb Mandikonza from the University of Witwatersrand explored diverse perspectives on the history and future of assessment, the second conversation will introduce the new framework on Assessment in ESD. The DARE framework was developed within the UNESCO project "Transforming Futures: Enhancing Practice for ESD for 2030 through Action Research" and piloted in ten countries. DARE, which stands for “Describe, Appraise, Redesign and Evaluate,” is a practical, hands-on approach that helps educators rethink how they assess learning in Education for Sustainable Development. In four simple steps, it turns assessment from a box-ticking exercise into a tool that actually drives the change ESD aims for. The speakers, Aaron Redman (Aalborg University), Daniel Fischer (Leuphana University), and Jordan King (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA), will present the DARE approach before it becomes internationally available, likely from September 2026, as a UNESCO toolkit publication.
The session will be facilitated by Harald Hantke (Leuphana University).
- Date: Monday, 24 August 2026
- Time: 16:30 to 17:30 CEST. Please click here to see the timings in your time zone.
- Platform: Zoom, please register here.
About speakers
Dr. Aaron Redman (Aalborg University, Denmark) is a Sustainability, Climate, and Education expert and consultant. In 2020 he completed his PhD in Sustainability from Arizona State University (ASU). Aaron's dissertation focused on clarifying a framework of key competencies in sustainability and how to assess these competencies. Currently he is applying his expertise in sustainability assessment both on a recent consultancy for UNESCO as well as for the GreenEdTech Project led by Aalborg University in Denmark where Aaron is leading the assessment team. Aaron has recently joined the Sustainability Education Accreditation Commission (SEAC), an exciting new initiative built around operationalising the key competencies.
Prof. Dr. Daniel Fischer (Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany) is a Professor for Sustainability Education & Communication and Chairholder of UNESCO Chair at Leuphana University. In his research, he investigates how more sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns can be promoted through communication and learning.
Dr. Jordan King is the Director of Innovations in Honors and a Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His work advances education-focused sustainability initiatives across local to global levels through an emphasis on practical innovations, participatory action, and transdisciplinary research. Dr. King has applied his expertise in communities, universities, and beyond through roles with the Sustainability Education Accreditation Commission, UNESCO, the Greater Phoenix Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, the University Design Institute, the Sustainability Teachers' Academy, and Study Hall: Sustainability. He holds a Ph.D. In Sustainability from Arizona State University.
Prof. Dr. Harald Hantke (Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany) is a Junior Professor and Co-Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair at Leuphana University. His research explores interdisciplinary approaches to social science education in a transforming society.
About the UNESCO Chair Lecture Series
The UNESCO Chair Lecture Series, hosted by the UNESCO Chair in Higher Education for Sustainable Development at Leuphana University Lüneburg, was launched in the winter semester of 2025. It builds on and continues the legacy of earlier dialogue formats at our department, including the Institute for Sustainable Development and Learning’s series “In Conversation with …” and the UNESCO Chair’s “Rethinking Higher Education” series.
In this series, we bring together scholars from around the world to share their research and diverse perspectives on sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Designed as a hybrid format, the lectures offer a space for dialogue, exchange of ideas, and critical reflection on the role of higher education in shaping sustainable futures.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at unescochair@leuphana.de
