"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Even though the term "sustainable development" is used by many people to mean many different things the above definition proposed by the 1987 Brundtland Commission is probably the most widely accepted. It makes clear the indisputable link between the environment and development and recognizes that development is essential to satisfy human needs and improve the quality of human life.

While there are a number of actions that can be taken in pursuit of sustainable development the critical role of education has long been recognized. The concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was explicitly acknowledged in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21- a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations around the world and adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. It identified four major thrusts to begin the work of ESD: improve basic education, reorient existing education to address sustainable development, develop public understanding, awareness, and training.

How to best carry out these important tasks has been a major topic of discussion. SDLEARN members believe that eLearning is an efficient and effective approach. Courses in the SDLEARN portfolio are designed to give development professionals a better understanding of the issues underlying sustainable development and, more importantly, the skills and knowledge they need to help turn Development in the direction of sustainability. All courses share certain common characteristics. They are based on constructivist design principles wherein learners are given the opportunity to work together and support each other as they use a variety of tools and information resources in their guided pursuit of learning goals and problem-solving activities. They are impartial and science based. They strive to provide the maximum amount of interaction - interaction with the material, interaction between and among participants, and interaction between participants and expert facilitators.

A number of courses have already been developed, thoroughly field tested and are ready for immediate delivery. Those with the most universal appeal and relevance include:

• Digital Literacy for Development Professionals
• eLearning Course Design and Facilitation
• Fundamentals of Integrated Pest Management
• Fundamentals of Integrated Soil Fertility Management

For a complete description of these courses just click on the title of interest above.

Future priorities

Efforts to add to the available curriculum are underway and members are particularly interested in adding courses in such key areas as maintaining biodiversity, water conservation, managing fresh water and coastal fisheries, organic farming, enhancing the opportunities of the poor to participate in markets, conforming to traceability requirements, intensification of agricultural systems in which livestock play a key role, rural health and dealing with HIV/AIDS.

Please contact the SDLEARN Secretariat if you have an interest in helping get these courses online.