'LEARNING BY DOING' IN HIGHER EDUCATION: EMPIRICAL INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a key enabler for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, it is crucial that ESD be provided with firm theoretical foundations. In this contribution, we use pragmatism, especially that of John Dewey, to combine education, problem solving, and democracy. Our goal in this paper is to assess the experience of students in two different ESD settings at the University of Erfurt, in both of which students conduct real-world projects with extramural partners. Using a whole institution approach, our research surveys the perspective of different stakeholders (students, teachers, and extramural partners) with the aim of understanding which conditions favor successful ESD in higher education. In the empirical part, we describe the collection and analysis of data from students' experiences. Drawing on it and referring to theoretical concepts, we identify some conditions for successful ESD in higher education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]