Sustainable development in the design of online degree programmes for national cross-studies

This study examines the integration of sustainable development in the holistic design of higher education online degree programmes for national cross-studies in Finland. The methodology adopted is design-based research. The literature combines works from the fields of online degree programme design and sustainable development. The empirical data is collected from an Online Degree Working Group representing various online degree expertise in applied higher education. The results of this study highlight the importance of national level collaboration in efforts to reach sustainable development goals in online degree programmes for national cross-studies in higher education. Key sustainability competencies are combined into online degree programme design to reveal new considerations for sustainable development in the online degree education context. The results can be utilised by managers, administrators, and educators of online degree programmes in higher education organisations who are interested in implementing sustainable development in the design phase of the online degree programmes.