Reflections on the Peer Review of the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework
Dr Alison Calvert
Senior Lecturer in Food Science, Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Dr Kieran Higgins
Lecturer in Higher Education Practice, Ulster University, UK
Dr Calvert and Dr Higgins are members of the ACU’s Roster of Experts.
Colleagues from across the Commonwealth gathered at Marlborough House, London, on 12–13 May to scrutinise the forthcoming revisions to the Commonwealth Curriculum Framework (CCF). The panel represented many countries and academic disciplines, and countless perspectives, yet we shared a single objective: to make the framework a practical tool that helps local and global education systems embed sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Marlborough House proved an ideal venue. Between sessions several of us wandered into the garden to glimpse Queen Mary of Teck's revolving summer house, designed so that the sun would catch each façade in turn. This prompted a useful analogy. Curricula that meaningfully engage with the SDGs, and sustainability more broadly, cannot be fixed monuments; like the summer house they must be oriented differently depending on where you stand. A curriculum that works in Kingston or Kuala Lumpur needs adjusting for Kigali or Kirachi. Flexibility is not optional – it is the only way to make global goals matter to local students.
This flexibility, particularly within higher education, can leave academics wondering where to start. Many colleagues are subject matter experts conducting cutting‑edge research, yet few have the time or confidence to redesign modules around sustainability. Closing that gap between expertise and implementation is the focus of our own practice-based research. As such we developed our Co-Designing Reflective Approaches for the Teaching of Sustainability (CRAFTS) model of curriculum design, the AdvanceHE Education for Sustainable Development Curriculum Design Toolkit and our SEDA-accredited continuing professional development programme (Leading Education for Sustainable Development in the Curriculum).
Sharing these approaches with fellow reviewers was one highlight of the workshop, and we in turn learned so much from this multicultural, multidisciplinary panel. Our diverse lived experience surfaced blind spots, challenged assumptions and made the CCF a much more meaningful tool. Drawing on our individual areas of expertise, we reviewed SDGs 1, 2, 3, and 12 (Alison), and SDGs 8 through 12 (Kieran). We explored the integration of the One Health model, particularly in relation to SDGs 2 and 3, as a way to strengthen and enhance policy guidance. This interdisciplinary approach offers valuable flexibility and can be adapted for use across diverse regions of the Commonwealth. A key theme that emerged was the vital role of an entrepreneurial mindset in advancing the SDGs. We examined how entrepreneurial skills and competencies are essential to successful implementation and discussed the importance of embedding these attributes across all levels of education—starting appropriately at the primary level. Ultimately, education is deeply interconnected with the achievement of all SDGs, serving as both a foundational pillar and a powerful driver for sustainable development.
Connecting academic research with policymaking is essential, as the confidence of peer-reviewed and evidence-informed policy development strengthens and speeds implementation. We believe we were able to co-create something that will bring immense value to higher education systems, whole institutions and even individual classrooms. Of course, documents alone do not change the world. It is important that, alongside dialogue, academics and policymakers commit to follow-up action, such as pilot projects and proof-of-concept initiatives. This is the true value of a research-led mindset - experimentation and evaluation.
Universities have a unique capacity to convene expertise, generate knowledge and test solutions at scale. With a responsive curriculum they can also prepare students to tackle global challenges long after graduation.
As we left Marlborough House, the summer house had not moved, as its accompanying footmen are long gone, but it was still a quiet reminder that progress relies on small, deliberate, collaborative shifts towards a broader goal.