About the course
How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, a course by the SDG Academy, provides an in-depth look at planning for SDG implementation. The range of topics covers financing, policy development, roles of stakeholders, and more. A comprehensive understanding of the societal transformations needed to achieve the SDGs is conveyed.
By joining this course, you are becoming part of a global movement of citizens and practitioners committed to harnessing the transformational impacts of the Sustainable Development Goals. The success of the course depends on an active student base that represents a diversity of experiences, geographies, and perspectives.
You can expect to learn:
- How governments, businesses, civil societies, and other actors can be active participants in the challenge of sustainable development
- The policies and actions necessary for sustainable development in the 21st century as it aligns with the Paris Climate Agreement
- Means of financing, global cooperation, and development assistance necessary for global development
- How to incorporate the digital revolution and energy transformations into sustainable development of the 21st century
Course Logistics & Requirements
This course is self-paced, which means that you can access all of the content as soon as the course begins on September 1, 2020. You have one year to complete all of the materials.
The course is structured around a series of pre-recorded video chapters and includes comprehension questions, readings, reading quizzes, discussion forums, and a final exam. Each of these course components can be completed at a time that is convenient for the learner prior to the deadline, which is the last date of the course. Each video chapter will have a short quiz that directly follows it, followed by a discussion forum at the end of each module.
The estimated time commitment to complete all course components is 4-6 hours per week, though this depends heavily on the learner and his/her objectives in taking the course.
Structure
The course content will be accessible for the duration of the course. All course components can be completed at any time that is convenient for the students. Course components include:
- Pre-recorded lectures (4-6 videos per week)
- Readings and reading questions (each week)
- Comprehension questions (each week)
- Pre- and post-course surveys
- Discussions
- A final exam (for Verified learners)
Grading & Certificates
While this course is not credit-granting, we encourage learners to work with their own institutions to explore the option of granting credit for online coursework.
This course contains ungraded video chapter questions, ungraded reading quizzes, and pre- and post-course surveys. Verified learners will also have access to a graded final exam.
For Verified Learners: Only the pre- and post-course surveys and the final exam will count toward your grade. Completion of the surveys is 10% of your final grade; the final exam is 90% of your grade.
Verified learners who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate signed by Prof. Sachs. In order to successfully complete the course, learners must score an average of 70% or higher on the graded components of the course. You can decide to purchase a Verified Certificate up to 10 days from the close of the course.
Whether or not you are pursuing a certificate, you are encouraged to complete all of the assessments, as they are your opportunity to gauge how well you understand the material.
Translations
The course videos have been recorded in English, and text transcripts in English and Russian can be shown to scroll adjacent to the videos by pressing cc at the lower right corner.
Contact Information
Questions? Concerns?
Please be sure to direct any technical questions about the course to edX using the "Help" button at the top of your page!
For any further communication and questions about the course, email us at courses@sdgacademy.org. Since this email is used for multiple courses, please specify that you are inquiring about the “How to Achieve” course.