Developing students’ environmental competence in higher education curricula through the effective use of learning outcomes

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the role of higher education in the formation of environmental competence of future specialists in the Republic of Kazakhstan through the design of learning outcomes. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of higher education educational programs and regulatory documents, as well as a review of scholarly literature on environmental education and sustainable development. The methods included document analysis and comparative examination of learning outcomes across selected university programs in different fields of training. The results demonstrate that learning outcomes of most educational programs are primarily oriented toward professional and subject-specific competencies, while environmental competence and sustainability-oriented skills are insufficiently represented at the program level. At the same time, environmental knowledge and skills are more clearly reflected within individual course syllabi, indicating a lack of consistency between program-level outcomes and curricular content. It is concluded that higher education institutions have significant potential to contribute to the modernization of public consciousness and the development of environmental competence. Strengthening environmental competence as a mandatory learning outcome is necessary for the implementation of the “green university” concept and for aligning higher education with national and global sustainable development goals.