Access the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach

The CoDesignS ESD AI Coach is now freely accessible via OpenAI. Click below to start using the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach with a free account: Access the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach

IMPORTANT NOTE

The CoDesignS ESD AI Coach is designed to support Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) training—not to replace the expertise of sustainability professionals (Toro-Troconis et al., 2025). It serves as a complementary tool, best used alongside guidance from sustainability experts to enrich and enhance the learning experience. For effective integration, it should be embedded within ESD training programmes led or supported by experienced practitioners.t—because better inputs create better outputs for us and a better future for the planet.

CoDesignS ESD AI Coach – Launch

The CoDesignS ESD AI Coach was launched on 30 September 2025. The launch was hosted by De Montfort University to critically explore the sustainability benefits and impacts of GenAI. Discover the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach created and evaluated by the Association for Learning Design and ESD (ALDESD) in collaboration with King’s College London, Cambridge Zero, University of Glasgow and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The CoDesignS ESD AI Coach is freely available under a Creative Common license: BY-NC-ND-SA. It facilitates the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) training across universities and educational institutions. Here is how:

Getting started: The CoDesignS ESD AI Coach serves as your creative launchpad, guiding you in developing impactful lesson plans, designing meaningful assessment activities, and incorporating interactive ESD games into your teaching.

Environmental impact: The CoDesignS AI Coach encourages the use of the ROCKS method (CoDesignS AI Framework, 2024; Toro-Troconis, 2025) when crafting prompts helping users learn about how they can refine their input, reduce unnecessary processing, and ultimately lower the environmental impact. 🌍🌱🌿

Think before you prompt—because better inputs create better outputs for us and a better future for the planet. (CoDesignS ESD AI Coach, 2024; Toro-Troconis, 2025)

Seamless Integration: The CoDesignSESD AI Coach can be effortlessly incorporated into existing teacher training programmes, ensuring a smooth adaptation process that enriches educator preparedness without overhauling their current workflows.

Immediate Impact on Curriculum Development: Academics can begin designing and delivering their courses, modules, or programmes with an ESD focus right away. This proactive approach empowers educators to integrate sustainability into their teaching from the outset.

Current research

The research team is currently evaluating the Beta version of the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach. This study aims to assess how effectively the AI Coach’s responses align with the CoDesignS ESD Framework and discipline-specific contexts. Additionally, the research aims to explore how interaction with the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach may influence academics’ and practitioners’ attitudes toward integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into their work.

The study also seeks to identify areas for improvement in the CoDesignS ESD AI Coach’s user interface (UI) and examine how these changes could impact its performance and user satisfaction. Insights from this research will support the continued development of AI tools that effectively promote and facilitate ESD in higher education and professional practice.

Research Team

Dr Maria Toro-Troconis – University of Cambridge / ALDESD (Lead)
Dr Romas Malevcious – King’s College London
Ms Catrin Darsley – Cambridge Zero – University of Cambridge
Dr Amy Munro-Faure – Cambridge Zero – University of Cambridge
Dr Vicki Dale – University of Glasgow
Dr Nathalie Tasler– University of Glasgow
Professor Liz Price – Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Theresa Nicholson – Manchester Metropolitan University

Workshop – 23rd April 2025- University of Cambridge

The research team conducted a workshop titled ‘Harnessing AI to advance Education for Sustainable Development‘ at the University of Cambridge on 23rd April as part of this research.

Over 20 participants attended the workshop from different universities:

University of Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
King’s College London
Manchester Metropolitan University
Oxford Brookes University
Royal Veterinary College
The Open University
University of East Anglia
University of Gloucestershire and
University of Hertfordshire

The findings from this workshop will informed the current research. If you are interested in this research and collaboration opportunities, please contact us!

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