The SET consortium is proud to announce the publication of its latest output: Dossier on Recognition Mechanisms of Sustainable Travel for European Higher Education Institutions. Within the project’s 4th Work Package, Learning by Moving Green!, we set out to increase self-awareness, promote learning outcomes in green mobility, clarify expectations, visualise its added value, and ultimately develop a prototype or potential options to recognise green competencies.
The objective of this Dossier is to discuss possible flexible and sustainable institutional mechanisms for quality assurance that acknowledge the enhancement of green competencies and validate students’ choice to travel by low-carbon transport to reach and return from their mobility destination. Concretely, we aim to:
- Recognise and appreciate Erasmus+ students’ environmentally friendly behaviours and actionable commitments by travelling to and from their mobility destination using low-carbon means of transport.
- Help universities integrate environmental sustainability into their student mobility processes by presenting potential recognition pathways, along with a practical step-by-step guide, definitions, and recommendations for their implementation.
Concretely, this guide discusses four recognition mechanisms from less to more formal ways of assessing competencies gained with sustainable travel:
- Self-assessment questionnaire: a student-centred tool, designed for a more informal self-evaluation by the students.
- Certificates and digital credentials: a dematerialised and flexible format that is being used in multiple employability platforms.
- Diploma Supplement: a “label” or “mention” of informal learning attached to the diploma.
- Academic recognition through ECTS: a more structured format that foresees the development of a unit course or module for HEIs seeking deeper strategic integration.
If a university chooses one of these mechanisms, it can be used independently or combined. Together, they offer a scalable continuum: from simple reflection to formal academic credit. This allows HEIs with different approaches, interests, levels of administrative flexibility, autonomy, and readiness to adopt the model that best fits their context.
The Dossier is freely available in the Resources section of this website.
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