FOSTERING STUDENT REFLECTION THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY DIARIES

With growing access to tools like ChatGPT, fostering flexibility and reflection in education is increasingly critical. In the face of global challenges such as war and the climate crisis, universities must shift from knowledge delivery to becoming incubators for creativity and innovation. This paper presents experiences from integrating Sustainability Diaries into two design courses, Service Design (D5) and Systems Design (D7), at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In fall 2024, 80 students submitted Sustainability Diaries—open-ended reflections on course content and group projects from a sustainability perspective, delivered in text, audio, visuals, or combinations thereof. Through educator and student insights, we analyse the role of Sustainability Diaries in fostering creativity and sustainability awareness in design education, offering recommendations for its future application and development.