PRME Chapter UK & Ireland
Teaching Resources from the Innovative Pedagogy Competition
Established in 2020, the PRME Chapter UK & Ireland Innovative Pedagogy Competition is an annual initiative that celebrates outstanding teaching practices aligned with the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). It aims to identify and showcase pedagogical innovations that advance sustainability, ethics, and responsible leadership in business and management education.
Open to educators across the UK and Ireland, the competition encourages creative, impactful approaches that foster student engagement and global citizenship. Winners gain recognition within the PRME community and have opportunities to present their work at academic forums, contributing to a shared commitment to transforming business education for a better world.
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The competition was developed and launched in 2019-2020 by Dr Laura Steele, Queen's Business School, Dr Claire May, Lincoln International Business School, and Dr Matthew Davis, Leeds University Business School. ​The competition is currently Co-Led by Claire and Laura.
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Below, you will find information about and, where available, resources developed by the competition winners. ​​
2024-2025 Winners
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Isik Akin & Dr Eda Sahin, Bath Spa University, England
Project: Integrating Finance and Law for Responsible Business Leadership
Year of Award: 2024-2025
Key Words: Experiential Learning; SME Collaboration; Interdisciplinarity
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; & SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
Overview
Led by Dr Isik Akin and Dr Eda Sahin, this novel project bridges business education and real-world practice by co-creating case studies with SMEs in Bristol and Bath, addressing financial, legal, and ethical challenges in achieving sustainable prosperity. Through workshops, SMEs collaborate with academics to develop interactive, scenario-based teaching tools that embed the PRME Principles and align with SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). These open-access case studies will be integrated into business and law modules, promoting responsible leadership and sustainability literacy. The project introduces an innovative pedagogical model that combines experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and SME-driven content, making business education more relevant and engaging. Students will gain critical thinking skills and practical insight into sustainability trade-offs, regulatory compliance, and ethical decision-making. Resources will be piloted, refined with student and educator feedback, and disseminated across the PRME UK & Ireland community. The project offers a scalable framework to inspire similar initiatives across disciplines and institutions.
Resources
You can read more about this project here. Resources will be available in late 2025.
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Susanna Chui, Dr Mark Charlton, Dr Mujeeb Rehman, and Maggie Woo, De Montford University, England
Project Title: Co-design for SDG16 pursuit: Using an integrated systems and design thinking approach for tackling the complex issues of individually displaced persons and migration
Year of Award: 2024-2025
Key Words: Systems Thinking; Design Thinking; Experiential Learning; Leadership Development
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities; SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, & Strong Institutions; & SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
Overview
This project empowers students to become changemakers for SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions by developing their systems and design thinking skills to address complex issues around internally displaced persons (IDPs) and migration. Engaging 100 students across 20 Midlands-based teams, the initiative brings together migrant and non-migrant participants in inclusive, interdisciplinary workshops. Using experiential learning pedagogy, students co-create research-driven, innovative solutions while developing leadership potential. Supported by digital resources and mentoring, the programme will deliver two pioneering playbooks integrating systems and design thinking, alongside a framework for SDG-focused curriculum and leadership development. The project introduces a novel engagement model and leadership research component that measures motivation, identity, and entrepreneurship efficacy. Drawing on expertise across refugee studies, AI, and digital design, it fosters collaborative, purpose-driven learning. Outcomes include transferable tools and models applicable to education, training, and community building. Rooted in PRME’s i5 principles, the project is meaningful, socially interactive, engaging, iterative, and joyful.
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Resources
Resources will be available in late 2025.
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Barbara Tomasella, University of Derby; Dr Richard Howarth, Nottingham Business School; Dr Chris Moon, Middlesex University; Anne Wylie, University of Derby; Michelle Littlemore, Northumbria University; Dr Catherine Brentnall, Manchester Metropolitan University; and Orla Kelleher, University of Derby.
Project: Sustainable Mindset Principles in Enterprise Education: A Comprehensive Active Learning Approach
Year of Award: 2024-2025
Key Words: Sustainability Mindset; Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Enterprise Education (EE); Transformative Learning
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; & SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
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Overview
This project advances sustainable enterprise education by embedding the Sustainability Mindset into higher education curricula, empowering educators and students to tackle complex global challenges. Focused on developing emotional intelligence, values alignment, and sustainability competencies, the initiative equips enterprise educators with practical, research-informed tools for integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Enterprise Education (EE). Through interdisciplinary collaboration among ten UK and Irish universities, the project builds a transformative, experiential learning toolkit aligned with the PRME Impactful Five (i5) and global frameworks like EU GreenComp, EntreComp, and SDG 4.7. It includes open-access resources–such as assessment briefs and sustainability competency measurement tools–designed for easy adoption and ongoing refinement across disciplines. By combining systems thinking, reflective practice, and innovative pedagogy, this initiative positions business schools as leaders in sustainable entrepreneurship education. The project addresses a critical gap in practice, moving beyond theory to create meaningful, holistic learning experiences that prepare students to become responsible, sustainability-driven leaders.
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Resources
'Embedding Sustainable Mindset Principles in Enterprise Education: A Toolkit for Practitioners'.
Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Rebecca Yu Li, Brunel University of London, England
Project: Interactive AR Workshop: Teaching Carbon Markets and Blockchain for Emissions Reduction
Year of Award: 2024-2025
Key Words: Augmented Reality (AR); Carbon Markets and Emissions Reduction; Gamified Role-Playing
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG 13 – Climate Action
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Overview
This project introduces an Interactive Augmented Reality (AR) Workshop that teaches business students about carbon markets, emissions reduction, and responsible management through immersive, gamified learning. Students assume roles as businesses, regulators, and verifiers, using a mobile AR app to visualize the real-time impact of their strategic decisions on emissions and compliance. This experiential approach builds critical thinking, teamwork, and systems-level understanding of sustainability challenges, particularly in emissions-heavy industries. Aligned with PRME Principles 1 and 2 and the Impactful Five (i5) framework, the workshop promotes active, meaningful, and joyful learning. It supports SDG 13 (Climate Action) by preparing students to lead in emerging fields such as carbon trading and blockchain for sustainability. Key outputs include a mobile AR app, a detailed educator workshop guide, adaptable teaching materials, and a case study report. The workshop is scalable, inclusive, and interdisciplinary, offering a powerful, transferable model for sustainability education across PRME institutions.
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Resources
Resources will be available in late 2025.
2023-2024 Winners
Winners Names & Institutions: David Anderson and Dr Davina Bird, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, England
Project: Learning the Principles of Responsible Management through Customised Card Games
Year of Award: 2023-2024
Key Words: Playfulness; Gamification; PRME i5; Responsible Leadership
Key UN SDGs: All, particularly SDG 4 – Quality Education
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Overview
Drawing upon a pilot project within their institution, David Anderson and Dr Davina Bird’s project involved customising card-based games to create sustainable and reusable pedagogical tools. The focus was responsible leadership, and the project embraced the PRME Impactful Five (i5) characteristics, creating fun and engaging ways for students to learn about the curriculum, whilst also enabling them to evaluate their existing knowledge and any gaps. An outcome of the project was to produce ‘educational packs’ including copies of the base game for group use in seminars, professionally printed customised card decks, and teaching support resources (how to play the game, structuring sessions and discussion questions).
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Resources
You can download a suite of innovative resources developed by David Anderson and Davina Bird below:
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Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Johanna Clancy, J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Ireland
Project: “A Better World Through Better Business”: Responsible Management in Action
Year of Award: 2023-2024
Key Words: Responsible Management; Sustainability; Business Engagement; Connections with Practice
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; & SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
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Overview
There is increasing awareness of the importance of business schools creating and maintaining connections with industry. Such relationships can help bridge theory and practice, enhance student employability, shape the curriculum, strengthen research impact, and spark innovation on both sides. In this spirit, Dr Johanna Clancy is developing a project titled, “A Better World Through Better Business”: Responsible Management in Action. The initiative will involve an interactive workshop bringing together SMEs, charities, and Chambers Ireland to conduct a Responsible Business/UN SDG screening and recommendation exercise. It will serve to professionalise, communicate and accelerate agency regarding the SDGs; stimulate dissemination of students’ work; and extend and bolster adoption (in practice) of the SDG action plan developed.
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Resources
Forthcoming
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Darren Jubb, Dr Vicky Lambert, and Dr Lee Roberts, University of Dundee, Scotland
Project: The Co-Creation of a Sustainability Game-Based Learning Resource through Stakeholder Dialogue
Year of Award: 2023-2024
Key Words: Sustainability; Gamification; Partnership
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; & SDG 13 – Climate Action
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Overview
Dr Darren Jubb, Dr Vicky Lambert, and Dr Lee Roberts, wanted to link students and external stakeholders (including local businesses, public sector organisations and charities) to co-create a game-based learning resource in order to unpack the ambiguity around sustainability discourse and jargon. Using a series of workshops to develop the game resource, their project emphasised a partnership approach to meeting sustainability challenges through collaboration with external stakeholders and exploring opportunities to jointly create effective approaches to addressing these challenges.
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Resources
Forthcoming
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Rosalyn Marron, Dr Helena Kettleborough, and Dr Kate Seymour, Manchester Metropolitan University, England
Project: Developing Spaces to Flourish: Outdoor/Indoor Eco Reflexive Learning
Year of Award: 2023-2024
Key Words: Eco-centric Reflexivity; Experiential Learning; Transformative Learning; Collaboration
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG 13 – Climate Action; & SDG 15 – Life on Land
Overview
Led by Dr Rosalyn Maron, Dr Helena Kettleborough, and Dr Kate Seymour, this is a collaborative project between Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, Creative Rusholme, Friends of Platt Fields Park, and Manchester Urban Diggers. It takes business education beyond the classroom, using community gardens and shared spaces to nurture eco-centric reflexivity, pro-environmental attitudes, and inter-organisational dialogue. Through hands-on workshops, seed planting, and reflective learning, students build relationships with local communities and the natural world, supporting biodiversity and sustainable living. The project blends theory with practice, challenging traditional learning environments and the human-nature divide. It aligns with PRME’s Impactful Five (i5), offering meaningful, joyful, and socially connected experiences. Ultimately, the project fosters transformative, experiential learning that prepares future managers to lead with sustainability, creativity, and empathy at the heart of their practice–especially in urban, underexplored contexts.
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Resources
Forthcoming
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Alessandro Merendino, Queen Mary University of London, England; Dr Paula Serafini, Queen Mary University of London, England; Dr Nick McGuigan, Monash University, Australia; and Professor Nadia Gulko, University of Lincoln, England
Project: Co-designing Critical and Creative Tools for Embedding Sustainability and SDGs in the Business Curriculum: Creating the Sustainability Toolkit & Playbook
Year of Award: 2023-2024
Key Words: Sustainable Development; Cultural and Creative Industries; Co-Creation
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; & SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
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Overview
This innovative, interdisciplinary project addresses the lack of engaging SDG-focused teaching materials in business education. Co-created by academics, students, and UK-based artists (Talking Birds), it brings together business management, accounting, and the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) to design a toolkit and playbook of creative, interactive learning resources. The project uses arts-based, constructivist pedagogy to explore the role of CCIs in sustainable development, offering hands-on, student-centred activities that build sustainability capabilities. Aligned with the PRME Impactful Five (i5), it fosters meaningful, joyful, and socially connected learning experiences. Ultimately, it equips students with the knowledge and creativity to drive sustainability in the CCIs and beyond.
Resources
You can download the excellent toolkit developed by the team here.
2022-2023 Winners
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Karen Cripps, Oxford Brookes University, England; Cathy d’Abreu, Oxford Brookes University, England; and Dr Milena Bobeva, Bournemouth University, England.
Project: Career Building for the Sustainable Development Goals: A Co-Created Masterclass
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Sustainability; Careers; Green Jobs; Masterclass
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; & SDG 13 – Climate Action
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Overview
Sustainability-related careers are on the rise, yet there is little literature that links curriculum content with this rapidly developing employability arena. Karen Cripps, Cathy d’Abreu, and Milena Bobeva have sought to address this gap by creating an innovative, open-access masterclass resource aimed at inspiring students and equipping them for emerging opportunities in sustainability-focused employability. Grounded in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the resource promotes transformative learning by building student self-awareness, resilience, and purpose. Drawing on the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), the initiative integrates collaboration, dialogue, and participatory action research. The project aspires to form a “Career Building for the SDGs” Community of Practice, supported by an accessible online platform and social media engagement. Ultimately, the initiative aims to build a professional, evolving resource base that supports students in transitioning into meaningful sustainability-related careers.
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Resources
For more information and resources related to this innovative project, please click here. In addition, you can read a paper based on the project from the International Journal of Management Education here.
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Ann-Christine Frandsen and Dr Anupam Mehta, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, England
Project: Transforming Sustainability Pedagogy using Cartoon-Based Real Life Case Studies: A Framework
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Cartoons; Real-life Business; Responsible Business; Inclusivity
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; & SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
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Overview
Dr Ann-Christine Frandsen and Dr Anupam Mehta identified challenges in making sustainable education engaging and effective across various cultures and wanted to use a cartoon format to address this in teaching. They found that cartoon-based case studies were an under-researched pedagogy format for students’ engagement that could provide an inclusive and collaborative learning environment while engaging, analysing, making sense of and deciding complex ethical and sustainability-related real-life business problems. Dr Frandsen and Dr Mehta used a UK based real-life company to consider the non-financial and financial challenges of sustainability, and created a framework translating real-life sustainable, responsible business cases into a cartoon-based format.
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Resources
Forthcoming
Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Lucy Gill-Simmen, Royal Holloway, University of London, England
Project: Self-Portraiture: Empowering Students to Make a Difference
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Transformative Pedagogy; Self-Portraiture; Equality
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 5 – Gender Equality; & SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
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Overview
Dr Lucy Gill-Simmen’s project was to deliver an innovative self-portraiture workshop for a group of marginalised students. She worked with a collage artist specialising in exploring identity through portraiture. The workshop was designed to empower students to imagine their future selves and the difference they can make, encouraging students to express their ambitions through the free-style nature of collage. The output of a self-portrait collage was coupled with a future-self writing exercise. Through imagining their future selves, participants of the workshop were positioned to address issues related to a sustainable world, specifically SDG5 and SDG10 in seeking equality for all genders and reduced inequalities. Dr Gill-Simmen produced a toolkit of innovative ways in which business schools can develop a student empowerment system which allows students to come up with solutions to oppressive systems.
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Resources
You can download a helpful toolkit developed by Dr Gill-Simmen here.
Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Xinwu He, Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Project: Sustainable Food Systems, Accounting, & the UN SDGs
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Accounting; Sustainability; UN SDGs; Food Systems
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG 13 – Climate Action; SDG 14 – Life Below Water; & SDG 15 – Life on Land
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Overview
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an increasing area of interest for academics and practitioners within the domain of accounting. Organisations are under pressure to not only report on their financial performance, but also their social and environmental impact. This is underscored by initiatives such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the IFRS ISSB Standards. To enhance postgraduate students’ knowledge and understanding of the SDGs and their relationship to accounting, Dr Xinwu He developed an initiative on ‘Sustainable Food Systems, Accounting, & the UN SDGs’. This involved taking students out of the classroom to visit an agricultural college with an operational dairy farm in the morning, before returning to campus in the afternoon to hear from experts in the food service and retail industries. It was truly a journey from farm to fork!
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Resources
You can read more about the project, including the ‘Live One-Day Learning Event’ here.
Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Seán Tanner, Cork University Business School (CUBS), University College Cork, Ireland
Project: Teach, Play, Learn, Repeat
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Playful Learning; Interdisciplinarity; Responsible Marketing; PRME i5
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education
Overview
This novel project led by Dr Seán Tanner of Cork University Business School integrates playful learning–specifically competitive and simulative play–to enhance student engagement with responsible and sustainable business practices. Drawing on diverse student backgrounds, four innovative projects introduce varied play types, progressing from simulation to competition, creating a supportive environment for learning. Interdisciplinary methods, including dramaturgical and media perspectives, encourage students to explore marketing challenges creatively and responsibly. Key learning outcomes include developing skills in ethical business practice, transparent communication, sustainability-focused product development, and real-world marketing decision-making. The initiative supports the PRME i5 characteristics by making learning meaningful, interactive, iterative, socially engaging, and joyful–especially important in intensive postgraduate study. It also leverages partnerships, such as a collaboration with a professional theatre director, to enrich the learning experience and prepare students for the complexities of sustainability in marketing practice.
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Resources
Forthcoming
Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Pamela Yeow, Birkbeck, University of London, England; Dr Krish Saha, Birmingham City University, England; Dr Neil Pyper, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, England; Professor Maharaj Vijay Reddy, University of Wolverhampton, England; and Christopher Cornell, Kent County Council Coastal Waters Working Group & Southern Water Pathfinder Steering Group (Swalecliffe), England
Project: Marine Dumping on UK Coastlines: Raising Sustainability Awareness through a Stakeholder-Oriented Experiential Learning Approach
Year of Award: 2022-2023
Key Words: Sustainability Education; Experiential Learning; Scenario Planning; Stakeholder Engagement
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 13 – Climate Action; SDG 14 – Life Below Water; & SDG 15 – Life on Land
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Overview
This project addresses the environmental threat of marine dumping through an innovative one-day scenario planning workshop involving MSc and MBA students from Birmingham City University and Birkbeck, University of London. Using intuitive logics and a three-step experiential learning process, students explore solutions to protect UK coastlines. The project promotes peer-to-peer learning and collaboration between academia, local government, and marine conservation groups, fostering stakeholder-informed pedagogy and circular thinking. Students develop problem-solving skills by diagnosing issues, evaluating solutions, and reflecting on real-world environmental challenges. The initiative supports PRME by building capabilities to address climate-related issues and integrating sustainability into business education. A learning toolkit and reflective materials will be developed to enrich sustainability curricula. This interdisciplinary project strengthens community engagement, particularly with Kent Council and Southern Water, while offering students valuable exposure to UK sustainability practices and collaborative environmental action.
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Resources
You can download a slide deck on 'Marine Dumping on UK Coastlines' here.
2021-2022 Winners
Award Winners Names & Institutions: Dr Caroline Chapain and Dr Emma Surman, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, England, with Jen Ridding, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Birmingham, and Jon Sleigh, Freelance Arts Consultant
Project: Using Fine Art to Dismantle Colonisation in the Business School
Year of Award: 2021-2022
Key Words: Decolonisation; Fine Art; Curriculum Development
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 5 – Gender Equality; & SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
Overview
Recognising that decolonisation of the business school curriculum is an essential part of PRME and that UK business school education has been built around predominantly western models of thinking, this interdisciplinary project sought to promote students’ reflection on and discussion of responsible management topics by using fine art as a medium. Dr Caroline Chapain and Dr Emma Surman, alongside Jen Ridding and Jon Sleigh, developed workshops for use within UG/PG management and marketing modules. Utilising the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (“the Barber”) collection, students were supported to consider on the legacy of colonisation within the business school curriculum. Students were facilitated to recognise, reflect upon, and discuss the process and effects of colonisation and its impacts on current business education, as well as on their own role as future business leaders.
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Resources
You can read a detailed report on the project here.
Winner's Name & Institution: Dr Lauren Traczykowski, Aston Business School, Aston University, England
Project: Ethics in Crisis – An Emergent Visual Novel
Year of Award: 2021-2022
Key Words: Business Ethics; Disaster Ethics; Decision-Making; Gamification
Key UN SDGs: SDG 4 – Quality Education
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Overview
Disaster ethics is the study of moral principles and challenges that arise before, during, and after disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, pandemics, and wars. It requires learners to address difficult questions about right and wrong when resources are limited, people are vulnerable, and decisions can mean life or death. Unfortunately, disasters are increasing in frequency, driven by factors including climate change, environmental degradation, urbanisation, and rising geopolitical tensions. Developed by Dr Lauren Traczykowski, Disaster Ethics is a multiplayer, facilitated visual novel to be used by practitioners and in educational settings. Players navigate a disaster scenario and make decisions based on ethical principles in order to support a town which recently experienced a tsunami.
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Resources
You can download Disaster Ethics here.
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