Abstract
The primary goals of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as they were consequently defined stress its humanistic orientation: the need to ensure human dignity in all aspects of life and to build respect for other cultures and next generations in a context specific way. To achieve this, new critical, futures-oriented and inclusive pedagogies should transform teaching and learning processes on all educational levels so that knowledge is developed and applied in an integrative way within a sustainability Framework.
This requires the development and application of new educational principles based on active and participative approaches to learning and teaching, and consequently also complex transformation of educational systems as such: its policies and priorities, principles, curricula and learning processes. Moreover, quality enhancement issues on the higher education level should pay attention to teaching/learning processes and approaches besides questions of educational content and scientific methods, especially with regard to quality assurance and professional development of university educators.
As ESD brings pedagogical innovation to higher education teaching, ESD related criteria should be included in the guiding principles for professional development of educators and quality indicators of PD. Principles of "good" (ESD relevant) teaching outlined for quality enhancement should be used for quality assessment.
Due to its innovative character, competence related quality criteria are non-existent on the higher education level, even though being intensely discussed at different forums.