Cross Cutting Themes
NEW: A vision for education and skills at Newcastle University: Education for Life 2030+
Introduction
Four cross-cutting themes - Global, Digital, Social Justice and Sustainability - have been identified as lenses through which programmes can be designed and enriched.
These themes are not prescriptive requirements but invitations to engage with ideas that connect learning to the world students live in and the futures they will shape. They are intended as perspectives that inform and enhance curriculum rather than standalone or credit-bearing modules.
Programme teams will be supported to embed the cross-cutting themes through the curriculum design process.
Our transformed programmes must ensure that:
- All themes are considered within the programme design process. Some programmes may naturally align with only one or two themes. All programmes must identify how they align with the Global theme.
- They are able to communicate as part of programme approval, and to students, how their programme and modules address one or more cross-cutting themes
Sustainability
Making responsible decisions for a thriving future
The practice of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. In education, sustainability invites students to consider the environmental, social, and economic consequences of actions, and to engage in ethical, future-focused thinking across contexts.
Global
Thinking and acting with global awareness and cultural competence
A way of thinking and acting that reflects awareness of global systems, intercultural understanding, and regional, national and international perspectives. A global lens helps students situate their discipline within a wider world and prepares them to collaborate across cultures and borders.
Digital
Navigating and shaping the digital world responsibly and creatively
Engaging with digital environments critically, creatively, and ethically. This theme explores how digital technologies – including artificial intelligence - shape knowledge, practice, and communication, and encourages students to adapt, innovate, and act responsibly in a connected world.
Social Justice
Challenging inequities and working toward a fairer world
A commitment to recognising and addressing inequities in society. The social justice theme supports students to examine power, privilege, and systemic injustice, and to envision more inclusive, fair, and equitable futures through their discipline and practice.
Integral to our Education for Life 2030+ vision
These cross-cutting themes are integral to our Education for Life 2030+ vision.
- They broaden students’ perspectives, deepen learning, and promote ethical, future-focused engagement with real-world challenges.
- By embedding these themes, we empower our students to shape their educational experience, foster a growth mindset and develop Education for Life skills and attributes that prepare them to meet future challenges with confidence and purpose.
Education for Life Skills and Attributes
Embedding topics or approaches that engage students with cross-cutting curriculum themes helps them develop essential Education for Life attributes - such as critical and creative thinking, adaptability, ethical awareness, global outlook, and digital literacy - preparing them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Encounters with the Leading Edge
Embedding cross-cutting themes within the curriculum enhances encounters with the leading edge of research, industry, practice, and society. They provide critical lenses that support contextualised learning through these encounters, helping students engage with complexity, relevance, and real-world challenges.
For example:
- Sustainability aligns with forward-looking research and responsible innovation, encouraging students to engage with global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.
- Global perspectives enhance international and intercultural encounters, supporting students to navigate a globally connected world and engage with diverse ideas and practices.
- Digital literacy intersects with technological advances, including artificial intelligence and emerging digital tools, preparing students to innovate, adapt, and lead in a digitally driven world.
- Social justice connects meaningfully to societal engagement and inclusive practice, promoting equity and community-driven change through encounters with research and practice in social justice fields.
Embedding themes during design
As part of our curriculum transformation and facilitated programme-level design approach, programme teams will be supported to explore the cross-cutting themes. Many of our programmes may already be engaging with these themes - implicitly or explicitly. During redesign teams will be supported to integrate these intentionally, making connections visible and meaningful across learning experiences.