Biomedical Sciences: Embedding Exeter’s Transformative Education Framework (TrEF) in Practice

This blog post outlines how the BSc Biomedical Sciences program has embedded TrEF and integrated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its curriculum.

Introduction to Biomedical Science

The newly developed BSc Biomedical Sciences introduces a redesigned, future-focused curriculum shaped by the University’s commitment to transformative education and aligning with Strategy 2030. Informed directly by insights from a TrEF workshop, the programme embeds sustainability, inclusivity, and racial and social justice through authentic, real‑world learning throughout. Staff co‑created ideas during the workshop that highlighted the need for clearer integration of global challenges, such as health equity and the UN SDGs, into scientific learning. As a result, the new curriculum centres these themes, ensuring students develop not only strong biomedical knowledge but also the capacity to think critically, act ethically, and contribute meaningfully to society. Integrating transformative education enriches the programme by empowering students as active participants in their learning, strengthening their ability to navigate complexity, and preparing them to become reflective, socially responsible scientists equipped for a rapidly changing world.

How the Transformative Education Framework was Embedded

Inspired by the success of a departmental workshop on TrEF, BSc Biomedical Sciences was designed to ensure the curriculum was built around its core pillars of sustainability, inclusivity, and social justice. One workshop participant noted: “It gave the opportunity for people who are not comfortable talking about these topics in their teaching, confidence to be able to bring up aspects of social injustice in teaching sessions.”

As a result, the integrated TrEF principles shape how students engage with biomedical knowledge, global health challenges, and professional life. The framework’s categories—curriculum, pedagogy, community, and partnerships—guided the programme’s redevelopment, resulting in modules that embed sustainability and the SDGs, teaching approaches that empower students as active contributors, and learning environments that connect them with researchers, clinicians, and external collaborators.

Programme-Level Approach: Mapping Across Modules

To support curriculum review and enhancement, modules were systematically mapped against the TrEF and relevant SDGs. The diagram below illustrates how this mapping process was undertaken and how opportunities for sustainability, justice-oriented learning and skills development were identified across the programme.

Figure 1. Five-step framework for mapping Transformative Education principles and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the BSc Biomedical Sciences curriculum.

Examples from Modules (Year 1)

In Skills for Biomedical Sciences (CSC1013), students are encouraged to explore science within its global and social contexts. The module highlights the contributions of historically marginalised groups while also examining how these contributions have often been overlooked or under-recognised. Through assessments and classroom discussions, students engage critically with issues of scientific integrity, public trust, and misinformation, helping them understand the responsibilities that accompany scientific practice. These learning experiences align with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) through exploration of health-related themes, SDG 4 (Quality Education) by developing students’ ability to interpret and evaluate information, SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) through consideration of marginalised communities and the global nature of science, and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) by emphasising ethical conduct, integrity, and accountability in scientific research. This approach supports the programme’s broader commitment to inclusivity, social justice, and the development of reflective, socially responsible biomedical scientists.

In Experimental Design and Analysis (CSC1011), students develop a strong foundation in physiology while exploring the wider ethical and societal dimensions of biomedical research. The module contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) by building knowledge of human physiology and the factors that support healthy lives. It also supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) by developing students’ communication skills and their ability to share scientific findings effectively, enhancing both their own learning and that of others. Through exploration of ethical research practices and historical case studies where research standards have failed, the module further aligns with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), encouraging students to reflect on the importance of integrity, accountability, and public trust in science.

Links to SDGs, Inclusivity, and Social Justice

The mapping shows that SDGs, inclusivity, and social justice are deeply interconnected themes within the redesigned Biomedical Sciences curriculum, rather than isolated or module-specific shoe-ins. Many modules are designed to address multiple SDGs, while also embedding principles of inclusive practice and equitable scientific research. Learning outcomes are linked to biological mechanisms with social determinants of health, ethical research design, and disparities in access to treatments. These themes naturally overlap: a single topic such as diabetes, pharmacology, or infectious disease can span sustainability, socioeconomic inequality, gender‑based differences, and global health justice. This reinforces that transformative education is not confined to one ‘box’—the plan being to integrate it across the programme, encouraging students to recognise how scientific knowledge, societal structures, and global challenges relate to real biomedical sciences.

Outcomes and Reflections

While embedding TrEF principles and SDGs can be discipline- specific, the process generated several transferable insights. Below, we outline key considerations for colleagues seeking to undertake similar curriculum enhancement:

Figure 2. Summary of key good practices and common pitfalls in embedding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within curriculum design, teaching, learning outcomes, and assessment.

While it is too early to evaluate the full impact, a number of encouraging outcomes have already emerged from the curriculum development process. One particularly successful initiative has been a student-partnership project, focused on embedding the SDGs within the Biomedical Sciences curriculum. Led by Dr Shelly Dogra and Dr Patrick Hamilton, the project provided an opportunity to explore how transformative education principles could be translated into practice while also giving students an active role in shaping learning resources for their peers. Through this work, students became partners in curriculum enhancement, contributing their own perspectives on sustainability, global health, and social responsibility in biomedical science.

The opportunity was advertised as a paid role (Education Incubator funded), attracting over 200 student applications, from which 12 students were selected to participate. Following an introductory workshop, students were given considerable autonomy and worked in pairs to produce two short videos, each linking content from their taught modules to relevant SDGs.

Through workshops, collaborative discussions, and shared problem-solving, students learned from one another, building confidence, communication skills, and deeper engagement than is often achieved through teacher-led approaches alone. Additional workshops provided opportunities for students to exchange good practice. The resulting resources covered topics including nutrition and climate change, laboratory plastics, heatwaves and health, antimicrobial resistance, pharmaceuticals derived from plants, and gender differences in genetics research. Each video introduced relevant SDGs, connected them to scientific concepts taught within modules, and explored wider sustainability challenges, with some groups incorporating interviews with experts or individuals affected by the issues being discussed.

A final workshop was held to evaluate the project and gather feedback on the transferable skills students had developed, including teamwork, communication, digital literacy, project management, and confidence in discussing sustainability issues. The videos were uploaded to the programme’s ELE2 pages under a dedicated SDG tile, making them accessible to all cohorts and helping students identify where sustainability is embedded within their teaching. The project also positions students as active contributors and agents of change, with potential for the resources to be shared across CBS modules, other university programmes, and wider platforms to increase interdisciplinary awareness of sustainability.

More information about the UN Sustainable Development Goals Project, along with the student videos, can be found on the BSc Biomedical Sciences ELE Page.

Looking Ahead

While the long-term impact will be evaluated over time, this project has already demonstrated the value of engaging students as partners in transformative education. The enthusiasm shown through the volume of applications, the quality of the resources produced, and the development of students’ transferable skills suggest that sustainability, inclusivity and social justice can be meaningfully integrated into biomedical science education. Moving forward, engagement with the resources will be monitored and opportunities to strengthen connections between disciplinary knowledge, the SDGs, and real-world health challenges will continue to be identified.

 

 

For more information please contact: