Implementing education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) is critical to facilitating a transition toward sustainable development. However, little is known about the specific implementation processes that lead to the institutionalization of sustainability curricula in HEIs. This meta-study and cluster analysis uses 131 international case studies to shed light on six distinct implementation patterns: (1) collaborative paradigm change, (2) bottom-up, evolving institutional change, (3) top-down, mandated institutional change, (4) externally driven initiatives, (5) isolated initiatives, and (6) limited institutional change. A cluster comparison reveals two distinct implementation phases: ESD can be implemented from the bottom-up, from the top-down, or both, and the impetus can stem from manifold external or internal stakeholders. To achieve more comprehensive ESD implementation, open communication among all stakeholders should be facilitated and feedback as well as reflection encouraged. Maintaining a unified vision statement and active participation of all stakeholders fosters a sense of ownership in ESD implementation and ensures that it will be long-lasting. Collaboration between isolated ESD initiatives and various stakeholders leads to shared knowledge and resources. Strong informal collaboration and communication can compensate for a lack of formalized leadership support from the top. Moreover, thorough planning that involves creating a strategy with detailed steps, and balancing shared responsibilities among internal stakeholders further enables fuller implementation of ESD. This analysis represents a first synthesis of small-N case studies and facilitates a better understanding of sustainability curriculum implementation patterns, which are shared in different contexts. Most HEIs and practitioners can benefit from these findings by reflecting on the specific implementation pattern with which the most overlap is found and focusing on this pattern’s most pertinent drivers.

在高等教育机构 (HEI) 中实施可持续发展教育 (ESD) 对于促进向可持续发展过渡至关重要。然而，人们对导致高等教育机构可持续发展课程制度化的具体实施过程知之甚少。这项元研究和聚类分析使用 131 个国际案例研究来阐明六种不同的实施模式：(1) 协作范式变革，(2) 自下而上、不断演变的制度变革，(3) 自上而下、强制性的制度变革， (4) 外部驱动的举措，(5) 孤立的举措，以及 (6) 有限的制度变革。集群比较揭示了两个不同的实施阶段：ESD 可以自下而上、自上而下或两者同时实施，推动力可以来自多种外部或内部利益相关者。为实现更全面的可持续发展教育实施，应促进所有利益相关者之间的公开沟通，并鼓励反馈和反思。保持统一的愿景声明和所有利益相关者的积极参与，可以培养可持续发展教育实施的主人翁意识，并确保其长期有效。孤立的可持续发展教育倡议与各种利益相关者之间的合作导致知识和资源的共享。强有力的非正式协作和沟通可以弥补上层缺乏正式领导支持的不足。此外，涉及制定具有详细步骤的战略以及平衡内部利益相关者之间共同责任的全面规划进一步促进了可持续发展教育的更全面实施。该分析代表了小 N 案例研究的首次综合，有助于更好地理解在不同背景下共享的可持续性课程实施模式。大多数高等教育机构和从业者可以通过反思发现重叠最多的具体实施模式并关注该模式最相关的驱动因素，从这些发现中受益。