Advancing SDG competencies in higher education: exploring an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Alm ◽  
Maria Melén ◽  
Caroline Aggestam-Pontoppidan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Cherry Picking ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Development Of Students

Purpose This study aims to explore an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach for advancing knowledge and understanding of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study conducted an explorative experiment to elaborate on forms to advance a pedagogical approach that embeds sustainability. The design of the pedagogical project was explorative and interdisciplinary, using a predefined framework on key competencies for sustainability. Findings The findings showed that an interdisciplinary approach can create a learning setting that stimulates students’ problem-solving competencies for sustainability-related issues. Students were trained in the five key sustainable competencies addressed by Wiek et al. (2011). Moreover, although it is not always possible to arrange an interdisciplinary pedagogical setting, this might be a key condition for the development of students’ key competencies regarding their understanding of the SDGs. Addressing the SDGs from an interdisciplinary perspective paved the way for the development of students’ strategic competencies, including systems thinking and anticipatory competencies. Practical implications The pedagogical project, as an interdisciplinary explorative experiment, was shown to be a potentially suitable method to counteract “cherry-picking” approaches to teaching the SDGs at HEI. Originality/value The pedagogical approach advanced in this paper, extends active learning and interdisciplinarity in higher education. The authors argue that this approach encourages students to take ownership of and responsibility for their learning process and indicates a changed mindset and behavior.

Smart practices in HEIs and the contribution to the SDGs: implementation in Brazilian university

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liane Dalla Gasperina ◽  
Janaina Mazutti ◽  
Luciana Londero Brandli ◽  
Roberto dos Santos Rabello
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Infrastructure Management ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose Smart campuses can be seen as the future of higher education efforts, especially for their contributions to sustainability and to encourage innovation. This paper aims to present the benefits of smart practices in a Higher Education Institutions and highlights its connections to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach The methodology is divided into three steps: first, an international search and assessment of smart practices at universities; second, the identification of smart practices in a university campus in southern Brazil; and third, the presentation of the benefits of smart practices and their relationship with the SDGs. Findings The results showed that globally, the area most covered by smart practices in universities is the environment and, specifically, focused on waste reduction. in the context of this case study, the benefits of implementing smart practices mainly reach SDGs 4 and SDG 9, especially due to aspects of teaching technologies for the new classroom models and the optimization of campus infrastructure management. Practical implications The study encourages other universities to implement smart practices in their campuses, to becoming smart campuses while they also collaborate in achieving the SDGs while raising the discussion on the importance of committed actions taken on a university campus with the UN SDGs, to leverage synergies on campus operations at universities. Originality/value This paper presents a set of smart practices that universities are applying both globally and locally (in southern Brazil). In addition, it contributes to sustainability research by showing how smart practices have the potential to promote SDGs in universities, especially through campus operations.

scholarly journals Exploring Sociology of Education in the Promotion of Sustainability Literacy in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandro Serpa ◽  
Maria José Sá
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Sociology Of Education ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
Development Goals

Sustainability, sustainable development and education for sustainable development are increasingly central concepts, both in social practice and in the field of scientific knowledge. Sociology, and in particular Sociology of Education as a specialised Sociology, can provide relevant contributions in its promotion. This article aims to explore the importance of Sociology of Education in promoting sustainability literacy in higher education, using the Sustainable Development Goals and key competencies (United Nations and UNESCO) as the central reference in this field, and intends, thus, to become an added contribution for this discussion. The article seeks to demonstrate that the learning of sustainability literacy would benefit from the use of a sociological stance throughout this whole process that considers dimensions that are often not directly emphasised and articulated between each other, such as: interconnection of scale levels, sociological imagination, multi-paradigmatic nature, heuristic interdisciplinarity, reflexivity and use of Sociology for action.

Higher education in Japan: internationalization, the Sustainable Development Goals and survivability

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachi Edwards ◽  
Akemi Ashida
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Higher Education Internationalization

PurposeThis paper reviews the national and institutional internationalization activities in Japan's higher education sector and considers the extent to which these efforts have attempted to incorporate and/or contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachThis paper was developed based on a review of available demographic data on internationalization in Japan (in both English and Japanese), a survey of recent scholarly literature on this topic and conversations with numerous faculty and staff members working on internationalization issues in a wide range of higher education institutions throughout the country.FindingsThere are substantial internationalization efforts being made at both national and institutional levels, yet scholars and practitioners of higher education question the extent to which genuine internationalization is occurring. Moreover, the metrics used to track internationalization are somewhat limited and the available data, in many cases, can be complicated to interpret. A bit of tension also exists in Japanese universities between those who support the movement to internationalize and those who see it as a passing fad, an intrusion on their academic freedom and/or as a guise for Westernization – a tension that some cite, along with language barriers and system misalignment, as a challenge to internationalization.Originality/valueNumerous scholars discuss the internationalization of higher education in Japan. The originality of this paper is in the comparison of Japan's higher education internationalization efforts to the movement to achieve the SDGs – both in Japan and as a global effort.

Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1343-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Maria Purcell ◽  
Heather Henriksen ◽  
John D. Spengler
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Living Lab ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose Universities can do more to deliver against the sustainable development goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body. They play a critical role in helping shape new ways for the world, educating global citizens and delivering knowledge and innovation into society. Universities can be engines of societal transformation. Using a multiple case study approach, this study aims to explore different ways of strategizing sustainability toward delivering the SDGs are explored in a university setting with an example from the UK, Bulgaria (Europe) and USA. Design/methodology/approach The first case is a public UK university that adopted enterprise and sustainability as its academic mission to secure differentiation in a disrupted and increasingly marketized global higher education sector; this became a source of inspiration for change in regional businesses and the local community. The second case is a business sector-led sustainability-driven transformation working with a private university in Bulgaria to catalyze economic regeneration and social innovation. Finally, a case from the office for sustainability in a major US research university is given to show how its engagement program connected faculty and students in sustainability projects within the institution and with external partners. Findings Each case is in effect a “living lab,” positioning sustainability as an intentional and aspirational strategy with sustainable development and the SDG framework a means to that end. Leadership at all levels, and by students, was key to success in acting with a shared purpose. Partnerships within and with universities can help accelerate delivery of the SDGs, enabling higher education to make a fuller contribution to sustaining the economic, environmental, cultural and intellectual well-being of our global communities. Originality/value The role of universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the SDGs has been explored by way of three case studies that highlight different means toward that end. The collegiate nature of the higher education sector, with its shared governance models and different constituencies and performance drivers, means that sustainability at a strategic level must be led with leaders at all levels acting with purpose. The “living lab” model can become a part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies in pursuit of sustainable development.

scholarly journals Are the sustainable development goals being implemented in the Portuguese higher education formative offer?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Marta Aleixo ◽  
Ulisses M. Azeiteiro ◽  
Susana Leal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Master's Degrees ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education

Purpose The study aims to examine the vertical integration of the sustainable development goals (SGDs) in Portuguese public higher education institutions, namely, at the level of undergraduate and master’s degrees, and the extent to which Portuguese higher education institutions (HEI) are preparing for the United Nations’ call to promote SDGs. Design/methodology/approach A content analysis of the designations and objectives of the 2,556 undergraduate and master’s degrees (in 33 Portuguese public higher education institutions) was done to determine whether they promote at least one SDG. Findings The results show that 198 courses directly address at least one SDG; on average, each higher education institution (HEI) has six courses that explicitly address at least one SDG; universities have more courses in SDG areas than in polytechnics; more master’s degrees embrace SDGs than undergraduate degrees; and most of the courses addressing SDGs are from the social sciences and humanities areas and from natural and environmental sciences. Originality/value This paper serves to raise the awareness of Portuguese HEIs of their role and responsibility in furthering SGDs.

scholarly journals Exploring Sociology of Education in the Promotion of Sustainability Literacy in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Sociology Of Education ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
Development Goals

Sustainability, sustainable development and education for sustainable development are increasingly central concepts, both in social practice and in the field of scientific knowledge. Sociology, and in particular Sociology of Education as a specialized Sociology, can provide relevant contributions in its promotion. This article aims to explore the importance of Sociology of Education in promoting sustainability literacy in higher education, using the Sustainable Development Goals and key competencies (United Nations and UNESCO) as the central reference in this field, and intends, thus, to become an added contribution for this discussion. The article seeks to demonstrate that the learning of sustainability literacy would benefit from the use of a sociological stance throughout this whole process that considers dimensions that are often not directly emphasized and articulated between each other, such as: interconnection of scale levels, sociological imagination, multi-paradigmatic nature, heuristic interdisciplinarity, reflexivity and use of Sociology for action.

Service-learning in physical education teacher education: a pedagogical model towards sustainable development goals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis García-Rico ◽  
L. Fernando Martínez-Muñoz ◽  
María Luisa Santos-Pastor ◽  
Oscar Chiva- Bartoll
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Physical Education Teacher ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Physical Education Teacher Education ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose The purpose of this study is to know the contribution of service-learning (SL) on the awareness-raising and sensitivity with regards to sustainable development goals (SDGs) in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Design/methodology/approach The research used a qualitative methodology with a case study design from an ethnographic-interpretative approach. The participants were 81 higher education level students from the PETE program. For the collection of information, the following techniques and instruments were used: non-participant observation, students’ portfolios, focus groups and group-interviews. Findings The main findings show the teaching positive features of SL experiences in the PETE students. In alignment with the sustainable development model, the findings suggest that SL can boost and strengthen knowledge, comprehension, sensitivity and compromise in relation to the SDGs. It can be concluded that SL allows teacher educators to train socially critical professionals and to progress toward a sustainable development. Originality/value SL emerges as an appropriate pedagogical model to meet the educational needs of higher education and to face global challenges in relation to the sustainable development of the planet.

scholarly journals Strategy of using ICT in ODL to disseminate higher education in tribal communities: a case of MP, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subash Ranjan Nayak ◽  
Nikhil Kant ◽  
Kumari Anjali
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Tribal Communities ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Indigenous Perspectives ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Higher Educational

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to make an assessment of the challenges in disseminating higher education to the learners in tribal communities, and problems solving capacity of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) by strategically making use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) taking a case of Madhya Pradesh (MP), which is the most tribal dominated state of India. The paper offers valuable insight in to the usage of ICT as a strategy for the ODL system presenting an account of how it can be utilized effectively to disseminate higher education in tribal communities.Design/methodology/approachExploratory and descriptive techniques were utilized in this paper adopting the research strategy of case study in terms of the strategic potentialities of ICT in disseminating higher education in tribal communities by ODL using it as a strategy for their empowerment and development.FindingsThe findings of the paper reveal that dissemination of higher education in tribal areas is a challenging task especially due to their socioeconomic conditions and ethno cultural settings in addition to numerous infrastructural and access related issues. In view of the need of integrating education with the Indigenous perspectives, ICT can be used as an effective strategy by ODL for disseminating higher education amongst learners in those communities by reaching out to them.Practical implicationsThis paper concludes that ICT can help ODL immensely in developing countries such as India strategically in reaching the tribal learners surpassing financial and geographical constraints with a learner centric approach increasing the capacity, quality and cost effectiveness of education system bringing the concept of strategy to center stage, at a time when ICT has fundamentally changed the strategies of different sectors including education with the unprecedented growth in its use.Originality/valueThis paper concludes that ICT has fundamentally changed the strategies of different sectors including higher education with the unprecedented growth in its use. It also concludes that Indian higher educational sector faced with multitude of challenges is not insulated from the effect of ICT, and its emancipatory and transformative potentials in higher education can play a major substantive role by extending support to meet the increasing higher educational needs of the tribal communities by sufficiently embedding it so that their greater contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be ensured.

scholarly journals Sustainable development goals: a framework for deploying indicators for higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Sapper Griebeler ◽  
Luciana Londero Brandli ◽  
Amanda Lange Salvia ◽  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
Giovana Reginatto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Initial List

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the extent to which the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are being considered at higher education institutions (HEIs) and propose and test the possible acceptance of a list of indicators to evaluate the contribution of HEIs to the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach The methodology consisted of the collection of indicators of sustainable development based on the existing bibliography. Afterwards, a set of indicators related to the SDGs were selected, based on the most frequent SDGs’ expressions found in the selected indicators. A sample of researchers was also asked to indicate to which extent this set of indicators is perceived as relevant. Findings The results indicated an initial list with 432 indicators, of which 268 were selected for having at least one of the keywords searched for, related to the SDG descriptions and targets. Thus, redundant indicators were excluded and, when necessary, indicators were aggregated, resulting in a final list of 61 indicators. Originality/value The set of indicators resulted from this analysis was considered appropriate to evaluate the contribution of HEIs towards the SDGs, demonstrating that it might not be necessary to create new indicators for that purpose.

Analysis of sustainability insertion in materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeniffer Fonseca Zanitt ◽  
Izabela Simon Rampasso ◽  
Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas ◽  
Milena Pavan Serafim ◽  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Materials Selection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Subject

Purpose This study aims to analyse how the materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes can be better aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach Initially, a content analysis was performed in 39 materials selection course descriptions from 40 engineering undergraduate programmes of Brazilian higher education institutions, and subsequently, Delphi method procedures were conducted with professors that teach or have taught the course and are knowledgeable in the subject of sustainability. Findings Considering the analysed course descriptions, it was shown that most of the materials selection courses do not consider or present little emphasis on sustainability aspects. Regarding the Delphi method, eight items were evidenced to consider sustainability aspects in the analysed courses. Originality/value This study contributes to the debates about sustainability insertion in engineering undergraduate programmes. More specifically, the findings presented consolidated information that professors and coordinators can use to align materials selection courses with the SDGs better.

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