Knowledge, Importance and Inclusion of SDG in Engineering Curriculum – A student’s perspective

Abstract

Education is the means to take the sustainable development goals forward. Sustainable future cannot be built with out the strong foundation of education. With the challenges and concerns grappling across the globe, engineers have a big role to play, especially with regard to the implementation and attainment of sustainable development goals. This study attempts to measure the knowledge level of engineering students regarding sustainability and UN Sustainable development goals. This study also aims to measure the understanding and perception of students understanding towards importance of SDG in their every day life. As our country has a population that is mostly from rural backgrounds, the study also attempted to analyze if there is difference between rural and urban students’ level of understanding on sustainable development goals. Finally, the paper attempts to measure student’s willingness to learn sustainability concepts as a part of their curriculum. The study followed a descriptive research method. Data for the study was collected from 250 engineering students from west Tamilnadu comprising of 7 states. This region also is the hub for engineering education in the state. The survey was developed based on a thorough literature survey and standardized instruments were identified and administered through online mode. The result of the study indicates that the knowledge levels on SDG is low among the students. The understanding and importance of goals to the everyday life was found to be significant. The study also revealed that rural and urban students differ in 5 SDG’s that pertain to their functioning. The results also indicate that majority of the students were willing to be involved in the SDG implementation and interested in having them in their curriculum. Keywords — Knowledge on Sustainability, Understanding of Sustainable Development Goals, Importance, Inclusion of SDG in Engineering Curriculum