Abstract
This study aims to identify the role of higher education quality assurance in achieving sustainable development goals. To support this aim, the following objectives were formulated: to discuss and summarize the best practices of QA agencies in promoting SDGs, to identify how Ukrainian universities consider SDGs in their policies, to develop recommendations for internal, and external quality assurance systems regarding SDG achievement. This qualitative study is based on a case study, observation, and questionnaire methods. Ukrainian higher education quality assurance systems are taken as a case study for this article. Primary data are collected through an online questionnaire and observation of Ukrainian universities’ publicly available information regarding sustainable development activities at their official websites. Additionally, some publicly available documents, reports, and materials on the experience of foreign quality assurance agencies are also reviewed, compared, and contrasted. The results of the research can be used at national levels where higher education standards should include competence in sustainable development goals, at institutional level to improve HEIs’ quality assurance system, and at the study program level to include SDG consideration as one of the requirements during internal quality assurance procedures.
Highlights
This study aims to identify the role of higher education quality assurance in achieving sustainable development goals
It is worth paying attention to the findings presented by Holmab et al [10] who made the comparative analysis of quality assurance in education for sustainable development (ESD) in Chinese and Nordic countries and universities, both at the policy level and at the implementation level
The results of this research can be used at the national level, at the institutional level, and at the study program level (Table 1)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In November 2020, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) ministers signed the. Rome Communiqué [1], which highlights the key role of higher education in sustainable development goals (SDGs) [2] adopted by the United Nations and focuses attention on the support and the development of the higher education institutions’ (HEIs) ability and capacity to prepare their students for “green” work and other activities to achieve
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