Sustainability In Higher Education Research Articles

Visual images of sustainability in higher education: the hidden curriculum of climate change on campus

PurposePerceptions of climate change are strongly influenced by visual cues and images. Many universities have made significant steps towards decarbonisation, yet these often remain hidden from the campus community. This study aims to explore the hidden curriculum of climate change on campus and compare participants’ images of sustainability on campus with those on university websites.Design/methodology/approachThis research was underpinned by a critical realist perspective using innovative visual research methods including auto-photography and photo-elicitation to enable deep understanding of perceptions of sustainability and climate change on campus. Grounded visual pattern analysis (GVPA) was used to analyse campus photos and compare them to images used on university websites.FindingsFindings suggest that staff and student images more strongly encapsulated tensions between humans and nature than website photos, but that the latter included more evidence of social sustainability. Neither image set expressed climate change issues effectively; the invisibility of university decarbonisation activities represents a lost opportunity for learning.Originality/valueThis research uses novel visual methodologies and analysis (GVPA) with potential for wider use in sustainability research. This study offers new insights into the importance of the hidden curriculum of sustainability in higher education and the difficulties of making climate change visible on campus.

Key insights from climate communication – and how they can inspire sustainability in higher education

PurposeTo combat climate change and safeguard a liveable future, humanity needs fundamental and rapid social change. The purpose of this paper is to show, why and how climate communication can play an important role to nurture the public engagement needed for this change, and to explore, what higher education for sustainability can learn from climate communication.Design/methodology/approachThe scientific evidence base on climate communication for effective public engagement is summarised into 10 key principles, including “basing communication on people’s values”, “conscious use of framing” and “turning concern into action”. Based on the author’s perspective and experience in the university context, implications are explored for sustainability in higher education.FindingsThe study provides suggestions for teaching (e.g. complement information with consistent behaviour by the lecturer, integrate local stories and provide students with basic skills to communicate climate effectively), for research (e.g. make teaching for effective engagement the subject of applied research), for universities’ third mission to contribute to sustainable development in the society (e.g. provide climate communication trainings to empower local stakeholders) and greening the campus (develop a proper engagement infrastructure, e.g. by a university storytelling exchange on climate action).Originality/valueThe study provides an up-to-date overview of climate communication research, which is in itself original. This evidence base holds interesting learnings for institutions of higher education, and the link between climate communication and universities has so far not been explored comprehensively.

Sport Academics’ Awareness and Knowledge of Sustainability in Higher Education in Türkiye

It is widely accepted that sport plays a critical role in the achievement of sustainable development goals. The sport colleges, faculties, and universities that have undertaken the role to educate students, future trainers, educators, managers, and academic staff naturally have a significant impact on increasing awareness regarding sustainability issues. Therefore, in this study, the awareness, perception, and knowledge of the academic staff working in sport faculties and the factors affecting them are analyzed. For this purpose, a survey including a total of 19 questions is designed to measure the level of awareness regarding sustainable development, and it is answered by 366 faculty members in all 75 sport faculties in Türkiye. The results of the study point out that the vast majority of sport academics at universities have a common, general understanding of sustainability, but insufficient awareness of sustainable development goals and the relationship between sport and sustainable development. Furthermore, recognition and awareness regarding sustainable development seem to be limited at the institutional level. However, the results also imply that a great majority of the respondents are aware of the importance of sustainability and consider it necessary to improve themselves and their courses accordingly. Therefore, including sustainability issues in the curriculum, increasing awareness in all layers of institutions, and implementing sustainability in the entire higher education system with projects, seminars, and on-campus events are recommended.

An overview of research trends on sustainability in higher education – an exploratory study

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the main areas in which researchers are focusing their efforts in terms of sustainability in higher education (curriculum, campus greening, research, governance or outreach), the format in which this research is performed (in terms of individual or combined efforts) and the primary research focus (in terms of local or global issues).Design/methodology/approachTrends on sustainability research were investigated by means of an online survey – the World Survey on Sustainability Publishing and Research in Higher Education, which was disseminated among members of the European School of Sustainability Science and Research and the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme.FindingsThe survey collected responses from 103 researchers across over 40 countries. Three trends emerged: in spite of the intrinsic value of sustainability research in higher education, this area is not as mature as one could expect; the range of themes covered is wide and addresses a variety of areas; and individuals working alone is the most common means of doing research, whereas research at the university, department and faculty level appears to be less common.Originality/valueThe paper outlines some measures via which higher education institutions may be able to take more advantage of the many opportunities sustainability research offers to them.

Inclusion and social justice in sustainable higher education: An integrated perspective through the lens of public engagement

Inclusion and social justice in sustainable higher education: An integrated perspective through the lens of public engagement

Explaining the Paradox of World University Rankings in China: Higher Education Sustainability Analysis with Sentiment Analysis and LDA Topic Modeling

The development of the World University Rankings (WURs) has produced the following paradox. On the one hand, the WURs are often criticized for their ranking methodology and logic. On the other hand, the WURs are growing in influence worldwide. Universities are caught in a vicious cycle of pursuing indicators, which has a negative impact on the sustainability of higher education. In order to explain the development paradox of WURs, this research uses sentiment analysis and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to understand how the WURs thrive amid controversy by analyzing the emotion and cognition in 18,466 Chinese public comments on the WURs. The research found that (1) although the Chinese public has mixed feelings about the WURs, the overall sentiment is positive; (2) the Chinese public perceives the WURs through four main perspectives: standpoint cognition, dialectical cognition, interest cognition, and cultural cognition; and (3) the public is more concerned about whether their standpoints are met, whether their interests are reflected, and whether their individual experiences are verified but rarely think about the problems of ranking from a dialectical perspective. The need for ranking has always existed but the issue of ranking has often been ignored, leading to the development paradox of rankings.

An evaluation of a computational technique for measuring the embeddedness of sustainability in the curriculum aligned to AASHE-STARS and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

IntroductionSDG 4.7 mandates university contributions to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their education provisions. Hence, universities increasingly assess their curricular alignment to the SDGs. A common approach to the assessment is to identify keywords associated with specific SDGs and to analyze for their presence in the curriculum. An inherent challenge is associating the identified keywords as used in the diverse set of curricular contexts to relevant sustainability indicators; hence, the urgent need for more systematic assessment as SDG implementation passes its mid-cycle.MethodIn this study, a more nuanced technique was evaluated with notable capabilities for: (i) computing the importance of keywords based on the term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) method; (ii) extending this computation to the importance of courses to each SDG and; (iii) correlating such importance to a statistical categorization based on the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) criteria. Application of the technique to analyze 5,773 modules in a university's curriculum portfolio facilitated categorization of the modules/courses to be “sustainability-focused” or “sustainability-inclusive.” With the strategic objective of systematically assessing the sustainability content of taught curricula, it is critical to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the computed results, in order to attribute text with the appropriate SDGs and level of sustainability embeddedness. This paper evaluates this technique, comparing its results against a manual and labor-intensive interpretation of expert informed assessment of sustainability embeddedness on a random sample of 306 modules/courses.Results and discussionExcept for SDGs 1 and 17, the technique exhibited a reasonable degree of accuracy in predicting module/course alignment to SDGs and in categorizing them using AASHE criteria. Whilst limited to curricular contexts from a single university, this study indicates that the technique can support curricular transformation by stimulating enhancement and reframing of module/course contexts through the lens of the SDGs.

In Constant Reflection on Change. Sustainability in Higher Education

In Constant Reflection on Change. Sustainability in Higher Education

A Participatory Curriculum Approach to ICT-Enabled Education for Sustainability in Higher Education

This paper explores the ways in which a participatory curriculum planning model could help to address the embedding of an education on sustainability into higher education institutions; this is enabled by ICTs and is in particular reference to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Transforming university curricula in order to address sustainability has been tackled effectively through the development of a participatory curriculum planning model that was applied in seven higher education institutions. The interventions carried out by the ICTeEfS initiative have contributed significantly to producing a corpus of university teaching staff in each partner university which, in turn, has initiated curriculum revisions to address sustainability, mostly in teacher education.

Project-based learning and pedagogies for virtual reality-aided green building education: case study on a university course

PurposeGreen building education, an important aspect of sustainability in higher education, has rapidly expanded across the world. Yet, a bespoke pedagogical model integrating the essential elements of green building knowledge into a university course is lacking. To plug this deficiency, this study aims to develop an innovative pedagogical model that incorporates four types of teaching activities, namely, lecture, virtual reality (VR)-aided site visit, physical site visit and practicum-based project.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extensive review of the relevant literature and course materials, a pedagogical model was constructed for application to the teaching and learning activities of a university’s hospitality and real-estate programme. Using a case study approach involving in-depth interviews with green building professionals and a workshop coupled with an online survey on building professionals, the model’s transformative effectiveness was evaluated.FindingsThe study finds that the pedagogical model was able to effectively equip students with the essential green building knowledge pertinent to the different stages of a building life cycle. Concerns about wider applications of the model, including barriers to implementation in other academic programmes and resources for updating the VR platform, were identified.Originality/valueThe VR-aided and project-based pedagogy model is novel and effective in delivering green building education. Future work, particularly expanding the VR platform to cover more green building cases, thereby allowing multiple case studies to be conducted, is recommended for illustrating further contributions and implications of the model.

What is the role of economics and business studies in the development of attitudes in favour of sustainability?

PurposeThis paper aims to find out what attitudes Economics and Business students have towards sustainability and what they expect from their education in relation to the achievement of economic, social and environmental sustainability. The objective is to find out if the studies of Economics and Business favour the development of pro-sustainability attitudes, taking into account factors such as the gender of the students, the course in which they are enrolled and the economic training received before entering university.Design/methodology/approachA survey was designed covering ecological, social, cultural, economic and political aspects. The survey was conducted among students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management and the Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. The authors used discriminant analysis and analysis of variance to test the research hypothesis.FindingsStudents are concerned about environmental problems and are aware of the need for action, but there is little consensus on the actions needed to overcome them. Some negationist traits are detected: those who rely more on technology give less importance to environmental problems and to the possibility of a major ecological catastrophe. Girls are more in favour of sustainability than boys, and students who have previously studied economics consider that their training has enabled them to evaluate the resources available and necessary to perform any job more than those who have not studied economics, regardless of their sex and year.Originality/valueMany articles have focused on the importance of sustainability in higher education, but hardly any have analysed the role of economic education in achieving sustainability. Given the importance and the proven inter-relationship between economics and sustainability, with this article, the authors contribute to fill the gap in the literature. It is necessary that current students and future professionals receive adequate economic education.

UNIVERSITIES AS THE SUSTAINABILITY CENTERS: EVIDENCES FROM THE STUDENTS’ SURVEY DATA

Summary. The study was conducted within the framework of The German-Ukrainian University Technology Transfer Internship Program 2021 (GUTT.INUP 2021). The GUTT. INUP 2021 program was aimed at the exchange of pedagogical and research experience between universities in Germany and Ukraine, as well as at mutual acquaintance with the latest scientific achievements of German and Ukrainian scientists, including in the field of sustainable development. The University of Würzburg (Germany) has extensive experience in joining new member universities to the existing Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education, as well as in organizing and managing student activities in areas related to the implementation of a sustainable development strategy. At present, environmental education, the cultivation of an environmental outlook, and the involvement of students in the activities of universities aimed at implementing the basic principles of environmental sustainability as an important component of a sustainable development strategy are very relevant in the context of global climate change. Using the experience of the University of Würzburg, as well as the practice of other European universities in this field, our team conducted a survey among students from different faculties to collect their perceptions and opinions on sustainable development in higher education and environmental sustainability issues. Based on the results of the survey, we proposed a roadmap for the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv as a future center for sustainable development, including activities aimed at achieving environmental sustainability goals in the context of the sustainable development strategy. Keywords: universities, environmental education, students’ activities, environmental sustainability, sustainable development

Sustainability in Higher Education: Digital Transformation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Open Knowledge

Education is important for sustainable development and drives innovation within national innovation systems. As developed economies move to matured stages of the fourth industrial revolution, the quality of education needs to keep up with the required technological changes brought about by the digital transformation created by these technologies. However, studies on the impact of the digital transformation of the higher education system and its effect on sustainability are few. This study bridged this gap by providing empirical evidence on the subject matter through a synergy of extant studies. The methodology used herein involves a combination of a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis. The results of this study show that the digital transformation of the higher education sector is leading to the development of sustainable curriculums, digitalization of the higher education, enhancement of innovation, and an improvement in the performance of students. It also shows that the future of the digital transformation of the higher education sector will include—the advancement of the concept of ‘Education 4.0’, an increase in gamification within the sector, a rise in the use of datafication in decision making, and the integration of artificial intelligence/augmented intelligence to reform higher education.

Guest editorial: Latin American perspectives on sustainability in higher education

Guest editorial: Latin American perspectives on sustainability in higher education

Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights.

The technological revolution has contributed to environmental and social issues around the world. However, in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) - key stakeholders for sustainable development - there is a theoretical gap regarding systematic reviews on the topic. In order to address this need, this study explores how digital transformation (DT) can contribute to sustainability in HEIs by identifying the general state of the art, the theoretical perspectives in the field, and future research insights. A multi-methods approach was adopted, which consisted of a quantitative bibliometric review and a qualitative content analysis. Consistent with this approach, the Scopus database was used for the bibliometric analysis of 672 publications, which was conducted with the support of VOSviewer software. Subsequently, a content analysis of 72 publications was carried out using the software ATLAS.ti and Zotero. The findings suggest three areas of current research: ensuring sustainability competencies through DT, smart and sustainable campus approaches, and theorisation of sustainability in higher education through DT. The theoretical perspectives of the field were divided and discussed into seven main clusters. Lastly, five research lines for further studies on DT towards sustainability were identified. This study has both theoretical and practical implications since it may be the first literature review on this subject, providing theoretical insights to the academic community, guiding sustainability and digital practices in HEIs - through the identification of tools, approaches, and strategies - and then supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

EDUCAÇÃO PARA A SUSTENTABILIDADE EM TRABALHOS DE CONCLUSÃO DE CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM BIOLOGIA NA REGIÃO AMAZÔNICA PARAENSE

ABSTRACT: Education for Sustainability in higher education is considered to be a challenge that demands the integration of a training method based on values, attitudes and principles that reflect on the professional formation. That said, this research intended to analyze the approach that Biology Bachelor Degree students in the Amazon region of Pará take on Education for Sustainability in their Final Papers. The exploratory study with documental analysis considered the Final Papers written by students from five different HEIs, prepared between the years 2017 and 2021, using an analysis instrument based on seven categories that investigate the approach to the principles of Education for Sustainability in three phases. By analyzing 145 papers, it was found that the most discussed principles are related to the right to education and the right to biodiversity. The study provides contributions of a theoretical-scientific, practical-instrumental and social nature, highlighting formative principles that HEIs should consider in the training of their students so that we have professionals concerned with the socio-environmental problems that destroy humanity.

Improving operational - developmental connections: foregrounding an alignment - dealignment - realignment perspective

On the basis of our administrative experiences and gaps in the literature, the authors develop a very practical theory, namely the (ADR) alignment-dealignment-realignment perspective. Using a sample of 80 questionnaires targeting university administrators in Albania, the authors hypothesise direct linkages between education process, quality of support services, achieving sustainability in higher education. The SSPS statistical package was employed to receive reliability analysis, Spearman's correlation, and Chi-square test results. If from one side, budgeting, research, human resource issues, and student's matters are found to have a strong positive monotonic correlation between both, quantity-quality aspects, and information given on a timely basis, the academic policies and degree programs are showing a weak relationship. Additionally, different management categories have different opinions regarding the reasons for which the problem in the HE system occurs. The survey analysis provides valuable insights regarding the existing communication gap among the university administrators and the challenges of HEIs.

Building a sustainable future: how intelligent automation Is transforming higher education's sustainability efforts

Building a sustainable future: how intelligent automation Is transforming higher education's sustainability efforts

Developing Digital Empowerment Programs to Enhance the Marketing Performance of Private Islamic Higher Education Institutions

The sustainability of higher education should be supported by marketing strategies that enhance marketing performance and attract a higher number of prospective students. Considering the decision of prospective students to attend a particular institution is always motivated by the information they obtain on that institution’s achievements, this study aims to develop digital network empowerment and digital information sharing activities based on the resource-based view model. In addition, considering digital services have not yet had a conclusive effect on marketing performance, this study also aims to develop digital service recovery to enhance the effect of digital network empowerment and digital information sharing on marketing performance. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire sent to the management teams of Indonesian private Islamic higher education institutions via a Google form link. The data were processed using SPSS and Amos. The findings demonstrate that digital network empowerment and digital information sharing have a very significant effect on marketing performance, but digital service recovery does not. However, digital service recovery has a very significant effect on digital network empowerment and digital information sharing. The findings illustrate that digital network empowerment and digital information sharing can contribute to the resource-based view model to enhance marketing performance.

The culture of care and sense of belonging as drivers of sustainability in higher education

The purpose of this article is to examine how a culture of care and sense of belonging are related to environmental behavior and how it can be fostered in higher education. To support this analysis, the concepts and the ways of strengthening the sense of care and belonging are discussed based on literature and experiences developed on a campus of the University of Brasilia, Brazil. The physical environment and participation tools on campus are presented, as well as the results of a survey on the perception of the academic community about the quality of life on campus, answered by 10.5% of the campus population. The quality of life on campus was rated as good or excellent by 90% of respondents. The feeling of personal responsibility in taking care of people and in the campus environment was confirmed by 41% of respondents. We relate this perception to the community's participation in outreach and sustainability programs. Sustainability policies in higher education must prioritize the promotion of a culture of care and sense of belonging. These values are essential for the humanistic education of postsecondary students in a planetary reality that must be radically transformed, aiming at the transition to sustainable societies.