Enhancing the Roles and Responsibilities of Higher Education Institutions in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals

Gender inequality has garnered much attention in the last few years. With the advent of the #MeToo movement, inequalities across genders, however subtle they may be, have been brought to the fore. As one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), gender equality is worked into the fabric of most constitutions worldwide (UNDP, 2015). However, pervasive gender inequality still exists in many industries, even in higher education institutions (HEIs). As no systematic review of studies related to gender equality in HEIs has been conducted, this study seeks to fulfil this gap. This paper seeks to critically evaluate research that has been conducted with regards to gender in academia and its associated dimensions. The purpose of the study is to i) identify barriers to achieving gender equality in HEIs, ii) analyse the outcomes of programmes intended to minimise gender inequality in HEIs, and iii) outline the lived experience of females in HEIs. Keywords: Gender, Higher Education Institutions, Inequality, Systematic Literature Review

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Sustainable Development Goals: A Powerful Framework for Embedding Ethics, CSR, and Sustainability in Management Education

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12051762 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1762 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dolors Setó-Pamies ◽

Eleni Papaoikonomou

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Management Education ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Special Issue ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Managerial Implications ◽

Development Goals

In this editorial we are delighted to present the four papers included in this special issue. Each of them tackles different issues with important academic and managerial implications. Then, we will discuss the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the potential they represent for higher education institutions and management education, in particular. One of the most important challenges in this field will be how to introduce SDGs in management education, an area of interest for practitioners and academics.

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

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/ijshe-04-2019-0150 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 336-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

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.

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

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/ijshe-03-2021-0088 ◽

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.

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Higher Education Institutions as a Transformation Platform under the Sustainable Development Goals Framework

European Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.14207/ejsd.2019.v8n3p306 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 306 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Inés López López ◽

Marcos Bote ◽

Longinos Marín Rives ◽

Alicia Rubio Bañón

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Strategic Alliances ◽

Trade Unions ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Critical Role ◽

Professional Associations ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Development Goals

Previous research has highlighted the critical role of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in promoting sustainability. In this vein, HEI, as a driving force of change, should actively participate in the diffusion and dissemination of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations. Thus, HEI must boost SDGs attainment both internally, through research, teaching, arts, and curricular programs, and externally, by providing a platform where different stakeholders such as firms, NGOs, public administrations, professional associations, trade unions… meet and create strategic alliances. A Spanish university has implemented a two-year project where different actors (faculties, students, NGO’s, private companies, public administration, professional associations, trade unions,…) are already working jointly in the pursuit of the SDGs. The aim of this project is two-fold. First, we intend to increase awareness of the SDGs among members of the university and, second, we want to exert an effective social impact by promoting intervention activities proposed by NGO’s and schools. Lectures, art exhibitions, workshops, volunteering programs,… enable tackling the SDGs in focus from different perspectives and contribute to their achievement. As a result, we expect more favorable attitudes towards the SDGs and a behavioral change among university members and citizens in general. Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals, Higher Education Institutions, multi-stakeholders partnership, transformation platform

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Education and Sustainable development: interplay and implications

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202020809010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 208 ◽

pp. 09010

Author(s):

Ansgar Belke ◽

Andrei Zenkov ◽

Larisa Sazanova

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Development Goals

Universities and other Higher education institutions are more than ever on the cusp of disruptive and radical changes while struggling to keep their traditional remit from falling entirely into the hands of managers and accountants. This paper examines the role of (higher) education in achieving sustainable development goals and addresses the important changes facing higher education from multiple perspectives and divergent cultural viewpoints.

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Mathematics Applied to the Economy and Sustainable Development Goals: A Necessary Relationship of Dependence

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci10110339 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 339

Author(s):

Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga ◽

Javier Cifuentes-Faura ◽

Úrsula Faura-Martínez

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Teaching Methodology ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Development Goals ◽

The Subject ◽

Mathematical Techniques ◽

Relationship Of ◽

Academic Year

Higher education must include training in sustainability to make all actors aware of the serious problems our planet is facing. Mathematics plays an important role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and at the same time these allow working with real situations in the subject of mathematics, providing the student with active learning. Sustainability is used to make the student see the usefulness of mathematics while instilling values and attitudes towards it. A set of problems have been raised during the academic year that are solved with the developed mathematical techniques, and through a survey, the students’ perceptions about the usefulness of mathematics to reach the goals established in the SDG has been evaluated. The results show that, regardless of the student’s gender, the student’s assessment of the usefulness of this subject in solving real problems improved. It has been observed that this teaching methodology has helped to motivate students and even those who do not like this subject have improved their appreciation of it.

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Teaching for a Better World. Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals in the Construction of a Change-Maker University

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154224 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4224 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Francisco Zamora-Polo ◽

Jesús Sánchez-Martín

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Point Of View ◽

Primary Teacher ◽

Practical Consideration ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Development Goals

Sustainability, as a key concept in the education field, has submitted a relevant change during the last years. Thus, there is a growing debate about its meaning. It has undergone a crucial merging of significances from many fields: Ecology, environmental awareness, but also from politics, ethics or even spiritual approaches. All these fields have been co-involved in the building of such subject concept. In this sense, this article addresses the different ways of understanding sustainability as a polyhedral concept and how sustainability can be understood under the umbrella of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, it is proposed a conceptual framework to teach this UN Program at Higher Education, contributing to the training of undergraduate and postgraduate students from both a professional and a personal point of view. This framework is applied in a case study—in particular, in a course of Primary Teacher Degree called Didactics of Matter and Energy. This article finishes with practical consideration to build a change-maker University.

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Unveiling the Research Landscape of Sustainable Development Goals and Their Inclusion in Higher Education Institutions and Research Centers: Major Trends in 2000–2017

Frontiers in Sustainability ◽

10.3389/frsus.2021.620743 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Núria Bautista-Puig ◽

Ana Marta Aleixo ◽

Susana Leal ◽

Ulisses Azeiteiro ◽

Rodrigo Costas

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Scientometric Analysis ◽

London School ◽

Research Centers ◽

Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have become the international framework for sustainability policy. Its legacy is linked with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), established in 2000. In this paper a scientometric analysis was conducted to: (1) Present a new methodological approach to identify the research output related to both SDGs and MDGs (M&SDGs) from 2000 to 2017, with the aim of mapping the global research related to M&SDGs; (2) Describe the thematic specialization based on keyword co-occurrence analysis and citation bursts; and (3) Classify the scientific output into individual SDGs (based on an ad-hoc glossary) and assess SDGs interconnections. Publications conceptually related to M&SDGs (defined by the set of M&SDG core publications and a scientometric expansion based on direct citations) were identified in the in-house CWTS Web of Science database. A total of 25,299 publications were analyzed, of which 21,653 (85.59%) were authored by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or academic research centers (RCs). The findings reveal the increasing participation of these organizations in this research (660 institutions in 2000–2005 to 1,744 institutions involved in 2012–2017). Some institutions present both a high production and specialization on M&SDG topics (e.g., London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and World Health Organization); and others with a very high specialization although lower production levels (e.g., Stockholm Environment Institute). Regarding the specific topics of research, health (especially in developing countries), women, and socio-economic issues are the most salient. Moreover, it has been observed an important interlinkage in the research outputs of some SDGs (e.g., SDG11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and SDG3 “Good Health and Well-Being”). This study provides first evidence of such interconnections, and the results of this study could be useful for policymakers in order to promote a more evidenced-based setting for their research agendas on SDGs.

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