scholarly journals Levelling up International Higher Education: Universities, Nations and Global Goals

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-112
Author(s):  
Jo Beall
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Internationalisation Of Higher Education ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
International Role ◽  
Positive Step

AbstractUniversities are not only the anchors, shapers and innovators of nations but they galvanise the building and rebuilding of nations. They are a source of knowledge, an arena to develop understanding and provide the vehicles for interpreting and addressing the key challenges of our time. Nations need universities to develop home-grown solutions for the problems and opportunities with which they are presented, and so they can participate with value and confidence in international scientific eco-systems. Yet, national universities do not and should not act alone. Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals constitute the principal international convention of our time and offer a positive step in recognising the importance of tertiary education to individual and social advancement. However, they do not go far enough, particularly from the vantage point of nations with ambitions to grow prosperous economies and engaged societies. This chapter explores the national and international role of universities and the benefits or otherwise of the internationalisation of higher education and global conventions such as Agenda 2030.

scholarly journals Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7683
Author(s):  
Amila Omazic ◽  
Bernd Markus Zunk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Development Goals

Public sector organizations, primarily higher education institutions (HEIs), are facing greater levels of responsibility since adopting and committing to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SD) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HEIs are expected to provide guidance for various stakeholders on this matter, but also to implement this agenda and the SDGs in their institutions. Although the role of these organizations has been recognized, the fields and issues that HEIs should address on their path towards sustainability and SD are still unclear. To provide further clarity, a semi-systematic literature review on sustainability and SD in HEIs was conducted to identify both the key concepts and main research themes that represent sustainability and SD in HEIs and to identify research gaps. This review increases our knowledge of this topic and enhances our understanding of sustainability and SD in the context of HEIs.

scholarly journals Educating for Sustainability: The Crucial Role of the Tertiary Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Wendy Fehlner
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Tertiary Sector ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations represent a universal response to current global challenges that include climate change, poverty, political instability and the massive displacement of people worldwide. The central role of education in achieving sustainable development has been internationally acknowledged and successfully promoted: Global enrolment rates are now 90 percent for primary education and over 70 percent for secondary education. Building on these achievements, this paper focuses the role of tertiary education in contributing to sustainable development. This study reviewed recent theoretical and empirical research relating to the field. Conclusions from theoretical studies confirm that building on human capital is crucial for achieving the sustainable development goals. The majority of empirical studies also confirm a positive correlation between tertiary education and sustainable development. This study highlighted, however, that the full benefits of tertiary education to society may have been underestimated and that there are significant research gaps in the field. Furthermore, current challenges including funding, equity and market relevancy in tertiary education need to be addressed. Given the pressing global issues and the mounting evidence of positive impacts, this paper calls for more research and attention to be devoted to tertiary education in the sustainable development debate.

The Role of Knowledge-Oriented Higher Education Institutions in Sustainable Education Practices

2019 ◽  
pp. 275-288
Author(s):  
Abdalmuttaleb M. A. Musleh Al-Sartawi ◽  
Sherine Badawi ◽  
Sameh Reyad
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sustainable Education ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Positive Step

The main objective of this chapter is to raise awareness and promote sustainable education through knowledge management practices, as a positive step towards meeting sustainable development goals. The chapter discusses various topics related to the various definitions of sustainability and knowledge management and the benefits of integrating these concepts into higher education curricula. Based on the theoretical analysis of the literature, this chapter proposes several recommendations as well as directions for future research. One recurring theme in the sustainable education literature is the need for problem-solving and critical thinking skills; which mandates that HEIs need to revise their curricula to incorporate these skills. This chapter also looks more closely into the use of ICT as a sustainable knowledge tool and the various benefits as well as disadvantages arising from its advancement.

scholarly journals Higher education contributing to local, national, and global development: new empirical and conceptual insights

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maia Chankseliani ◽  
Ikboljon Qoraboyev ◽  
Dilbar Gimranova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Global Development ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Developmental Role ◽  
The Government

AbstractHigher education offers the potential to support glonacal (global, national, and local) development. This study presents new empirical and conceptual insights into the ways in which higher education can help to achieve and exceed the outcomes enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Open-ended online surveys were used to learn how academics in Georgia and Kazakhstan view the contributions of universities to addressing self-identified development challenges; and how universities work with the government and the private sector for realising their glonacal development potential. While the study provides ample evidence on the national manifestations of the developmental role of universities, it also shows that limited academic freedom and institutional autonomy impede the full realisation of the potential of higher education. The assumptions underpinning the academics’ views on how higher education can support development are discussed in the light of an innovative framework of essentialist and anti-essentialist approaches. Juxtaposing the national with the global development missions of universities, the paper raises questions on the possibility of delinking higher education from the immediate human capital and modernisation needs of the nation-state and becoming concerned with the global, on promoting freedom to cultivate intellectual curiosity through education and research, and stimulating a more holistic imaginary of the developmental purposes of higher education.

Gender Equity and the SDGs

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Dettori ◽  
Geeta Rao Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Partnership ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter identifies some of the most stubborn gender-based risks and vulnerabilities girls face as a cohort from preadolescence through late adolescence across the domains of personal capabilities, security, safety, economic resources, and opportunities. It reviews progress made during the Millennium Development Goal era in improving girls’ health and well-being and looks to the role of adolescent girls in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter concludes by recommending an approach for global partnership that is linked to national and local actions and that is centered on priority interventions that can catalyze change, at scale, for adolescent girls.

scholarly journals Sustainable Innovation in Higher Education: The Impact of Gender on Innovation Competences

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5004
Author(s):  
Raquel Ferreras-Garcia ◽  
Jordi Sales-Zaguirre ◽  
Enric Serradell-López
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Innovation In Higher Education

There is currently an increasing interest for sustainable innovation in our society. The European agendas highlight the role of higher education institutions in the formation and development of innovation competences among students. Our study aimed to contribute to the analysis of the level of achievement of students’ innovation competences by considering two sustainable development goals (SDG) of the 2030 United Nations’ Agenda: Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Quality Education (SDG 4). This article tries to answer how business students perceive their own innovation competences and which innovative competences are best achieved by students, as well as if there are differences in the achievement of these competences depending on the students’ gender. Our results, from a sample of 360 students in the Business Administration and Management Bachelor’s Degree at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, confirm the extensive development of innovation competences. Moreover, female students present a high level of preparation for innovation-oriented action. These findings have educational implications for potentiating the innovation competences and environments where females can attain innovation skills.

scholarly journals Towards Sustainable Mobility? The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Romanian Mobile Citizens in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4023
Author(s):  
Silvia Marcu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
New Models ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Depth Interviews

Using the case study of Romanians in Spain, this article highlights how the COVID-19 crisis presents both challenges and opportunities when it comes to human mobility and sustainability. Drawing on in-depth interviews with mobile people during the period of lockdown and circulation restrictions, and in accordance with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the paper advances and contributes to the relevance of sustainability and its impact on people’s mobility in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. I argue that even in the midst of the crisis, sustainable ways may be found to promote and protect human mobility. The paper raises the way sustainability acts as a driver, gains relevance and influence, and contributes to the creation of new models of resilient mobility in times of crisis. The conclusions defend the respect for the SDGs regarding human mobility and emphasise the role of people on the move as sustainable actors learning to overcome distance and the barriers to their mobility during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Inequalities in the Exercise and Continuity in Building Engineering in Spain. Factor Analysis Including Gender Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5514
Author(s):  
Irantzu Recalde-Esnoz ◽  
Daniel Ferrández ◽  
Carlos Morón ◽  
Guadalupe Dorado
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Technical Architecture ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Building Engineering ◽  
New Jobs

The building sector is one of the most relevant at world level in view of the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) concerned, as well as the number of new jobs created. Nevertheless, it is a completely male-dominated industry. Different institutions and organisms, such as the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, struggle to reduce gender inequality in different environments, including the working one. Aligned with these goals, this study provides the data exploited from the first survey regarding gender inequality within the professionals of the building engineering field in the Spanish population as a whole. This survey was developed in 2018 by the Spanish General Council of Technical Architecture and it was sent to its members. The sample involved 1353 cases. For this data mining, bivariate analyses were conducted in order to subsequently carry out a factor analysis and the socio–demographic composition of the dimensions found. Results exposed statistically meaningful differences in the eyes of women and men about those factors which facilitate practice and continuity in the profession. The most relevant conclusions drawn from the factor analysis reflect the existence of three factors: (1) work competences, (2) social capital and (3) physical appearance and being a man, dimensions in which women and men’s opinion was unevenly distributed.

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