scholarly journals Rewiring higher education for the Sustainable Development Goals: the case of the Intercultural University of Veracruz, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-88
Author(s):  
Cristina Perales Franco ◽  
Tristan McCowan

AbstractIn the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, higher education has been given a key role in addressing societal challenges, reducing poverty, ensuring sustainable livelihoods and protecting the natural environment. Yet there has been a singular lack of imagination as regards the institutional forms that might help support this vision. This article reports on the findings of an exploratory qualitative case study of the Intercultural University of Veracruz, one of a number of institutions created in Mexico to ensure access for indigenous populations, to promote local development and to provide a space for intercultural dialogue. The findings show a number of ways in which this innovative institution provides opportunities for supporting the SDGs that go beyond conventional universities. The university addresses SDG4 by enabling access for marginalised populations, and through its engaged teaching, research and community engagement also contributes to environmental protection, health, livelihoods, gender equality and a range of other goals. However, it also presents challenges to the global framework, highlighting the lack of attention to culture, language, identity and knowledge traditions, and in critiquing the very basis of its conception of development. Implications are drawn out more broadly for the relationship between higher education and international development in the contemporary era.

Author(s):  
Andrew Harmer ◽  
Jonathan Kennedy

This chapter explores the relationship between international development and global health. Contrary to the view that development implies ‘good change’, this chapter argues that the discourse of development masks the destructive and exploitative practices of wealthy countries at the expense of poorer ones. These practices, and the unregulated capitalist economic system that they are part of, have created massive inequalities between and within countries, and potentially catastrophic climate change. Both of these outcomes are detrimental to global health and the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals do not challenge these dynamics. While the Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge that inequality and climate change are serious threats to the future of humanity, they fail to address the economic system that created them. Notwithstanding, it is possible that the enormity and proximity of the threat posed by inequality and global warming will energise a counter movement to create what Kate Raworth terms ‘an ecologically safe and socially just space’ for the global population while there is still time.


Author(s):  
Antonio Miñán-Espigares ◽  
Claudia-Amanda Juárez-Romero

The use of active methodologies in the university is a priority to achieve higher quality learning. One of these methodologies with the greatest potential for training in competencies is Project-Oriented Learning (PLA), using it in an innovative way. Associating the use of this methodology with the objectives of sustainable development, which have become even more important since the Pandemic by COVID-19, can be a good idea to achieve a more sustained and situated learning. The aim of this study is to find out to what extent research on teaching innovation with Project-Oriented Learning is associated with the Sustainable Development Goals. A systematic review was carried out as indicated by PRISMA through the following databases: WOS and Scopus. WOS found 15 articles on AoP and 6 on Project-Oriented Learning and sustainability. In Scopus 2 were found in 2019. The main results show that in the University, especially in the branches of engineering, AoP is widely used, however, it is rarely related to SDGs. Among the conclusions, we highlight the need for research on project-oriented learning and sustainable development goals.


Author(s):  
Adriano CIANI ◽  
Asta RAUPELIENE ◽  
Vilma TAMULIENE

In the world, the question of the good practice to manage of territory is a pillar of the implementations of Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030. The authors are working in collaboration with a holistic approach at the topic. In this way, the Smart Communities and Smart Territories are the new paradigms in 21th Century to solve the question of the adaptation at the Climate Change and to guarantee, for the future generation, the conservation and promotion of all potentialities of each territory and identity of areas. Until now, they have use a deductive method to analyse and show, in the framework of the Sustainable Development, the Community Led Local Development (EU Programme for CLLD) and Ecosystem Services, the need to move from an emergency management approach to pre-emptive territory management. The results of this research have produced the original and autonomous configuration of a new and innovative strategy and governance based on a model that puts in synergy the three aspects of the framework that has been given the name of Territorial Management Contracts (TMC). The TMC, appear a possible shared and democratic model that could to combine the territory risk management with solutions of development driving and sharing by the local populations. This innovative approach is strictly linked with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 and the Europe 2020 (smart, sustainable and inclusive). The authors argue that the TMC model is now sufficiently mature to pass from the processing phase to that of the implementation that in the Payment of the Ecosystem Services (PES) finds a concrete reinforcement of the scientific analysis carried out.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 339
Author(s):  
Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga ◽  
Javier Cifuentes-Faura ◽  
Úrsula Faura-Martínez

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Zamora-Polo ◽  
Jesús Sánchez-Martín

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.


Author(s):  
K.Yu. Burtcevа ◽  
K.Yu. Burtcevа ◽  
K.Yu. Burtcevа

В исследовании рассмотрены подходы зарубежных университетов к устойчивому развитию, включающие цели устойчивого развития для обучения, проведения исследований и вовлечения общества, в Австралии, США и Бразилии. Представлены инициативы Мельбурнского университета по реализации концепции устойчивого развития, инициативы США, включающие в себя работу Ассоциации по продвижению устойчивости в высшем образовании (AASHE), программу STARS, инициативу по мобилизации постшкольных учреждений для решения экологической проблемы изменения климата (ACUPCC). В статье обоснованно, что университеты как места, где происходит большая часть исследований и обучение устойчивому развитию, должны выполнять не только образовательную и научную функции, но и выступать в качестве типовых учреждений примеров с точки зрения их собственной деятельности. Автором определено, что процессы устойчивого развития организаций, стран и общества следует начинать с создания высококачественного образования, подготовки надлежащих материалов для учащихся, формирования современных подходов к образованию с точки зрения устойчивой перспективы, создания учебных планов, связанных с современными проблемами, установления связи между образовательными программами и реальной жизнью. Проведенный в статье анализ зарубежной практики позволил предложить направления продвижения устойчивости в отечественном высшем образовании: обеспечение соблюдение принципов устойчивости в высшем образовании содействие институциональным усилиям по интеграции устойчивости в преподавании, исследованиях, взаимодействии с обществом поддержание всех инфраструктурных функций кампусов в достижении целей устойчивого развития расширение сотрудничества со всеми группами стейкхолдеров.In the article the approaches of the foreign universities to sustainable development including sustainable development goals for education, researches and involvement of society in Australia, the USA and Brazil are considered. Initiatives of the University of Melbourne of implementation of the concept of sustainable development, initiatives of the USA including work of Association on advance of stability in the higher education (AASHE), the STARS program, an initiative of mobilization of post-school institutions for the solution of an environmental problem of climate change (ACUPCC) are presented. In article it is reasonable that the universities as places where there is a most part of researches and education in sustainable development, have to perform not only educational and scientific functions, but also act as standard institutions - examples in terms of their own activity. By the author it is defined that processes of sustainable development of the organizations, the countries and society it is necessary to begin with creation of high-quality education, preparation of appropriate materials for pupils, formation of modern approaches to education in terms of steady prospect, creation of the curricula connected with modern problems, establishments of communication between educational programs and real life. The analysis of foreign practice which is carried out in article allowed to offer the directions of advance of stability in domestic higher education: providing respect for the principles of stability in the higher education assistance to institutional efforts on integration of stability in teaching, researches, interaction with society maintenance of all infrastructure functions of campuses in achievement of the goals of sustainable development expansion of cooperation with all groups of stakeholders.


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