scholarly journals Provision of education for sustainability development and sustainability literacy in business programs in three higher education institutions in Brazil, Colombia and Peru

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Franchini Cavalcanti-Bandos ◽  
Silvia Quispe-Prieto ◽  
Alberto Paucar-Caceres ◽  
Toni Burrowes-Cromwel ◽  
Héctor Heraldo Rojas-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Programs ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
The Usa

Purpose This paper aims to report on the status and the development of education for sustainable development (ESD) and sustainability literacy (SL) in three Latin American (LA) higher education institutions (HEIs) business programs in Peru, Brazil and Colombia. The paper examines institutional efforts to both introduce and implement ESD curricula and provide SL. Design/methodology/approach The methods used in this paper included reviews of university Web pages and course materials. Structured interviews were also conducted with program leaders, to examine the level of ESD, as input affecting the business programs curricula of the universities concerned. Findings Initial findings suggest that, in the three HEIs surveyed, there is still a tendency to talk about issues related to ESD but actions that confirm this interest are not sufficiently advanced. The authors surveys a sample of business programs curricula and interviewed its leaders and a mixed and dated picture emerged. When compared to other regions particularly the USA and Europe, the findings show that the HEIs surveyed still have not developed enough work to distinguish conceptually between sustainable development, ESD and SL making the embedment of these concepts in the curriculum not fully developed. Originality/value In LA HEIs, the ESD message seems to be slowly taking ground, equipping HEIs to respond to SL concerns. Implementation and practice in some HEIs are still at an embryonic and conceptually confused stage with regard to LA HEIs SL. This paper sheds light to help ESD delivery. It offers some strategies for moving on from this inception phase to a more structured SL provision and ESD outlook.

Effective strategies for enhancing waste management at university campuses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1123-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kianoosh Ebrahimi ◽  
Leslie A. North
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Key Management ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Zero Waste ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and assess the waste management strategies that should be priorities for higher education institutions. The role of policy instruments (i.e. purchasing policies and recycling initiatives) in implementing sustainable zero-waste management programs at higher education institutions was investigated through comparison of American top-level and Western Kentucky University (WKU) benchmark universities. Design/methodology/approach Waste minimization-oriented policy instruments implemented at American top-level and WKU benchmark universities were analyzed through policy evaluation techniques. Digital surveys were distributed to sustainability coordinators at WKU benchmark and top-level universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with survey participants. Findings It is important to identify well-defined temporal periods with goals and allocated tasks for direct and indirect stakeholders. Time periods should include planning for readiness programs and infrastructural needs, along with performing comprehensive waste characterization studies. As the waste program matures, the creation of integrated waste management policies with specific responsibilities for all stakeholders and departments will be required. Research limitations/implications The sampling of universities evaluated in this research is not representative of all universities in the USA or internationally, as they can vary widely. Yet, general waste management trends applicable to most universities can be gleaned from this research. Practical implications Widely varying zero-waste strategies are readily implemented at universities. A holistic review of successful waste management plans highlights key management approaches that should be included in all plans to ensure their success. Originality/value This study is one of the first of its kind to holistically evaluate policy factors influencing effective zero-waste management at higher education institutions.

scholarly journals Teaching innovations in Asian higher education: perspectives of educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
The Many

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.

Framing the role of higher education in sustainable development: a case study analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanna Elmassah ◽  
Marwa Biltagy ◽  
Doaa Gamal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis

Purpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) should play a fundamental role in achieving the international 2030 sustainable development (SD) agenda. Quality education is the fourth of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and one of the targets related to this is to ensure that by 2030 all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote SD. Therefore, the SDGs provide a motive for HEIs to integrate SD concepts into their day-to-day practices. This study aims to introduce a framework for HEIs’ sustainable development assessment. Such a framework guides HEIs and educational leaders to support their countries’ commitments to achieving the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the results of a case study analysis of the role and successful techniques of HEIs in achieving SD in three countries, namely, Germany, Japan and Egypt. Primary data was collected by semi-structured interviews with three Cairo University officials, while secondary data was collected by reviewing the universities' official websites, reports, publications and related papers. This study introduces a novel framework for HEIs' SD analysis and assessment, which guides HEIs and educational leaders to support SD to fulfill their countries' commitments to achieving the SDGs. This framework is based on the following five categories: strategic direction and institutional working practices, supporting students, supporting university staff competencies, supporting society's stakeholders and networking and sustainable campus. Consideration is given to the potential role of HEIs to support SD in each of these areas. Findings Cairo University could learn from the novel and pioneer practices of the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, and the University of Tokyo to fill in the gaps it has in different roles. It can also put more effort into adopting the suggested higher education programs of Egypt's Vision 2030. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to a case analysis comparing three countries, Germany, Japan and Egypt. Second, this study has not considered school education, which is equally essential in countries' SD. Practical implications HEIs can use the framework and the findings in this paper to evaluate their current roles in supporting SD, identify the gaps and take actions accordingly to address their weaknesses. Originality/value The paper compares three universities, one in each of the case study countries. It draws conclusions that identify ways in which the paper's framework and findings can guide SD practice in HEIs internationally, especially those in the developing world.

Exploring the relationship between dispositions to think critically and sustainability concern in HESD

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Shephard ◽  
Qudsia Kalsoom ◽  
Ritika Gupta ◽  
Lorenz Probst ◽  
Paul Gannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Higher education is uncertain which sustainability-related education targets should be sought and monitored. Accepting that something needs to be measurable to be systematically improved, the authors explored how measures relate to potential targets. This paper aims to focus on dispositions to think critically (active open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking in appraising reasoning) as measures and explored how they related to sustainability concern as an indicative educational target. Design/methodology/approach This research included the development and testing of research instruments (scales) that explored dispositions to critical thinking and sustainability concern. Authors researched these instruments within their own correspondence groups and tested them with university students and staff in Pakistan, the USA, Austria, India and New Zealand. The authors also asked a range of contextualising questions. Findings Respondents’ disposition to aspects of active, open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking do predict their concern about facets of sustainability but their strength of religious belief was an important factor in these relationships and in their measurement. Practical implications This research demonstrates the complexity of monitoring dispositions to think critically and sustainability concern in educational systems, particularly in circumstances where the roles of religious beliefs are of interest; and suggests ways to address this complexity. Originality/value This research integrates and expands discourses on ESD and on critical thinking in diverse disciplines and cultures. It investigates measurement approaches and targets that could help higher education institutions to educate for sustainable development and to monitor their progress, in ways that are compatible with their culture and values.

Do learning organizations learn? Higher education institutions and pandemic response strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Leadership ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Usa

Purpose This study was designed to address the problem of how higher education institutions, as organizations designed to promote learning, responded to the COVID pandemic and the suspension of in-person instruction. The purpose of this paper was specifically to explore how institutions go about learning from the pandemic to better prepare themselves for the future that they will face. Design/methodology/approach A researcher-developed survey instrument was distributed electronically to 300 faculty leaders at randomly selected universities in the USA. With three follow-up e-mail requests, the survey had a 31% usable response rate. Findings Survey results indicated that institutional leadership did not make strong use of shared governance in responding to the COVID pandemic in creating operational response strategies. Further, institutions did not alter their policies or make structural changes to be more adept in facing the challenges of a global pandemic and its impact on the financial well-being of the institutions. Although institutions did make changes to their attitudes about students, these were not developmental changes but rather behavioral modification expectations. Originality/value This study drew upon data collected after the first three months of the global COVID pandemic, providing an important first-look at organizational behavior in response to a largely unplanned global event.

Prioritised challenges and critical success factors for delivering quality education in Malaysian private higher education institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-492
Author(s):  
Azilah Anis ◽  
Rafikul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a hierarchical model to rank the challenges faced by the private Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) in the provision of quality education and subsequently their corresponding critical success factors (CSFs) to address those challenges. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mix method was adopted in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 29 participants were initially conducted to identify the challenges and CSFs. This was followed by a questionnaire survey involving 158 respondents to prioritise the identified findings. Thematic analysis was conducted in the qualitative stage, uncovering the challenges and their corresponding CSFs. Data for both stages were accumulated from internal and external stakeholders of Malaysian private HEIs. Finally, the four stages of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to rank the challenges and CSFs. Findings The qualitative stage identified eight challenges, i.e. “academics”, “facilities”, “students”, “programmes and curriculum”, “competition”, “accreditation”, “finance” and “research” together with their corresponding CSFs. The AHP enables the ranking of these challenges. “Finance” has been found to be the most crucial challenge and “high competency in managing the institution’s finance” as the most important CSF to address this challenge. Research limitations/implications As the study restricted its focus on Malaysian private HEIs, the results may not be generalised for public HEIs and foreign private HEIs operating in Malaysia. Originality/value The hierarchical model developed in this study is deemed important for implementation to resolve the prioritised challenges. It spells out the specific areas in which the resources of Malaysian private HEIs need to be prudently disbursed and properly managed.

The promotion of sustainable development in higher education institutions: top-down bottom-up or neither?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1429-1450
Author(s):  
Gisele Mazon ◽  
João Marcelo Pereira Ribeiro ◽  
Carlos Rogerio Montenegro de Lima ◽  
Brenda Caroline Geraldo Castro ◽  
José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Exploratory Factorial Analysis

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in maximizing social and economic benefits in a hands-on way. However, some studies on sustainable development and HEIs reveal a distancing between students and the application of sustainable initiatives in universities. This fact differs from the premises of the Talloires Declaration, which points to students as a community and as global leaders and ambassadors for sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This paper mapped the approaches, present in the literature, used to develop sustainable campuses and in particular the apparent dichotomy between the changes indicated as top-down or bottom-up in HEIs. To that end, scientific articles focused on sustainable actions in HEIs were analyzed to identify implementation approaches for sustainable development and student involvement in the process. Findings Results have shown that sustainability promotion models in universities generally occur in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not sources of development for sustainable policies in universities. Thus, the authors highlight the importance of students becoming central players in sustainable initiatives. Originality/value The article becomes original when it identifies the dichotomy between top-down and bottom-up approaches. It does so through multidimensional scaling and exploratory factorial analysis in scientific articles on the topic Sustainability Funding in Higher Education. These findings show that, unlike what is discussed in the literature, sustainability promotion in universities generally occurs in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not active agents in promoting sustainability. In response to this, the authors discussed the importance of the bottom-up approach, where they are key players.

Coaching and mentoring in higher education institutions: a case study in Oman

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-322
Author(s):  
Ahmed Nawaz Hakro ◽  
Priya Mathew
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Thick Description ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach

PurposeUniversities and higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognizing the value of coaching for professional and organizational development. This study is designed to investigate whether Cognitive Coaching, implemented as a programme in an HEI in Oman, made any difference to the behaviour and attitudes of employees holding leadership positions in academic, administrative and professional services departments. It also explored the factors that hindered or supported the coaching programme and offers recommendations to strengthen coaching initiatives in similar contexts.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect feedback from the 15 participants of the programme. A case study approach was adopted in this study for an in-depth examination of the effectiveness of coaching interventions.FindingsThe findings suggest that coaching can be an effective approach, facilitating personal and professional development and also contributing to the achievement of organizational goals.Research limitations/implicationsAs a case study of a coaching programme in a single institution, the findings of the study are not generalizable to other contexts, though a “thick description” of the context in which the study took place will enable institutions in similar contexts to draw lessons from the experience.Practical implicationsThis study discusses the benefits of a coaching programme for an HEI in the Middle East. Suggestions to strengthen coaching include board level endorsement and sensitivity to cultural nuances in coaching relationships.Social implicationsOne of the effects of a coaching programme is the collegial atmosphere that it can foster. This can have wider impacts on the community as there is more open communication and trust engendered amongst employers and employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to report the findings of a systematically organized coaching programme in an HEI in the Middle East.

Education for sustainable development in Pakistani higher education institutions: an exploratory study of students’ and teachers’ perceptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zulkaif Ahmed Saqib ◽  
Qingyu Zhang ◽  
Jin Ou ◽  
Khubaib Ahmad Saqib ◽  
Salman Majeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Private Universities ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

Purpose This study aims to determine the current state of implementation and effectiveness of education for sustainable development (ESD) in Pakistani higher education institutions (HEIs) using students’ and teachers’ perceptions of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A survey on teachers and students was conducted in public and private universities in Punjab, Pakistan. Data from 1,915 students and 120 teachers were collected through semi-structured questionnaires implemented during face-to-face interviews. Students were asked to rank social, environmental and economic indicators of sustainability consciousness (SC) on a five-point Likert scale. Structural equation model and regression model are used to analyze the data. The perceptions of students and teachers were assessed from their knowledge of sustainability. Findings The occurrence of ESD in Pakistani HEIs is low and teachers have inadequate knowledge of sustainability. The holistic approach to ESD has a more pronounced effect on students’ SC as compared to the pluralistic approach to ESD. Also, there is a correlation between the students’ grades/class and the effectiveness of ESD. There is a need to pay more attention to implement ESD for undergraduate students in Pakistani HEIs. Originality/value The study stands out for using cross-sectional data from public and private universities of Pakistan. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in Pakistan which attempts to investigate the effectiveness of ESD in terms of students’ SC.

Greening the campus: a theoretical extension of the dialogic communication approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Carpenter ◽  
Bruno Takahashi ◽  
Alisa P. Lertpratchya ◽  
Carie Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Dialogic Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Communication Approach

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the strategic organization-public dialogic communication practices of universities in the USA. The authors used the dialogic model of communication to explore the extent to which higher education sustainability leaders (SL) at the top 25 USA sustainable engage in relational communication strategies. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with campus sustainability and student group leaders from a mix of regional areas in the USA. The authors examined the transcripts for concepts argued to exist within the dialogic model of communication from the public relations field. Findings Results reveal that SL rely on dialogic communication strategies to recruit active participants, build stakeholder bridges across campus and empower individuals to have an impact within specific sustainability areas. Communicators most likely engaged in empathy, followed by propinquity, mutuality, commitment and risk of the dialogic model. Research limitations/implications The authors extended the dialogic model of communication by identifying theoretical issues and scale items that can be used to measure each dimension of the model in future work. Practical implications The results reveal several ways that institutes of higher education could successfully use relational strategies to promote sustainability across multiple campus groups and departments by recruiting campus ambassadors, collectively defining sustainability and sharing public progress reports. Originality/value Few studies of sustainability in higher education holistically examine the relationship building practices of organizations that promote sustainability, despite the fact that communication is identified as a key factor in the successful implementation of sustainable actions.

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