Innovations and challenges in SDG integration and reporting in higher education: a case study from the University of South Florida

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Hansen ◽  
Peter Stiling ◽  
Whitney Fung Uy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Citizens ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Times ◽  
The University

Purpose As the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been widely adopted since 2015, higher education institutions (HEIs) are experimenting with ways they can be measured, reported and incorporated into all realms of the university. In this process, the challenges of SDG integration into HEIs have become more evident, from lack of resources and sustainability literacy to having multiple disconnected programs that feature the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach using archival materials, literature reviews, interviews and participant observation has been adopted for a case study at a university in the process of adopting the SDGs in multiple areas. Findings The University of South Florida began with efforts to incorporate SDGs at the undergraduate level, such as the Global Citizens Project that brands both events and courses with SDGs. Institutional changes coupled with the launch of the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings provided more opportunities to have broader conversations about SDGs in all areas of campus.

Smart practices in HEIs and the contribution to the SDGs: implementation in Brazilian university

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liane Dalla Gasperina ◽  
Janaina Mazutti ◽  
Luciana Londero Brandli ◽  
Roberto dos Santos Rabello
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Infrastructure Management ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose Smart campuses can be seen as the future of higher education efforts, especially for their contributions to sustainability and to encourage innovation. This paper aims to present the benefits of smart practices in a Higher Education Institutions and highlights its connections to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach The methodology is divided into three steps: first, an international search and assessment of smart practices at universities; second, the identification of smart practices in a university campus in southern Brazil; and third, the presentation of the benefits of smart practices and their relationship with the SDGs. Findings The results showed that globally, the area most covered by smart practices in universities is the environment and, specifically, focused on waste reduction. in the context of this case study, the benefits of implementing smart practices mainly reach SDGs 4 and SDG 9, especially due to aspects of teaching technologies for the new classroom models and the optimization of campus infrastructure management. Practical implications The study encourages other universities to implement smart practices in their campuses, to becoming smart campuses while they also collaborate in achieving the SDGs while raising the discussion on the importance of committed actions taken on a university campus with the UN SDGs, to leverage synergies on campus operations at universities. Originality/value This paper presents a set of smart practices that universities are applying both globally and locally (in southern Brazil). In addition, it contributes to sustainability research by showing how smart practices have the potential to promote SDGs in universities, especially through campus operations.

The futures of the University of Tehran using causal layered analysis

foresight ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadali Baradaran Ghahfarokhi ◽  
Ali Mohaghar ◽  
Fatemeh Saghafi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Current System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Balance Sheets ◽  
Master Plans ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Future ◽  
Causal Layered Analysis ◽  
The Times ◽  
The University

PurposeHigher education and universities have faced unprecedented and ubiquitous changes. The University of Tehran or “UT,” as the leading university in Iran, is not immune to these changes. The purposes of this study is to investigate the current situation and future of the UT and gain insights and possible responses to changes that suit its strengths and potential to progress in an increasingly competitive, complex environment with uncertainties. It identifies deep fundamental underpinnings of the issue and highlights them for policymakers to formulate strategies and future vision of the UT.Design/methodology/approachCausal layered analysis (CLA) was applied as a framework and the data collected from different sources such as literature reviews, content analysis of rules, regulations and master plans of the university and coded interviews of four different groups of university stakeholders were analyzed. The current system of UT, as well as hidden beliefs, that maintains traditional perceptions about university was mapped. Next, by applying a new recursive process and reverse CLA order, new CLA layers extracted through an expert panel, the layers of CLA based on new metaphors to envision future of UT were backcasted.FindingsThe results from CLA layers including litany, system, worldview and metaphor about the current statue of UT show disinterest and inertia against changes, conservative, behind the times and traditional perceptions, and indicate that the UT system is mismatched to the needs of society and stakeholders in the future. The authors articulated alternative perspectives deconstructed from other worldviews so there are new narratives that reframe the issues at hand. The results show that to survive in this fast-paced revolution and competition in higher education, UT should develop scenarios and formulate new strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors had limited access to a wide range of stakeholders. As the UT is a very big university with so many faculties and departments, to access a pool of experts and top policymakers who were so busy and did not have time to interview inside and outside of university was very hard for the research team. The authors also had limitation to access the internal enactments and decisions of the trustee board of the UT and the financial balance sheets of the university.Originality/valueIn this paper, by mixing different methods of futures studies, the authors have shown how to move forward while understanding the perspectives of stakeholders about the future of UT by a new recursive process and reverse CLA order. A supplementary phase was added to improve CLA and to validate the method and results, which were ignored in previous studies.

scholarly journals “Future-proof your Degree”

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1329-1342
Author(s):  
Fiona Winfield ◽  
Tabani Ndlovu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
The Past ◽  
Postgraduate Level ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how a UK business school has explicitly linked sustainability to employability and embedded these into all levels of its undergraduate and postgraduate degree portfolio. Design/methodology/approach This case study features Nottingham Business School’s (NBS’s) journey of linking sustainability with employability to achieve the University’s strategic objectives and help deliver on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). After reviewing all courses, a cross-school approach was adopted in re-designing the curriculum, first at undergraduate and later postgraduate level. Partnerships, both internal and external were developed, involving the employability and enterprise teams, the University’s students and alumni, local employers, local authorities and businesses and charities. Feedback from graduates is included. Findings When NBS introduced new undergraduate modules in 2012, there was resistance with concerns over already crammed curricula and the perceived irrelevance of sustainability. This changed as students realised that an understanding of sustainability was benefiting them at interviews and adding value to their employers. While it cannot be proved that increased self-awareness and sustainability literacy have a direct effect on graduate prospects (as measured by the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey), NBS has seen the percentage of students in graduate level employment and/or study increase from 71 to 89.6 per cent over the past five years. Originality/value Linking sustainability to employability, and embedding these in the curriculum, should benefit any institution, its students, employers and society, and can be replicated anywhere in the world.

Putting sustainable campuses into force

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Adomßent ◽  
Anselm Grahl ◽  
Felix Spira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Go Model ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Limited Scope

Purpose The lack of change structures can be seen as an important reason why sustainability continues to suffer a niche existence in most higher education organisations. This is a problem because universities can leverage their teaching, research and operations to advance solutions to climate change, hunger and other Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of this study is to highlight the vital importance of self-efficacy approaches, in particular the Green Office (GO) Model that aims to strengthen collaboration among all members of higher education communities and provides inspiration for what a sustainability office on campus might look like. Design/methodology/approach The research presented follows a two-step methodology. First, the peculiarities and commonalities of already existing GOs were analysed to better understand drivers and barriers for their institutionalisation. Building on this, a peer-to-peer digital training programme was developed and tested, aiming to provide students, staff and academics with knowledge and skills to establish more sustainability offices and improve the work of existing ones. Findings Research revealed three main obstacles for the dissemination of the GO model: lack of adaptation of international experiences to other university contexts, missing educational offers and a limited scope of public relations. The findings adduce proof that GO provides a replicable model that can be both adapted to different university contexts and scaled internationally. Research limitations/implications This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities’ actors beyond the close GO community. Originality/value This case study presents an original research and development undertaking that was realised in a unique collaboration between a non-profit, student-initiated social business and an academic institution.

Art and higher education for environmental sustainability: a matter of emergence?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Falk Heinrich ◽  
Lone Kørnøv
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Purpose This study aims to contribute to the exploration of inter-disciplinary approaches in higher education for sustainability. It is a reflection on a case study linking students in the arts and sustainability science, through which the inter-disciplinary and problem-solving processes for solving a concrete sustainability challenge were explored. Design/methodology/approach The case study featured a workshop with students from two educational programmes at Aalborg University, namely, Art and Technology and Environmental Management and Sustainability Science, the latter being an engineering programme and the former part of the humanities. Experience evaluation was based on participant observation, written feedback and the workshop facilitators’ post-event reflections. Data analysis was based on multi-grounded theory, dialectically combining empirical data (through open coding) with relevant emergence theories. Notions of emergence were chosen because the supposed benefit of inter-disciplinarity is the emergence of novel solutions to complex problems. The study investigates the concrete conditions of emergence in educational inter-disciplinary settings. Findings The workshop led to a successful experience, bringing an art-based approach together with sustainability science for arriving at solutions that neither of the two would have arrived at separately. Based on participant experiences and realisations, five “emergence concepts” are suggested as supportive learning criteria and conditions, namely, “knowledge expansion”, “complementarity”, “disciplinary self-reflection”, “change of practice” and “play”. Originality/value The findings and emergence concepts can be an inspiration for creating an effective learning environment supporting the emergence of different forms of knowledge and solution concepts for solving sustainability challenges.

Using Koha for cataloging and classification: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aminat Titilola Bayero Abdussalam ◽  
Usman Ajisafe Saliu
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
First Century ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Power Failure ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Integrated Software ◽  
The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the ways in which online cataloguing is used to provide twenty-first century library and information services to a university community in a developing country, together with the challenges and prospects of such an application. The paper aims to examine the use of the internet to catalogue and classify library materials in the University of Ilorin Library. It looks at the use of the Library of Congress Catalogue in copy cataloguing. This paper also discusses the use of Koha, a free library integrated software to classify and catalogue library resources in the University of Ilorin Library. Design/methodology/approach – The methods used are participant observation, interviews with the senior librarians in the library and visits to another library that uses Koha software. Periodical and online articles were also used to gather information to support this study. Findings – The major problem is incessant power failure and the library is planning to get a heavy and very powerful inverter and generator that can stop the disruption of work resulting from the intermittent power supply. Another setback in using Koha is that the cataloguing is being done online unlike Biblofile which is done offline. Research limitations/implications – The researchers visited only one university library in the course of the research. This is due to financial constraints. Practical implications – Information communication technology training must be taken seriously for librarians who want to remain relevant in this age of information technology. Originality/value – This study about Koha software usage is the first of its kind to be carried out in the University of Ilorin Library and will be useful to other university libraries.

Educating at scale: sustainable library learning at the University of Melbourne

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Service Models ◽  
The University ◽  
Service Blueprint

Purpose – Most libraries in higher education are facing the challenge of providing valued and improved services with the same or fewer resources. Focussing on the library learning service at one university, the purpose of this paper is to consider how libraries can find new service models with contracting resources while aligning with institutional and professional values and providing value-in-use for end users and key stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Following a discussion of sustainability as relevant to library services, the paper presents a case study of one library’s approach to sustaining its library learning service. Findings – The sustainability of library services is aided by developing a service blueprint that provides direction and structure yet is dynamic and responsive. To be successful the approach should be grounded in resource realities, encourage scalability where possible and address the values and needs of key stakeholders. Originality/value – The paper presents a workable, integrated approach to managing a library learning service so that it delivers value and is sustainable.

Success factors in university sport partnerships: a case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mário Franco ◽  
Heiko Haase
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education ◽  
The University

Purpose From a resource-based perspective, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the key success factors underlying inter-organisational partnerships in the university sport sector. Design/methodology/approach To attain this objective, the paper uses a qualitative approach, performing an exploratory case study in a Portuguese higher education institution. Four interviews with key informants and documentary analysis served for data collection. Findings Based on the case evidence, five generic success factors emerged: relationships, partner selection, complementarity, sporting performance and organisation, which are likely to determine the success of partnerships in the field of university sport. Practical implications University sport managers and other actors in the field should bear the major success factors in mind when taking strategic decisions. Specifically, relational capital and the complementarity of resources seem to be important in initiating and managing sport partnerships. Originality/value This exploratory study contributes to advancing knowledge of inter-organisational partnerships in a particular area: sport in higher education. More precisely, this research outlines which success factors are relevant in sport partnerships and deserve further investigation with other research designs.

scholarly journals Universities for sustainability – new challenges from the perspective of the University of Warsaw

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kalinowska ◽  
Anna Batorczak
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
The Status ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The University

AbstractThe documents adopted by the international community during the UN Conference on the Environment and Development convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 make clear the leading role institutions in higher education are to play in transforming contemporary civilisation in the direction of sustainable development. It is beyond dispute that higher education has a critical role to play in developing tomorrow’s decision makers, professionals and citizens. Universities can help with the accomplishment of sustainable development goals if they transform education in this direction, extend their support to interdisciplinary scientific research and ensure the appropriate evolution of the means by which they themselves are managed. However, ensuring that a higher education establishment heads in the direction of sustainability in all academic areas of activity is a difficult process requiring much effort. The article thus presents current international initiatives of the UN in this regard, as well as Higher Education initiatives, alliances and treaties in support of the process, and the objectives and activities of the network of cooperative links between universities that is now taking shape. Also the status of education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education and existing ESD professional development opportunities for university educators is discussed. In this context, examples of good practice characterising the activity of the University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development will serve as a case study.

scholarly journals Higher education and Sustainable Development Goals during COVID-19: coping strategies of a university in Wuhan, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
The University

Background It is widely perceived that COVID-19 has significant influence on higher education and also contribution to development including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However there is insufficient evidence about investigations on such influences, especially at micro level. Design and method A university located in Wuhan, China, was selected for the case study to explore how COVID-19 affects higher education and how universities’ coping strategies of COVID-19 can contribute to SDGs. The method is an analysis of 32 institutional documents published by the university. Results The university in the case study has taken a number of coping strategies of COVID-19, largely in four aspects including medical services, online education, logistic support, and graduate employment promotion. These coping strategies contribute to achieving SDGs, especially SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10. Conclusions The case study provides micro-level empirical evidence, which supports that appropriate university coping strategies of COVID-19 can contribute to SDGs, even it is widely perceived that the pandemic has brought strong negative impact on higher education and sustainable development. The selection of a university in Wuhan, China can generate more practical implications, as Wuhan is the first city that experienced the unprecedented lockdown, and China is the first country which reopened university campuses after the lockdown.

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