scholarly journals Assessment of Sustainability Governance in Higher Education Institutions—A Systemic Tool Using a Governance Equalizer

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Niedlich ◽  
Mara Bauer ◽  
Margarita Doneliene ◽  
Larissa Jaeger ◽  
Marco Rieckmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Sustainability Governance ◽  
Governance In Higher Education

The paper aims to add to the discussion on sustainability governance in higher education institutions by examining the role of sustainability assessment and introducing an assessment tool inspired by systemic thinking and centered on a ‘governance equalizer’. It discusses recent research and argues that the complexity inherent in sustainability governance remains to be addressed adequately. While a number of models and frameworks have been proposed, most of them remain caught between narrow, management-oriented approaches on the one hand, and rather abstract approaches that provide little guidance for improving the field on the other. Sustainability assessment tools represent a potential way to bridge this gap. While there are existing tools which include issues of sustainability governance, these are often limited to aspects that are easily quantifiable and neglect more complex aspects. Against this background, the article proposes an alternative tool to assess sustainability governance in higher education institutions. The tool is based on a multi-case study in Germany and has been tested in a series of workshops. Drawing on the concept of a ‘governance equalizer’, it focuses on the functional requirements of sustainability governance in five dimensions—politics, profession, organization, knowledge, and the public—and how they are addressed by the HEI. The tool raises the level of abstraction in order to capture complexity, but at the same time keeps sight of governance structures, processes, instruments, and practices. It combines clearly defined criteria that are assessed using carefully developed maturity scales with a focus on stakeholder participation and knowledge.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment and Benchmarking in Higher Education Institutions—A Critical Reflection

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Caeiro ◽  
Leyla Angélica Sandoval Hamón ◽  
Rute Martins ◽  
Cecilia Elizabeth Bayas Aldaz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Whole School ◽  
External Impact ◽  
Whole School Approach ◽  
Impact Of Higher Education

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in implementing practices for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This implementation should be done in different dimensions according to a holistic and whole-school approach. Different tools have been adapted and developed to assess this integrated approach. The aim of this research is to critically reflect the existing tools to assess and benchmark ESD implementation and to discuss their applicability in two case studies. Two public Universities in Southern Europe, with headquarters in the capitals of Portugal and Spain were selected to assess and compare the integration of ESD according to a whole-school approach—Universidade Aberta in Portugal and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain. After a critical analysis of the existing tools based on literature review and a list of criteria classified by experts, two tools were selected to be applied in the case studies. The online Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Reporting Tool was used in Universidade Aberta and Green Metrics tool was used in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The tools were complemented with focus group with key-actors in both universities. The results obtained allowed to identify the need to define a common objective of the assessment tools and limitations they still have. The tools need improvements on their development namely to integrate the external impact of Higher Education Institutions on sustainability, to integrate participatory processes and to assess non-traditional aspects of sustainability. This research hopes to contribute to the continuous research about the usefulness of these assessment and benchmarking tools as drivers to HEIs improve their sustainability performance and their role as agents of changes.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impacts of Higher Education Institutions on Sustainable Development—An Analysis of Tools and Indicators

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Findler ◽  
Norma Schönherr ◽  
Rodrigo Lozano ◽  
Barbara Stacherl
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Organizational Boundaries ◽  
System A ◽  
Sustainability Assessment Tools

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) have started to incorporate sustainable development (SD) into their system. A variety of sustainability assessment tools (SATs) have been developed to support HEIs to systematically measure, audit, benchmark, and communicate SD efforts. In recent years, stakeholders have increasingly asked HEIs to demonstrate their impacts on SD. These impacts are the direct and indirect effects an HEI has outside of its organizational boundaries on society, the natural environment, and the economy. This study analyzes to what extent SATs are capable of measuring the impacts that HEIs have on SD. A mixed-method approach, using descriptive statistics and an inductive content analysis, was used to examine 1134 indicators for sustainability assessment derived from 19 SATs explicitly designed for application by HEIs. The findings reveal that SATs largely neglect the impacts HEIs have outside their organizational boundaries. SATs primarily use proxy indicators based on internally available data to assess impacts and thus tend to focus on themes concerning the natural environment and the contribution to the local economy. Updating existing SATs and developing new ones may enable HEIs to fully realize their potential to contribute to SD.

Higher education institution sustainability assessment tools

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heloisa Cronemberger de Araújo Góes ◽  
Alessandra Magrini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
International Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Sustainability Assessment Tools ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gather elements to propose a sustainability assessment tool (SAT) to be used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Brazil and the related program to be created for SAT dissemination and HEI monitoring, publication of results and benchmarking. Design/methodology/approach The characteristics of eight SATs were identified, seven of which are applied through widely known international programs to identify aspects to be considered in the definition of the Brazilian model. Findings In Brazil, stakeholders usually do not know how HEIs develop their potential to contribute with the construction of a sustainable development model. There currently is an international trend, which Brazil must join, to assess HEI sustainability through SATs. The comparison between different international SATs and respective programs yields some recommendations for a Brazilian model, such as definition of their purpose, types of questions to be used, the possibility to apply SATs to HEI sub-units, means of dissemination and others. Research limitations/implications The research limitation is the difficulty to obtain information allowing a deeper understanding of sustainability-related activities developed by Brazilian HEIs. Practical implications This paper provides a base on which to construct SAT and program models tailored for Brazil. Originality/value This is the first paper that stresses the importance of adopting a SAT tailored for Brazil, by comparing and discussing models that may be used for that purpose.

Are distance higher education institutions sustainable enough? – A comparison between two distance learning universities

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis-Alberto Casado-Aranda ◽  
Sandra Sofia Caeiro ◽  
Jorge Trindade ◽  
Arminda Paço ◽  
David Lizcano Casas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Sustainability Assessment Tools

Purpose Universities are continually transforming its structure and governance in response to the new social, environmental and economic challenges. Particularly, there has recently been a growing academic interest for measuring sustainable practices of higher education institutions (HEI) aiming to monitor and reduce their carbon emissions, as well as transform them into more sustainable organizations. More recent studies began to focus also on the sustainable performance of distance education Universities. So it became crucial to evaluate their sustainability practices through sustainability assessment tools with the aim of improving their sustainability performance and boosting their role as agents of academic, social and economic change. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare holistically sustainability implementation in two similar distance learning universities and to evaluate their advantages and disadvantages. Design/methodology/approach One of the most rigorous and internationally used sustainability assessment tools was used – the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, to evaluate and compare sustainability implementation in two distance universities, one from Spain and another from Portugal: the Madrid Open University and Universidade Aberta. Indicators of both universities were compared and ways of improvement in both universities were widely discussed. Findings The results of this research show that there is a similar pattern in both universities. Both have low performance in campus operations and low levels of community participation but good performance in sustainability courses and programmes offer. The results of both institutions were compared and allowed a learning process for improvement. Originality/value This research hopes to contribute to the continuous research about the usefulness of sustainability assessment tools in particular when applied to distance universities at the time that offers new paths to carry out improved sustainable practices in crucial areas of interest such as research, administration, education and resource-saving. This research also highlights the value of distance learning universities and their ability to be more sustainable after the advent of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Cultures of sustainability governance in higher education institutions: A multi‐case study of dimensions and implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Niedlich ◽  
Benjamin Kummer ◽  
Mara Bauer ◽  
Marco Rieckmann ◽  
Inka Bormann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Sustainability Governance ◽  
Governance In Higher Education

scholarly journals Sustainable Assessment Tools for Higher Education Institutions: Guidelines for Developing a Tool for China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawei Du ◽  
Monique H. Arkesteijn ◽  
Alexandra C. den Heijer ◽  
Kun Song
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Local Sustainability ◽  
Desk Research

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in both early and mature stages of sustainable development (SD) have been moving toward sustainability. Methods for assessing SD have been developed from global and regional contexts to support sustainability efforts. The purpose of this paper is to formulate guidelines as input to develop a sustainable assessment tool (SAT) for China based on the current SD stage of Chinese HEIs. Through desk research, SATs were selected and analyzed. Fifteen SATs consisting of more than 1000 indicators included in the analysis and based on components for developing SATs were identified, and then the components were selected and discussed through an online workshop engaging a 34-people Chinese research team, in order to formulate the guidelines for Chinese HEIs. The findings reveal that the emphasis of SATs mainly results from their contexts, purposes and stages, backgrounds or focus. Chinese HEIs are in the early SD stage, and the multiple purposes and components of SATs are identified to support local sustainability efforts. Having a clear understanding of the current SD stages of SATs and selecting the components accordingly would enable them to fully reach their potential in practice, especially in the case of early SD HEIs.

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