scholarly journals Role of the Universities as Drivers of Social Innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13727
Author(s):  
Cristina Puente ◽  
María Eugenia Fabra ◽  
Cindy Mason ◽  
Cristina Puente-Rueda ◽  
Maria Ana Sáenz-Nuño ◽  
...  

The role of universities as drivers of good practices and learning has changed radically in recent years. The strategic plan of the Comillas Pontifical University establishes the obligation of a learning and service subject in all degree programs as a way to put what has been learned during the university years at the service of society and as a vehicle for promoting the Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda. In this article we will present the theoretical framework on which the project has been developed, including the university context in which it fits, to analyze the process of design and implementation of a service-learning course in engineering degrees, selecting as case studies two examples of projects in which the social impact was high. As conclusions we will present the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation process, as well as the students’ learning based on their experiences.

Author(s):  
Siti Fatimahwati Pehin Dato Musa ◽  
Khairul Hidayatullah Basir ◽  
Edna Luah

This paper intends to explore the development of agriculture in to smart farming and how smart farming can contribute to the sustainable development goals. The paper focuses on how smart farming can be imparted in sustainable agriculture by analyzing the environmental, economic and social impact. This paper applied a systematic literature review technique to assess published academic literature on smart farming and sustainable agriculture in Southeast Asia. The review identified that smart farming can lead to less environmental damage, lower cost and higher productivity and has the potential to create decent jobs for the youth ultimately leading to a sustainable food system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Daniel Ferrández Vega ◽  
Irantzu Recalde Esnoz ◽  
Carlos Moron Fernández ◽  
Engerst Yedra Álvarez

El modelo educativo universitario de las últimas décadas ha cambiado radicalmente frente a las tradicionales clases magistrales. Es un hecho, que el profesorado debe actualizarse y adaptarse a las necesidades sociales del momento, elaborando materiales y planificando sus clases para formar ciudadanía competente para el desempeño de su actividad profesional. En este sentido, y como respuesta a esta necesidad, surge la metodología de Aprendizaje-Servicio (ApS), donde el alumnado puede aplicar de forma sencilla mediante la realización de un servicio los contenidos teóricos aprendidos en el aula, encontrando así un sentido práctico a aquello que estudian.En este trabajo se exponen los fundamentos teóricos y nociones básicas sobre el ApS, así como, la manera de llevar a cabo la planificación de una actividad docente que incluya esta metodología. Para ello, se ha empleado como ejemplo el trabajo realizado por estudiantes de la asignatura de Gestión y Control de la Calidad que, en línea con los Objetivos para el Desarrollo Sostenible, han llevado a cabo actividades de servicio en las que se ponían en práctica los conceptos aprendidos en materia de calidad medioambiental. Además, se ha realizado una encuesta para conocer la opinión del estudiantado involucrado en la actividad, los resultados muestran que el grado de satisfacción del estudiantado ha sido elevado, donde además, el 86% de los alumnos y alumnas encuestadas recomendaban la aplicación de esta metodología en cursos posteriores.AbstractThe university educational model of recent decades has radically changed compared to traditional masterclasses. It is a fact that teachers must update and adapt to the social needs of the moment, preparing materials, and planning their classes to form competent citizens for the performance of their professional activity. In this sense, and response to this need, the Service-Learning (S-L) methodology arises. Students can easily apply the theoretical contents learned in the classroom by performing a service, thus finding a practical sense for what they study.In this work, the theoretical foundations and basic notions about S-L are exposed, as well as the way to carry out the planning of a teaching activity that includes this methodology. For this, the work carried out by students of the Quality Management and Control course has been used as an example, who, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, have carried out service activities in which the concepts learned regarding environmental quality. Besides, a survey has been carried out to determine the students' opinions involved in the activity. The results show that the degree of student satisfaction has been high, were also, 86% of the surveyed students recommended the application of this methodology in later courses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Denise Díaz de León ◽  
Omar Díaz Fragoso ◽  
Igor Rivera ◽  
Gibrán Rivera

Cooperatives are considered an organizational alternative based on principles and values. These organizations seek the fulfillment of social and economic benefits for their members as well as for the community in which they develop. Their nature allows them to solve problems such as social and labor exclusion as well as environmental issues. However, although their benefits to society have been extensively studied, little is known about how these organizations contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this study is to analyze the way in which the social benefits generated by cooperatives contribute to the fulfillment of the SDGs in Mexico City. This qualitative study uses interviews and thematic analysis to identify and define the different social benefits generated by 134 cooperatives in Mexico City. These benefits were analyzed to identify whether they contribute to the fulfillment of the SDGs. The results stimulate the theoretical and empirical discussion about the role of cooperatives and their contribution to solving current social problems, as established by the United Nations. The article presented is of scientific interest and it is also relevant for the elaboration of public policies aimed at producing better results for these types of organizations.


This paper intends to explore the development of agriculture in to smart farming and how smart farming can contribute to the sustainable development goals. The paper focuses on how smart farming can be imparted in sustainable agriculture by analyzing the environmental, economic and social impact. This paper applied a systematic literature review technique to assess published academic literature on smart farming and sustainable agriculture in Southeast Asia. The review identified that smart farming can lead to less environmental damage, lower cost and higher productivity and has the potential to create decent jobs for the youth ultimately leading to a sustainable food system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 97-118
Author(s):  
Débora Kraemer de Araujo ◽  
Ana Paula Medeiros Magnus ◽  
Clarissa Jesinska Selbach ◽  
Aline Matte Debastiani ◽  
Fernanda Becker Handke

The article aims to address the social function of university libraries, in particular, the initiatives of the Irmão José Otão Main Library of PUCRS. Therefore, it discusses the Marist vision in which the Library is inserted, the practices adopted in serving the university and external community, the cultural actions developed, as well as the partnerships that promote humanization. The bibliographic reference also links the sustainable development proposed by Agenda 2030 with the role of libraries. It is concluded that the university library plays a broader role than just serving the academic community. By promoting equal access to information and practices that spread culture,this institution contributes to the development of conscientious and engaged citizens.


Author(s):  
Iryna Vasylchuk ◽  
Kateryna Slyusarenko ◽  
Inta Kotane

The successful development of a sustainable economy and society in together with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-2030) requires comprehensive and coordinated efforts of governments, businesses and civil society in order to establish unified and clear rules and regulations for economic activity. In order to reach this goal the European Union begun the development of EU sustainability taxonomy, which is to ensure an equal understanding of the content of activities of enterprises, projects and investments that meet sustainability criteria. So as to realize the potential of the market for social investments and loans, unification of approaches for understanding the main concepts of the social financing process is necessary. The purpose of the study is to develop proposals for the classification of subjects and objects of the subsystem of social finance consistent with sustainability taxonomy. The research applies methods of induction and deduction, scientific abstraction of theoretical generalization and comparative analysis while studying definitions, best practices of social investment and for developing the classification of social impact investments and social enterprises. The article provides coherent analysis of the formation of social entrepreneurship and finance in Ukraine. Based on the results of the study, the most relevant classification features of social enterprises and investments were developed and recommendations were made for integrating social finance taxonomy into sustainability taxonomy. The results of the research are of both theoretical and practical value. 


Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 335-344
Author(s):  
Berta Murillo-Pardo ◽  
Inma Canales-Lacruz ◽  
Silvia Lorente-Echeverría ◽  
Ana Corral-Abós

  Este artículo identifica los factores de la interacción social que facilitan y dificultan el proceso de creación grupal en un proyecto interdisciplinar de acrosport denominado “La voz del rehén”. La muestra estuvo formada por 65 alumnos/as –36 hombres y 29 mujeres– con 21.42±1.69 de media de edad de la mención de educación física del Grado de Magisterio de Educación Primaria de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad de Zaragoza –España–. Cada grupo de creación diseñó y mostró una propuesta de acrosport, la cual fue elaborada durante el transcurso de tres asignaturas de la mención de educación física –actividades físicas de oposición-colaboración; actividades físicas individuales; y actividades físicas artístico-expresivas–. La recogida de datos fue a través de unos informes grupales que fueron cumplimentados sobre la interacción social desencadenada en el proceso de creación grupal. Posteriormente se realizó el análisis de contenido de dichos informes grupales. Para el tratamiento de los datos se utilizó el NVIVO 11. Los resultados mostraron que: a) el funcionamiento asambleario es el principal mecanismo utilizado para el consenso colectivo; b) la pertenencia y el compromiso grupal favorecen los procesos de creación. Abstract. This article outlines the factors of social interaction that facilitate and hamper the process of group creation in an interdisciplinary acrosport project based on sustainable development goals called “The hostage voice”. The sample consisted of 65 students –36 men and 29 women– with an average age of 21.42±1.69 from the physical education module of the of Primary Education Bachelor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Zaragoza -Spain-. Each creation group designed and showed an acrosport proposal based on the sustainable development goals, which was elaborated during the course of three subjects of the mentioned module -physical activities of opposition-collaboration; individual physical activities; and artistic-expressive physical activities-. Data regarding the social interaction triggered by the group creation process was collected through reports filled out by each group. Later, the content analysis of these reports was carried out. For the analysis of the data, the software NVIVO 11 was used. The results showed that: a) the assembly discussion is the main mechanism used for collective consensus, b) the group commitment favours the processes of creation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Judit Juhász ◽  
György Málovics ◽  
Zoltán Bajmócy

This paper highlights three aspirations, which are shared by the diverse concepts and practices of responsible research and innovation (RRI): co-creation, reflexivity, and transformation. The authors analyse a service-learning (SL) initiative at the University of Szeged, Hungary, based on the model by Chupp and Joseph (2010). This provides a typology of SL practices and identifies four main approaches to the social impact of SL: traditional, critical, social justice oriented, and institutional change-focused approach. The authors also use this model to analyse the effects of their initiative with regard to the RRI principles of co-creation, reflexivity, and transformation. They provide evidence that their SL course may reach beyond its traditional (student-learning-based) effects in the Hungarian context, and embrace social justice and critical approaches. While the authors also found certain instances of institutionalisation, embedding critical SL into a Hungarian university and inducing significant institutional transformation seems to be a long way away.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Casado da Rocha

This paper describes the framework, previous experiences and justification of an action-research project in the University of the Basque Country (PISTU), aiming to think Social Innovation in relation to the on-going transformations in and around European universities. PISTU’s state of the art, goals, and methodology are presented as an intervention designed to bring together academics and activists in order to promote the transversal skills necessary to face the 2020-2030 “decade of transformation”. PISTU is co-created by a large multidisciplinary team (Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, Education, Environmental Science, Law and Nursing) along with social agents –Emaús Social Foundation, which will act as coordinator of a Popular University of Social Movements that will take place in Gipuzkoa (Northern Spain) within the framework of this project. PISTU’s contribution includes a mapping of experiences emerging in Gipuzkoa around Social Innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals, the analysis of the way in which different stakeholders represent what is and should be Social Innovation in academia, as well as the identification of strategies and relational processes that facilitate the transdisciplinary co-creation of effective experiences to confront current societal challenges.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Maryna Dielini ◽  
Marja Nesterova ◽  
Iryna Dobronravova

The purpose of this article is to theoretically, methodologically and practically explore social responsibility and social cohesion and justify their role as driving forces in the sustainable development of universities. This paper focuses on the rationale for various aspects of the development of social responsibility and social cohesion, and specifically in higher education. The article defines the importance of the values of social cohesion and social development and their implementation in the education of socially responsible youth. Listed the main categories in which the social responsibility of the higher education can be determined and applied for the educational management effectiveness. This article aims to show the role of social cohesion and social responsibility in the implementation of the principles of  sustainable development, and to reveal the relations between the values of social cohesion and social responsibility and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Methodology. Scientific analysis is carried out with the help of an interdisciplinary system of methods, namely, system analysis, interviewing, statistical data analysis, comparison, etc. Social synergetics and system approach are applied to the issues of education management.Results. The methodological approaches to the formation of modern educational and management models for universities are considered. The model of the social cohesion of the university community is analyzed. The university management strategy based on the values and principles of social responsibility and social cohesion is described. Ways to improve the economic and managerial efficiency of universities and society, respectively, are considered. The process of self-organization in education management and parameters of its ordering are defined.The most significant scientific results: the attitude and development of such values as social responsibility and social cohesion in the Ukrainian educational community were investigated; the sustainable development of universities as the best practice and factor of influence on socio-economic development was determined; the role of social responsibility and social cohesion as parameters of order in enhancing the sustainable development of universities and society respectively was substantiated.The practical significance of the study lies in the actualization of the need to develop social responsibility and social cohesion in the Ukrainian educational community, which is confirmed by statistical data, as well as the possibility of their application in the educational process and value-based management of education. The use of these results in the practice of education management allows us to create a model of social responsibility of universities and outline the directions of its implementation, to develop and implement a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of social responsibility, to study the actual level of social cohesion of the university community, to suggest ways for its further development, aimed at improving the competitiveness of universities in a globalized environment.Value/originality. The originality of the study lies in the combination of the two key values of the EU and their correspondence to the SDGs and the sustainable development of universities on the basis of value-based education management. A social synergetic approach is applied to issues of educational governance.


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