scholarly journals Changing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes about Sustainable Development and Sustainable Engineering in an Introductory Science and Engineering Class

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Butler
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Introductory Science

scholarly journals Desenvolvimento sustentável e as instituições de ensino superior: Um desafio a cumprir

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Raquel Fleig ◽  
Iramar Baptistella Do Nascimento ◽  
Mario Sergio Michaliszyn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
National Development ◽  
Essential Factor ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
The World ◽  
The University

Public educational policies, together with the university, expand subsidies to civilizational progress and national development. Around the world, universities began to participate in actions aimed at meeting the goals of Sustainable Development driven by initiatives supported by the United Nations. This article aims to identify, through scientific bibliography, the implementation of the theme: sustainable development in higher education institutions in several countries. This is an integrative review, carried out on the databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The descriptors and strategies used to search the databases were: sustainability AND universities AND sustainable development AND higher education; the terms translated into English and the Boolean 'OR' were used for all descriptors. After evaluating the selection criteria, a total of 34 articles were selected for the study. The results have shown that the practice of including the theme develops slowly and progressively in higher education institutions. It is concluded that sustainable development is a theme that requires multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and interdisciplinarity since it adds the need for knowledge and attitudes that enhance work between managers and teachers in the academic scenario. The partnership between universities, government, and companies can be an essential factor in the integration of sustainable development in higher education institutions, mainly in developing countries, and that many studies and advances are necessary for sustainable development to be carried out within a dynamic conception in universities.

scholarly journals Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Agenda: Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes in Nine Italian Universities, 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8968
Author(s):  
Cecilia Smaniotto ◽  
Claudio Battistella ◽  
Laura Brunelli ◽  
Edoardo Ruscio ◽  
Antonella Agodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 2030 Agenda represent global development programs. Education can widen the acknowledgement of their relevance and their applications. This survey aims to assess awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards SDGs and sustainability among first-year students in nine Italian Universities. A Likert scale-based online questionnaire of 70 items was compiled by students from March to July 2019. It examined knowledge and expectations referred to sustainable development concepts, indicators and documents/models accounting for sociodemographic variables. Statistical analyses performed were Chi-square test, Fisher’s Exact test, Kendall’s W correlation coefficient, univariate and multivariate analysis. The questionnaire was completed by 1676 students. A low percentage referred a good knowledge of SDGs and 2030 Agenda, most of them had never attended related educational activities previously. Better knowledge of SDGs and 2030 Agenda was observed in case of previous specific educational activities (p < 0.001). The expectation towards university guaranteeing an education on SDGs was high, both for personal wisdom and for usefulness in future professional context. A significant difference (p < 0.001) in such expectations was found, as healthcare students were less interested than colleagues of other areas. The results showed low knowledge but interest towards sustainable development. A scheduled implementation of academic initiatives should be considered.

scholarly journals Measuring Students’ Motivation to Engage in Sustainable Engineering Practice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Lanziner ◽  
David S. Strong
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
National Study ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Small Pilot Study ◽  
Sustainable Engineering

Abstract – Worldwide, political and professional organizations consider engineering to be a key profession in the application of sustainable development to solve global problems. In order for engineering professionals to play a key role in sustainable development, they must be motivated to engage in such practice. The purpose of this study is to develop a measure of students’ motivation to engage in sustainable engineering practice. A survey instrument was developed by applying a mixed-method approach consisting of a survey instrument design phase, small pilot study, and national study. The proposed survey instrument includes 3 openended and 40 closed-ended questions to measure previous experiences and stereotypes, self-concept of abilities, and subjective task value with respect to sustainable engineering practice. Factor analyses of the closed-ended questions resulted in the identification of 7 factors, 5 of which can be considered to be strong factors. Evidence for validity and reliability is established through the pilot study and factor analyses.  

scholarly journals Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Melles
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
One Year

As reflected in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), sustainable development is a multi-dimensional concept integrating political, ethical, economic, and other factors. Reports from the United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) suggest that universities are more engaged with sustainable development in higher education. Despite promising signals about student awareness of sustainable development, survey studies suggest student engagement and knowledge is limited. Previous studies have tended to focus on undergraduates and examine basic attitudes to triple bottom line issues. This study examined knowledge and attitudes of postgraduate U.K. students enrolled in one-year taught sustainability degrees on the multi-dimensional issues of sustainable development. This study piloted a 39-question 7-point Likert scale survey with a cohort of U.K.-taught postgraduate (MSc, MPhil) students (n = 121, Cronbach’s Alpha 0.796, n = 39 questions). The study found this cohort able to recognize and respond to the multiple challenges of strong and weak sustainable development issues rather than exhibiting knowledge gaps previously reported. Results and qualitative comments from the survey suggest, however, that students resist the idea of strong interventions in social, political, and economic life.

Integrating Sustainable Engineering Principles in Material Science Engineering Education

2015 ◽  
pp. 273-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandita Mainali ◽  
Joe Petrolito ◽  
John Russell ◽  
Daniela Ionescu ◽  
Haider Al Abadi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Sustainable Infrastructure ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Global Sustainability ◽  
Waste Production ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

The increasing demands on earth's resources require the need for engineering disciplines to address the limitations of materials and energy as well as the need to reduce waste production. This requirement is particularly acute for material science engineers as their work has a lasting impact on our future sustainability. Recent developments and innovations in material science can be useful tools for achieving sustainable development, provided material science engineers are aware of the issues. They should be particularly aware of global sustainability challenges, and should be able to understand how they can contribute to the solutions of these problems. Therefore, this chapter discusses how sustainable engineering principles can be introduced into material science education. It also discusses the curriculum for the subject Sustainable Infrastructure that is offered at La Trobe University in Victoria (Australia) for senior Civil Engineering students.

scholarly journals TOWARDS TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING METHODS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD): A CASE STUDY

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Grierson ◽  
Karen Elizabeth Munro
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Discursive Analysis ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This paper explores the relationship between education for sustainable development (ESD) and interdisciplinarity in the context of architecture and engineering higher education, presenting a case study of the University of Strathclyde Glasgow’s Sustainable Engineering (SE) postgraduate programme, within the wider context of common principles and practices present across HEIs.  The paper - one of a series - offers an overview of the SE programme between 2004 and 2015 (coinciding with UNDESD) and discusses its growing focus on interdisciplinarity and the introduction of transformative learning methods over the study period.  The study uses a methodology of statistical analysis of enrolment and graduation trends on the SE programme alongside a discursive analysis of course and module provision specific to learning methods for ESD and interdisciplinarity. The study finds that, within the SE programme, both the courses and modules that have an SD focus exhibit the greatest longevity over the study period and are selected by students significantly more often than other courses and modules. The finding supports previous studies that report an increased appetite for such courses and classes.  The learning methods employed on the modules align with those considered exemplary in the literature surrounding ESD, and demonstrate the programme’s aspirations towards increased interdisciplinarity in postgraduate ESD.  The paper provides insight into the practices and outcomes of a specific long-standing programme, offering opportunity for reflection, discussion and comparison with similar programmes.

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