Purpose The purpose of this case study is to explore the principles and practices of sustainable development (SD) in the university curriculum. Design/methodology/approach To explore the principles linked with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the learning and teaching practices in sustainability at the International University of Catalonia (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, UIC, in Catalan), an empirical study was carried out by using a mixed methodology for data collection. Indicators related to SDGs found in the University curriculum (quantitative analysis) were measured using Excel, combined with in-depth semi-structured interviews to the deans of different faculties (qualitative study), which were analysed using Atlas.ti. Findings Several visions, difficulties and challenges were identified in this mixed-method study around the concept of sustainability, which allowed the authors to describe and portray a specific starting position in relation to the SDGs at the UIC. Research limitations/implications The presence of dimensions linked to the SDGs in the University curriculum were analysed by means of a quantitative study. However, global competences related to education for sustainable development were not studied. Practical implications Special emphasis was given to the challenges and opportunities for training future graduates and the whole University community in SD. Originality/value This paper shows a methodological exploration of the principles related to the SDGs and the learning and teaching practices in sustainability in higher education.

Since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into effect, both UNESCO and other international organisations recommend empowering youth to implement the SDGs in universities. Getting started with the SDGs at university level is of special relevance in pre-service teacher training since future teachers are powerful agents of change in the lives of young people. Future teachers need to acquire competencies in sustainability to be able to promote meaningful changes in sustainable behaviour. To that end, holistic approaches to facilitate their acquisition need to be developed. The aim of this study is to explore which teaching methodologies are suitable for the development of competencies in sustainability and research in Higher Education (HE). The participants taking part in the study are students in pre-service teacher training. The experimental educational model used for the development of competencies in sustainability and research consists of a methodological sequence of Project-Oriented Learning (POL) and a Cross-disciplinary Workshop on Sustainable Food. This study provides evidence that POL is an excellent methodology for developing competencies in sustainability and facilitates the relationship between sustainability and research competencies.

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, four case studies of the degree in Primary Education at three Spanish universities are analyzed. The aim is to study the suitability of three different active teaching-learning strategies: problem-based learning (PBL), project-oriented learning (POL), and a cross-disciplinary workshop. Another goal is to promote the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) and measure the level of acquisition of several competencies of sustainability and the change in consumption habits of future teachers after implementing those pedagogical approaches. Initial and final ecological footprint (EF) as well as a rubric to measure the level of acquisition of competencies of sustainability were used as data collection instruments. The conclusions related to the research objectives show that when sustainability is implemented in the curriculum through active teaching-learning strategies, future teachers acquire competencies of sustainability. They also reveal that said strategies contribute to a change in consumption habits as a reduction in the EF is observed. There exists a relation between EF reduction and high levels of acquisition of competency in sustainability.

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This article presents the results of the EDINSOST project in relation to the university faculty’s practice concerns and the need to embed sustainability education in the Spanish Higher Education system. Four questions were devised to determine (1) which conceptions the university faculty has about sustainability in the context of the Spanish higher education (2) what sustainability competencies the university faculty holds (3) the ways in which sustainability teaching strategies are implemented and (4) the ways in which practical coursework related to sustainability is undertaken in a Spanish university context. The methodology that was applied was comprised of a discourse analysis of faculty focus groups. To that end, a category system and a focus group implementation protocol were designed and validated, as well as processes of construct elaboration based on the analysis of the focus groups’ discourses. Among the most relevant contributions stemming from the research questions regarding the faculty’s assumptions was the evidence that the holistic conception of sustainability is not addressed in all its dimensions and the environmental dimension is overemphasised. The need for training to teach sustainability competencies and the faculty’s lack of awareness were also identified. As far as sustainability teaching strategies are concerned, project-based learning prevails, with service-learning emerging as the most effective strategy, even though its application is hindered by faculty training gaps. Finally, the absence of sustainability in teaching guides and study plans and the scarce institutional support for establishing sustainability as a strategic subject in the university were significant findings.

This article presents a review of generic competences in sustainability in Higher Education, and provides a compilation of these sustainability competences, as an instrument to facilitate their assessment in the university studies and degrees. The adaptation context to assess through competences that has been proposed by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), along with the global crisis in which we find ourselves, challenges us to provide undergraduates with a competence-based sustainability awareness so that they are able to solve the numerous challenges they will encouner in their professional fields. This important task of assessing generic competences in sustainability is not easy because it involves two new paradigms for college teaching: on the one hand, the adaptation to the new educational model that follows a competence-based assessment; and on the other hand, the development of a sustainable awareness that leads us to create a better world to future generations. This study is a review of skills in sustainability of the academic literature and we propose a compilation of generic competences in sustainability in order to facilitate their assessment. Drawing on the contributions of experts, we present a compilation of competencies and sub-competencies or indicators, in order to offer a specific tool that allows us to assess sustainability in any university degree.

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