Embedding Social Innovation in Latin America Academic Curriculum

Abstract

Abstract

Strengthening social innovation in higher education institutes – an organizational change process involving staff and students

“…Rubens et al (2017) in their literature review conclude that some faculty members "still see the third mission as a waste of time or something that can only be done after they have completed their academic duties" (p. 364). Similarly, other studies report of a lack of individual interest in social innovation among staff and students at HEIs and a corresponding resistance (Galego et al, 2018;Henderson et al, 2019).…”

“…They describe two categories of barriers: firstly, external barriers, such as difficulties with government regulations and funding allocation; secondly, internal barriers related to the organizational characteristics of the universities and partner organizations. Structural barriers and challenges are reported in numerous studies on social innovation and third mission at higher education institutions, such as the lack of policy frameworks and management support (Galego et al, 2018;, as well as institutional barriers, including a lack of resources and reward systems (Hazenberg et al, 2019;Siegel et al, 2003), and the incompatible expectations or demands of external partners (Schartinger et al, 2001). These obstacles are known to some extent from previous social innovation projects or social enterprises outside the higher education sector.…”

“…These results therefore primarily show that transfer, third mission activities and social innovation projects often fail due to structural and cultural obstacles. However, the lack of individual interest and even resistance perceived among staff and students at higher education institutions also make the implementation of social innovation and third mission more difficult (Galego et al, 2018;Henderson et al, 2019). Research in the field of organizational changes in an economic context has already increasingly focussed on these aspects at the individual level.…”

Integrating Social Innovation into the Curriculum of Higher Education Institutions in Latin America: Insights from the Students4Change Project

“…Evidence from the project reveals that Latin American HEIs have developed compulsory courses, extra-curricular programmes and a variety of methodologies, teaching and learning tools, and research topics in the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship. In fact, through a questionnaire addressed to the coordinators of the 10 Latin American universities participating in the project, we could identify a total of 48 courses (42 undergraduate and 6 postgraduate) which were framed in various disciplines and areas of knowledge [32], and many of them were taught as voluntary subjects. The multiplicity of areas of study reported could be explained, indeed, by the diversity of definitions and approaches to social innovation and social entrepreneurship within the participating universities, something that according to Galego et al (2018) [32] could lead to an inadequate classification of the courses.…”

Social Innovation in the Academic Curricula of Chemical Science Degrees in South Africa

“…While acknowledging the difficulties and complexities of the South African economy (Rodriguez and Rodriguez, 2015), the study also adds to the literature by examining chemical scientists' experiences of social innovation and investigating what could be added to the usual science degree offerings to enhance their professional success. It thus offers an understanding of how social innovation could impact the curricula of chemical science degrees (Galego, Soto, Carrasco, Amorim, and Ferreira Dias, 2018b). In particular, it lays the foundation for the development of a theoretical framework to explain the impact of social innovation education on chemical scientists by examining it from the participants' perspectives.…”