Enhancing the effects of university education for sustainable development on social sustainability: the role of social capital and real-world learning

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the roles that social capital and real-world learning may play in enhancing the effects of university education for sustainable development (ESD) on social sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework that identifies the plausible effects of university ESD on social sustainability along three outcome dimensions (think-act-leverage), broadening desirable program learning outcomes and proposing enabling roles for social capital and real-world learning, is substantiated and validated through qualitative insights from a focus group. The framework serves to structure a survey to alumni of a postgraduate program in sustainability (2011–2018). Hierarchical clustering analysis is used to identify differences in perceived, sustainability-related effects of the program on direct beneficiaries and their relationship with stakeholders in their communities. Findings Implementation of real-world learning in partnership with organizations in the community that actively involves alumni not only extends desirable effects beyond individual program learning outcomes and outside the academia but may also renew them over time. Practical implications University administrators should foster the creation of new social capital of students and alumni and their commitment with service learning and other credit-bearing opportunities as actionable enablers to enhance the social sustainability effects of university ESD. Originality/value The paper contributes to a dual theoretical and empirical void related to the effects of university ESD on the social dimension of sustainability through the proposal of a conceptual framework and quantitative assessment of the dynamic effects of university ESD at the local level.

“Liberal education” in the globalizing modernity in the perspective of sustainable development: the experience of philosophical interpretation

“…Newman's fundamental distinction between "free" and "professional" education, which cannot be reduced to the distinction between "mental" and "physical" ("some physical exercises are liberal, but mental activities are not such" [13, p. 102]) is not accidental for correct understanding appealing to the distinction between "freedom" and "slavery" [13, p. 102] no longer attaches importance -in the concept of "human capital" this distinction becomes invalid [31], sometimes the term "social capital" is used [32].…”

Assessing universities’ social sustainability: accounting for stakeholder value

“…By capturing the impacts of the university from the perception of those who experience them, the ISV approach ensures a focus on the relevant value variables or dimensions and thus overcomes some limitations of SATs applied so far to HEIs, strongly skewed towards dimensions and indicators with easily available data (Findler et al, 2019b). In addition, the bottom-up approach followed by ISV to identify the social impacts to measure allows the required stakeholder interaction within the social sustainability assessment process (Rey-Garcia and Mato-Santiso, 2020;Sala et al, 2015).…”

“…Moreover, the concept of social sustainability is strongly value-and culture-laden (Wolff and Ehrström, 2020). To overcome these challenges in social impact assessment of HEIs, it is important to consider the perspective of those affected by their governance, education, research, outreach and campus activities and analyse, in the first place, the actual effects they perceive (Rey-Garcia and Mato-Santiso, 2020). This research aims to address this need, by capturing the social impact of a group of HEIs through the eyes of those who experience these impacts, their internal and external stakeholders and assessing the relative importance (value) of these impacts in a homogeneous (monetary) unit.…”

Excellence in Sustainable Management in a Changing Environment

“…Finally, the social dimension allows measuring the impact of the companies in the society they operated including for instance measurements of education, equality levels, well-being, or quality of life. In consequence, authors have focused on studying the creation of the effects of education for SD on social sustainability [36] or the significant effect of lean manufacturing on environmental management and business outcomes [37]. Table 2 shows a summary of the dimensions in the SD conception and its related values.…”