How Higher Education Institutions Walk Their Talk on the 2030 Agenda: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Universities are rethinking their teaching and research programs and their whole third mission in response to the framework provided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But how do universities walk the talk? What are the main strategies and activities undertaken by universities to implement the 2030 Agenda? While the higher education literature has documented the growing number of practices and strategies around SDGs, there have been few attempts to synthesize these scholarly resources. Moreover, the knowledge base revolves around an array of activities, which makes the literature seem fragmented. To fill this gap, the present paper conducts a systematic literature review and derives a method of categorizing activities that can support further knowledge growth. We classified 130 selected papers based on the type of university activities considered (research, teaching, third mission, and managing operations) and the level of the implemented action (macro, meso, and micro). Subsequently, we identified the main gaps in the literature and discussed future research avenues for addressing higher education's role in accomplishing SDGs.

Understanding the Role of Digital Immersive Technology in Educating the Students of English Language: Does it Promote Critical Thinking and Self-directed Learning for Achieving Sustainability in Education with the Help of Teamwork?

“…The demand for creative language teaching strategies that can encourage critical thinking, self-directed learning, and teamwork among English language learners, this study focuses on English language teaching. Even though the study's primary focus is on teaching English, its ndings might also apply to other languages [17]. Many of the guiding principles of digital immersive technology, such as stimulating inquiry, giving prompt feedback, and encouraging collaboration, probably apply to various languages [17].…”

“…Even though the study's primary focus is on teaching English, its ndings might also apply to other languages [17]. Many of the guiding principles of digital immersive technology, such as stimulating inquiry, giving prompt feedback, and encouraging collaboration, probably apply to various languages [17]. In order to obtain the best outcomes, digital immersive technology may need to tailor to each language's features and challenges speci cally.…”

The challenge of education for sustainability in higher education: key themes and competences within the University of the Basque Country

“…ES can take a wide range of forms within a university as it includes several distinct elements, and these can be implemented in a variety of ways, at varying levels and degrees of depth (macro, meso, and micro) and delivered to a wide range of potential students ( Fia et al, 2022 ). These options vary from developing new courses, programs, or initiatives that focus specifically on the SDGs along with the knowledge, competences, and mindsets needed to implement these objectives to integrating relevant elements of ES into the existing curriculum across all relevant disciplines ( UNESCO MGIEP, 2017 ).…”

Sustainable Teacher Training and SDGs Knowledge: A Study from the Reading Perspective

“…As for the impact of this laxity, it is worth highlighting the results of the research by Aznar, Ull, Martínez-Agut and Piñero [18], which show that the university teaching staff under study are not very active in terms of including activities that favour the development of competencies related to sustainability. The contributions of Serafini, De Moura, De Almeida and De Rezende [25] or Fia, Ghasemzadeh and Paletta [26] to the debate on how higher education institutions develop their path towards the 2030 agenda should also be taken into account.…”