Pursuing goals of sustainable development and internationalization in higher education context

Abstract

The article concerns internationalization of higher education as a factor for pursuing sustainable development goals by developing university students’ global competences. A review of modern research on internationalization processes in different national contexts allowed to highlight the main challenges of interaction between domestic and international students as well as discuss possible solutions. Analyses of survey results, aimed at identifying the factors preventing effective cross-cultural communication in a non-linguistic Russian university, confirm the demand for students’ development of intercultural competence, which is considered to be most effective through the study of a foreign language. The paper shows significance of involvement of Russian and international students in joint classroom and extracurricular activities, which can become the basis for their future international cooperation in the field of implementation of innovative technologies and foster sustainable development goals. The leading role of university foreign languages departments in tackling issues of university internationalization is emphasized.

Ensuring sustainability in internationalisation efforts at higher education institutions

“…According to Kafarski and Kazak (2022), the promotion of global education experiences has clear effects on the economy in many professions and domains, putting sustainability into action, requiring assistance to transition from traditional teaching to a more global setting, with the Erasmus+ Programme contributing to the SDGs, in particular SDG4 (inclusive and equitable quality education), SDG5 (gender equality) and SDG8 (decent work and economic growth). Foreign language programmes have been identified as good platforms to advocate for the SDGs (Makarova, 2021). Even though internationalisation is also seen as a strategic priority of HEIs in terms of reputation-building and rankings, the broad definition of internationalising HE also includes more global perspectives, promoting global citizenship and working for international SD ethics, necessarily addressing “intelligibility” (addressing inequality), “dissidence” (challenging the doctrines and acknowledging collaborations) and “solidarity” (combining efforts, despite differences) (Pashby and Andreotti, 2016).…”

Higher Education for Sustainable Environment: From Theory to Practice

“…The objectives of ESD are to develop key competencies that contribute to a sustainable future. These include systems thinking, anticipatory skills, normative awareness, strategic planning, collaboration, critical thinking, self-awareness, and integrated problem-solving [6,7]. By promoting awareness and transforming thinking, ESD aims to create a mindset that supports sustainability in all areas of life.…”