Sustainability in Teaching: An Evaluation of University Teachers and Students

Abstract

Abstract:Since the 1970s, interest in caring for the environment has gained traction and the environmental education movement has gained momentum. The Talloires Declaration was the first document to incorporate sustainable development into higher education. After that, higher education institutions assumed the social responsibility of training human resources with a sustainable vision. This study aimed to contribute to the design of indicators that could be used to evaluate the efficacy of the sustainability taught at the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero (Autonomous University of Guerrero) in Mexico. We administered a survey to 63 teachers and 511 students from four academic units in high schools, and undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The answers were analyzed using the F-test and the variable descriptions. For the environmental, social and economic indicators, the satisfaction levels of teachers and students were more positive in graduate and undergraduate programs than in the high school. To determine the efficacy of the teaching function in terms of sustainable education, as well as to fulfill the commitments acquired to achieve sustainability, institutional processes need to be strengthened.

Effective Teaching and Activities of Excellent Teachers for the Sustainable Development of Higher Design Education

“…HEIs aim to build a society of sustainable development and contribute to the world through education, research, and publicity [26,27]. "Humans" are the core of sustainable development, and human quality is the key to sustainable development.…”

The Role of Universities in Sustainability-Oriented Competencies Development: Insights from an Empirical Study on Polish Universities

“…Universities constitute a fundamental vehicle to explore, test, develop, and communicate the essential conditions for sustainable development (Salvioni et al 2017;Disterheft et al 2013;Leal Filho 2012) and education worldwide has become an investment which has to pay off for the student. Therefore, universities need to be reformed in the field of teaching and research (Brito et al 2018). The role of universities in this process is essential, because they play a crucial role in the development of economic systems through disseminating knowledge, creating innovation, promoting sustainable development, environmental friendliness, and fostering cultural growth (Salvioni et al 2017).…”

Semantic Analysis of Learners’ Emotional Tendencies on Online MOOC Education

“…Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD) is essential for global sustainable development. However, not all kinds of education support sustainable development that is why higher education institutions have been experimenting with new teaching modes [22][23][24][25] in recent years. The traditional "infusion teaching" mode does not fully consider the individual differences of learners, making it difficult for learners with different abilities to exert their own advantages, which affects the sustainable development of traditional education [26].…”