Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in higher education research

Beringer, Almut; Adomßent, Maik

doi:10.1080/13504620802464866

Cited by 112 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The major implication of these findings is the need for the University to improve its operational sustainability performance by designing and implementing interventions that could reduce its institutional ecological footprint [10]. First, based on the survey response about sustainable transportation and authors' observation, the University management should create a "green" transportation system in the campus.…”

Section: Campus Operations and Practices Moving Toward Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even in the few cases where attempts are being made to implement some sustainability initiatives, the efforts are highly centralized without students' and other stakeholders' involvements, which render the initiatives insufficient to insufficient to contribute to the transition to a sustainable society [9]. Thus, several scholars have called for a more inclusive and "whole-of-university" approach to achieving sustainability and to rethink how higher education can address sustainability issues not only within the curriculum and research, but also via community outreach, collaboration, as well as through the participation of the various university stakeholders [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

2016

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Higher education institutions are major drivers of change in achieving environmental sustainability both within college campuses and beyond campuses in communities at large. However, achieving campus sustainability is not possible without the involvement of students as one of the major stakeholders of a university. Based on survey of 152 students of the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, this study explores students' assessment of campus sustainability components: curriculum and research; campus operations; and community involvement. The results show that even though the students indicate a great deal of awareness and concern about campus environmental sustainability, they lack interest and willingness to participate in initiatives towards achieving sustainability. Apart from some sustainable landscaping and waste recycling practices, there are few sustainability initiatives in transportation and energy and water conservation on the campus. Offered courses and student projects have also been reported to have modest focus on sustainability. The article concludes by highlighting the roles of incorporating sustainability into campus operations, and training university students in promoting environmental sustainability in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

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Section: Campus Operations and Practices Moving Toward Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

2016

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“…The goal of the declaration was to promote sustainability at all levels of education. Despite all good plans and policy documents, sustainability education has not yet reached the goals for schools and higher education, according to recent research [5][6][7][8][9][10]. One reason can be the scarcity of sustainability education in teacher education worldwide [11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Thinking for Understanding Sustainability? Nordic Student Teachers’ Views on the Relationship between Species Identification, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

et al. 2017

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Sustainability is a complex concept including ecological, economic and social dimensions, which in turn involve several aspects that are interrelated in a complex way, such as cultural, health and political aspects. Systems thinking, which focuses on a system's interrelated parts, could therefore help people understand the complexity of sustainability. The aim of this study is to analyse student teachers' level of systems thinking regarding sustainability, especially the ecological dimension, and how they explain the relationship between species identification, biodiversity and sustainability. Nordic student teachers (N = 424) participated in a questionnaire and their open answers were content-analysed and categorised. The results indicate the student teachers' low level of systems thinking regarding ecological sustainability. About a quarter of them (25.4%) had a basic level including interconnections (13.7%), additional feedback (8.9%) and also behavioural aspects (2.8%), but none of them reached an intermediate or advanced level. The low level of systems thinking could be explained by two main factors: (1) Systems thinking has not been used as an educational method of developing understanding of sustainability in teacher education programmes; and (2) systems thinking is also a result of life experiences; the older ones showing more systems thinking than the younger ones. Therefore, elementary forms of systems thinking should be an educational method already in primary education.

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“…In addition, most Middle East and Saudi universities are not doing the required restructuring and adjustment to integrate sustainability. Many scholars clamor for a comprehensive and "whole-university" approach, which would reconsider how higher education can handle and manage sustainability challenges by not only adjusting research and curriculum, but likewise through encouraging community participation and cooperation with several university stakeholders [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia

2016

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Abstract:Universities are paramount change drivers in bringing about a culture of sustainability in society by setting themselves up as models and nurseries for sustainable development. Thus, assessment of sustainability integration within universities is key to their impact on sustainable development. This study conducted an assessment of different public sector universities of Saudi Arabia based on five components: (i) Teaching and Curriculum; (ii) Research and Scholarship; (iii) Campus Operations; (iv) Management and Community; and (v) Financial Management. The sustainability assessment questionnaire (SAQ) was utilized as a tool to discern the component-wise sustainability assessment for Saudi universities. The outcomes of the survey reveal that, in stark contrast with the universities of the developed world, offerings of sustainability relevant academic courses in Saudi Arabia are still lacking. Most Saudi universities still need to integrate research and scholarship in the area of sustainability; sustainable-campus operations in the current scenario are not sufficient. The results also reveal that sustainability-related projects are not prioritized within universities and sustainable financial management practices are not significant. This article concludes by proposing some recommendations emphasizing the importance of adopting sustainability practices in Saudi universities.

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Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in higher education research

Cited by 112 publications

References 16 publications

Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Students’ Assessment of Campus Sustainability at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Systems Thinking for Understanding Sustainability? Nordic Student Teachers’ Views on the Relationship between Species Identification, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

Sustainability Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia

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