Teaching sustainable development: an approach to rapidly introducing the UN sustainable development goals into an undergraduate business curriculum

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether an undergraduate business program that rapidly introduced sustainable development into its curriculum, without an overall curriculum revision, was effective in terms of student engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what factors were most important for deepening student interest. Design/methodology/approach This study used a pre-test/post-test design at one academic institution, in several different core courses, offered multiple times over three years, to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum approach taken. Findings Including a significant, SDG-focused assignment in an existing business course increased student learning about the SDGs, student curiosity about the SDGs and students’ feelings of competence to advance the SDGs after graduation. Having a faculty member who can make a strong business case for the SDGs increased student commitment to the goals. These positive outcomes were consistent across business school majors and were not specific to particular courses or faculty. Research limitations/implications Data in this study were collected at the course level and did not contain information to identify unique students across the pre- and post-tests. Given the long timeline for curriculum change at the institutional level, these findings provide a way forward for business schools and business school faculty who desire to react quickly to bring these topics into management education. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use survey data collected over multiple semesters to test whether course-level interventions increase student engagement and interest in the SDGs.

Societal Impacts of Higher Education Research: From ‘Publish or Perish’ to ‘Publish and Prosper’ in Business School Scholarship

“…Rodenburg et al [87] analyze a new rating system that aligns with SDG priorities for business schools' consideration. For a more in-depth exploration of SDGs in business schools see [88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95].…”

Examining the Effectiveness of Video Competition among Malaysian and Indonesian Accounting Undergraduates in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals

“…The learning process including the informal learning via the CBL_SDG competition in this paper should ensure long-term development by fully utilizing the technologies, resources, and trainers involved in the sustainable educational context (Perez-Sanchez et al, 2020). In addition, SDG-focused assignments such as CBL_SDG serve to boost student learning regarding the SDGs and perceptions of competence to advance the SDGs after graduation (Collier et al, 2022). 4 reveals that more than 90% of the respondents agree that the CBL_SDG competition: 1) improves student presentation ability; 2) improves public speaking skills; 3) increases managerial competencies; 4) improves time management skills; 5) helps in gaining thinking and problem-solving skills; 6) improves confidence level; 7) improves self-awareness ability; 8) enhances knowledge of the SDG agenda at universities; 9) enables usage of creative skills and; 10) enables thinking outside the box.…”

The sustainable development goals in a Bachelor of Design course; current integration and benefits, constraints and opportunities for deeper integration

“…In terms of recent research examining the SDGs’ use in curriculum, Collier et al (2022) examined an existing business course and found that including a significant, SDG-focused assignment increased students’ learning and curiosity about the SDGs, and also their feelings of competence to advance the SDGs after graduation. In a different example, López (2022) examined how the teaching methods of a business and communication course adapted to digital platforms and were able to promote the SDGs as a core component.…”