The implementation of sustainability practices in Portuguese higher education institutions

Abstract

Purpose-The main aim of this work is to analyze the current state of implementation of sustainability development (SD) in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach-A questionnaire was developed to measure the level of implementation of SD practices in HEIs as well as the number of rankings, certifications and declarations of these institutions. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail to all rectors, presidents, directors of faculties, departments and schools of Portuguese universities and polytechnics. A sample of 53 leaders was obtained. Findings-Portuguese HEIs are mainly engaged in the social dimension of sustainability. The economic dimension emerges in second place and the institutional in third; the environmental dimension is the least developed. Except for a few specific topics (e.g., related to research on SD, and the offer of degree courses in SD), there are no significant differences between universities and polytechnics in the implementation of SD practices. Only 11% of HEIs are innovators in the implementation of SD practices, and the majority of HEIs have implemented less than 34% of the SD practices studied. 2 Research limitations/implications-This research has a national scope and the results should be interpreted only in the Portuguese context. Future studies should include a larger range of institutional actors within the faculty. Practical Implication-This study provides valuable insights and theoretical and methodological guidance for future implementation processes supporting the transition to sustainability in HEIs. Originality/value-This is the first study conducted in Portuguese HEIs with the aim of determining their efforts to implement and promote sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack?

“…Although the scales were indigenously constructed and validated, a longer array of questions could provide more breadth at the expense of time. The study could have been complemented with in-depth interviews with experts (see Aleixo et al, 2017Aleixo et al, , 2018 in order to have a deeper understanding of the barriers, potential and actions when implementing SDGs teaching, research and action at universities. In this paper the focus was on the on-line data gathered to capture a general overview of the current situation.…”

Are the sustainable development goals being implemented in the Portuguese higher education formative offer?

“…Despite the lack of both government institutions' commitment to implement ESD in higher education and documents linked to SD, "Portuguese universities´ autonomy and their social responsibility have led them to develop several initiatives and policies toward ESD" (Farinha et al, 2018). Recent studies in Portugal (e.g., Aleixo et al, 2018a) showed that although Portuguese HEIs recognize the need to introduce sustainable competencies and topics in all courses, their vision of how to implement this differs. While stakeholders defend that research and dissemination of SD knowledge should be encouraged and transversal to all HEIs, the study by Aleixo et al (2018b) shows there is no HEI strategy for education or the information society for sustainability.…”

“…Aleixo et al (2018b) notes that some interviewees mention the need to introduce sustainability as a topic in the curriculum to further the role of HESD. According to Aleixo et al (2018a), HEIs need to be aware that they can empower students with skills to address society's problems for future wellbeing by encompassing sustainability in all their activities and, particularly in education.…”

Quality of Higher Education through the Pursuit of Satisfaction with a Focus on Sustainability

“…This can be appreciated in the three groups that were analysed (family, teachers and students) as significant differences were reflected between the various items which relate to sustainable development in higher education. The importance of developing policy statements has been previously demonstrated in a number of studies [75], with the aim of increasing the number and quality of evaluations of educational quality through the lens of sustainability [76] in higher education.…”