Search results

The inclusion of sustainability in higher education courses has been debated in recent decades and has gained particular emphasis throughout the COVID-19. This paper aims to show how the context of the pandemic, which demanded the transition from in-person classes to virtual classes, was used to illustrate better the concepts of life cycle assessment (LCA) for Production Engineering students in a Brazilian University.

The research strategy used was action research. Throughout the discipline offering, the environmental impacts resulting from in-person and remote classes were comparatively assessed through a practical activity using LCA. Students’ behaviour and perception of the activities were recorded by the professor and discussed with the other researchers on the team. At the end of the course, students answered a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with different aspects of the discipline, and these data were analysed via Fuzzy Delphi.

The results focus on discussing the pedagogical aspects of this experience and not the environmental impacts resulting from each class modality. It was possible to notice a greater engagement of students when using a project that directly involved their daily activities (food, transportation, use of electronics, etc.) compared to the traditional approach of teaching LCA concepts. In this traditional approach, the examples focussed on the industrial sector, a more distant context from the reality of most students. Student feedback demonstrated great acceptance by them regarding the approach adopted.

This study contributes to expanding debates about sustainability insertion in higher education and the training of professionals more aligned with the sustainable development agenda.

The study aims to explore the relationship between the SDGs and the environmental and social impacts of university classes. It evaluates the potential contributions of different teaching models to the SDGs, providing insights into sustainable teaching systems.

In-person classes exhibited hotspots in transportation and energy consumption. Scenarios I and II, involving virtual and hybrid classes, increased eutrophication potential and water scarcity due to higher food consumption, negatively impacting SDGs. However, all scenarios showed positive contributions to SDGs 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

This research integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the environmental and social impacts of classes at the Federal University of São Carlos, Sorocaba campus in Brazil. Three scenarios were analyzed: (I) virtual classes, (II) hybrid classes and (III) in-person classes with improved energy efficiency.

The study primarily focuses on environmental and social impacts, excluding other factors like class quality. Integrating Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment could provide a more holistic evaluation in the future.

The methodology adopted offers valuable insights for managing the impacts of university performance and aligning teaching systems with the SDGs. It enables institutions to make informed decisions for sustainability in education.

The research emphasizes the importance of considering social impacts alongside environmental ones when assessing sustainability in educational institutions. It encourages universities to engage stakeholders in sustainability efforts.

This research innovatively combines LCA and the SDGs in the context of university education providing a replicable methodology for evaluating and enhancing sustainability in teaching systems and from a more quantitative perspective.

This study aims to examine how Brazilian universities have implemented the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in institutional practices, curriculum and teaching, management and community outreach programs.

This study is based on content analysis of the data sets of Brazilian higher education courses and their link to SDGs. A literature review has also been developed to integrate the knowledge of sustainability practices in Brazilian universities. Dashboards will be used to present the related findings.

Brazilian universities’ practices have concentrated their efforts on SDGs, which include responsible consumption and production, sustainable cities and communities and quality education. The literature emphasizes energy efficiency, reflecting its prominence as a subject of study among universities.

This research highlights the innovative use of data analysis techniques to present the findings. It also provides examples of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, frameworks and tools that can help sustainability management in this sector.