This work presents an analysis of student perception of Spanish university education degrees regarding their training in sustainable development. A sample of 942 students was used. The methodology consists of analyzing the results of a survey answered by the first- and fourth-year students from nine education degree courses in four Spanish universities. Comparison of the perception of learning by fourth-year students against those of the first year enables improvements in learning regarding sustainability to be ascertained. The questionnaire consists of 18 questions concerning four sustainability competencies: C1-Critical contextualization of knowledge, C2-Sustainable use of resources, C3-Participation in community processes, and C4-Ethics. Two composite indicators are defined to analyze the absolute learning (achieved on completion of their studies) and the relative learning (achieved with respect to what should have been achieved) declared by the students in each competency, degree and university. The results show that students declare an improvement in all their sustainability competencies, although the results of the final learning are far from those expected: they have learned only 27% of what they should have learned. Moreover, the learning achieved in the four competencies depends on the degree and the university.

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Distance learning due to the COVID-19 lockdown, commonly called emergency remote teaching (ERT), substantially changed the methodology of teaching and possibly students’ perceptions of the quality of lectures. Students’ opinions should be collected and analyzed jointly with other data such as academic performance to assess the effect of this pandemic on learning. A 20-question, 4-point Likert scale specific questionnaire was designed and validated twice by a panel of experts. The survey was sent to the 365 industrial engineering undergraduate students enrolled in a chemistry course. Responses (n = 233) and academic data were collected, and four student profiles were identified by using the k-means cluster analysis technique: ‘The Lucky’, ‘The Passive’, ‘The Autonomous Learner’ and ‘The Harmed’. Students experienced the ERT differently according to their profile. Undergraduates who were better autonomous learners excelled in academic performance and were more participative in the survey. In general, students preferred face-to-face classes over distance learning. Undergraduates’ learning has been impaired due to the circumstances. However, contrary to their beliefs, the situation has benefited them with respect to grades when comparing their performance with students from previous years. Discovering what challenges students faced to adapt to the situation is key to giving students tools to grow as autonomous learners and to enable educators to apply tailored teaching techniques to improve the quality of lectures and enhance student satisfaction.

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Purpose This paper aims to present a methodology for analysing the extent to which students of a university degree perceive that they have received a good education for sustainable development (ESD). The methodology enables us to quantify this perception, which, in turn, allows us to determine: to what extent the objectives related to ESD are achieved in the degree, and to compare the learning in ESD perceived by students of different degrees. The methodology is applied to nine engineering degrees and nine education degrees in the Spanish university system. Design/methodology/approach ESD is analysed from the students’ learning perception. This perception is measured by comparing the responses of first- and fourth-year students to a questionnaire about their sustainability competencies. Two indicators have been designed to analyse the results. The first indicator, learning increase, measures the declared learning difference between fourth- and first-year students. The second indicator, learning percentage, measure the amount of learning as reported by fourth-year students compared to how much they could have learned. Findings The results show that the average learning percentage perceived by students is higher in engineering degrees (33%) than in education degrees (27%), despite the fact that the average learning increase declared by students at the end of their studies in both areas of knowledge is similar (66%). Engineering students report having achieved higher learning than education students in all sustainability competencies, with the exception of ethics. Originality/value This paper analyses ESD from the student’s perspective. Furthermore, to the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that compares the perception of ESD between engineering and education students. This comparison allows us to determine the different approaches that university Professors take to ESD according to the discipline they teach.