The literature on integrating sustainability in higher education curricula has identified a series of circumstances that can hinder or slow down the transition towards education for sustainable development. This article assesses the influence of two of these circumstances in Spanish universities: teachers' insufficient support for the principles and objectives of sustainable development and their reluctance to consider conveying values as part of their teaching duties. The article collects evidence from the opinions of instructors obtained via a survey, and it concludes that neither of the two circumstances can explain the slowness with which the principles of education for sustainable development are permeating university curricula.

A growing concern for sustainability has extended to the higher education sector resulting in institutional statements, specific actions with the goal of reducing the environmental impact, or communication policies aimed at lecturers and students. However, the slow pace by which the institutions operating in this sector are adapting their curricula is frustrating, even more so, when considering the hope towards education and its ability for sensitizing and educating the future leaders of our society. The obstacles hindering the introduction of sustainability in the university curricula have thus become a matter of research. This article presents an investigation on: a) obstacles to curricular sustainability perceived by teachers and b) relationship between teacher training and awareness (attitudes and self-perception of competence for sustainability).

The recommendations of the UN and other international bodies on the need to transform university curricula to incorporate sustainability values, content and competencies have met with a warm reception from universities all over the world. However, the actual state of the integration of sustainability in higher education is, in general, somewhat more modest than one would expect. This article proposes a method of measuring the extent of sustainability-oriented curricular change in the Spanish University as a whole and applies it to the degrees in engineering and architecture. The method entails a documentary analysis of the teaching guides related to 1050 subjects. The results obtained do not invite optimism: curricular transformation is slow and insufficient and its results are still incomplete.

In recent years, several researches have quantified and assessed the degree of integration of Education for Sustainable Delevopment (ESD) in Spanish university studies of engineering and architecture. With respect to those researches, this article presents a multiple methodological approach that combines three different perspectives: a) an analysis of the attitudes of teachers towards ESD, b) an assessment of the effective application of ESD, based on the statements of the teachers, and c) an analysis of the presence of ESD in the teaching guides. By triangulation, these three approaches offer a realistic panorama of the current situation of the integration of sustainability in engineering studies. The evidence gathered in the article allows us to conclude that positive attitudes on the part of teachers are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for the transition to ESD. Key words: ESD, higher education, engineering and architecture studies, attitudes, teaching guides, faculty.

En la literatura sobre gestión de los recursos humanos han proliferado las investigaciones sobre los Sistemas de Trabajo de Alto Rendimiento (HPWS), una serie de prácticas que se espera que influyan en la satisfacción laboral y el compromiso organizacional de los empleados, y en el rendimiento de empresas y organizaciones. Los investigadores que trabajan en este campo se han preocupado de estudiar el fenómeno en el sector industrial, dejando al margen las instituciones educativas y, en particular, las de educación superior. Este artículo persigue dos objetivos. Por un lado, describe el grado en que las prácticas asociadas a los HPWS se han instalado en las universidades públicas españolas. Por otro, reúne evidencia sobre la relación entre los HPWS y la satisfacción laboral de los académicos. La investigación es de carácter empírico y enfoque cuantitativo, y se basa en las respuestas de 651 docentes a un cuestionario. Los resultados muestran que las prácticas más extendidas son las que encajan mejor con el modelo tradicional de gestión universitaria. De los resultados también se desprende que, en general, los HPWS tienen un efecto positivo en la satisfacción laboral, aunque el efecto puede variar según la práctica concreta que se considere.