Building a sustainable future: ideas and perceptions of university staff

Abstract

Purpose The universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor market and society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to determine what the staff in these universities consider the role of UASs in promoting sustainable development (SD) to be. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative research data were collected from a survey distributed among UAS staff in the spring of 2021. The data consisted of 831 responses to an open-ended question on how UASs could promote SD and a sense of responsibility for it. The method used for the data analysis was theory-led content analysis. Findings Staff at UASs are actively promoting SD in higher education and have many ideas on how to do this, which is encouraging. With further processing of these ideas and support from management, UASs can play a more important role in sustainability work and set an example for how to build a sustainable future. Originality/value The promotion of SD is a timely topic, and examples of SD implementation and good practices can promote discussion of the role of higher education institutions in SD promotion and highlight collective ways to promote it.

Expanding horizons for the future with an open educational model for complex thinking: external and internal validation

“…In this context, plans, programs and procedures that were useful in the past become obsolete, requiring an analysis of the opportunities and challenges that will arise in the future because of new needs (Baradaran Ghahfarokhi et al, 2018). Increasingly, institutions of higher education seek to equip students with the knowledge and skills to foster leaders capable of addressing challenges in environmental, social and economic settings through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative solutions (Koivunen et al, 2023). In this regard, educational systems must adapt to the needs of the 21st century (Facoetti et al, 2023).…”

“…, 2018). Increasingly, institutions of higher education seek to equip students with the knowledge and skills to foster leaders capable of addressing challenges in environmental, social and economic settings through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative solutions (Koivunen et al. , 2023).…”