Sustainability: A Public Policy, a Concept, or a Competence? Efforts on the Implementation of Sustainability as a Transversal Competence throughout Higher Education Programs

Abstract

The concept of sustainability emerged globally in the 1987 Brundtland Report. Initially, it comprised three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic. Over time, sustainability became a global necessity that led to the establishment in 2015 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), so that sustainability became a public policy of extreme urgency. Thirty-four years later, there is an imperative need to expand the original concept not in a public policy but in a competence that graduates of higher education develop, regardless of their studied academic program. We propose sustainability as a transversal competence. Our work describes the path that a higher education institution in Mexico, Tecnologico de Monterrey, has followed to accomplish this task. The new educational model Tec21 based on challenge-based learning experiences has a focus on the development of sustainability competences and actions ownership towards solving the problems described in the 17 SDGs. Our proposed definition for the sustainability transversal competence is: “The student possesses the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the successful performance of the task and the resolution of problems related to the challenges and opportunities for sustainability in today’s world”. Thus, education is both an objective and a means to achieve all the other SDGs.

Preserving World Cultural Heritage: Social Justice and Sustainability Competencies via Socially-Oriented Interdisciplinary Education

“…The theoretical framework that supports the inclusion of experiences of recognition and appreciation of cultural heritage is based on the principles of education for sustainable development (ESD) of UNESCO, according to which sustainable development is an ethical challenge as well as a scientific concept (Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2021b). We based our research on the following premises: First, STEAM education (STEM + Arts) is an approach that responds to the imperative need to prepare young people to develop innovation and creativity skills to positively and productively face the global challenges of the 21 st century that are affecting the economy, the natural environment, and our diverse cultural heritage.…”

“…One proposed approach that will both seek to enrich STEM student learning while promoting the care of cultural heritage may be attained through the implementation of pedagogical strategies of a Socially-Oriented Education (SOE). Using techniques such as challenge-based learning (CBL), we may be able to guide students to gain empathy and skills towards the sustainability and cultural care required to maintain world heritage (Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2021a;Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2018;Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2021b).…”

“…The challenges may be generated inside the university by a local faculty or external training partners. These partners are usually representatives from industrial companies, social organizations, and other organizations that open up their doors to collaborate with students and faculty to immerse them in a real context that enhances the learning experience (Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2021b).…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Development of Electromobility in Poland. The Perspective of Companies in the Transport-Shipping-Logistics Sector: A Case Study

“…Sustainability appears to be a modern concept that encompasses many ideas, but its meaning has evolved over time, with the most common connotation being something that lasts, is eternal, or that by its nature remains present, without consuming something externally harmful, and applying this to many areas of knowledge or society [32]. It is widely accepted "that sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" [33].…”

Education for Sustainable Development in the Vocational Education and Training System Facilitated by the European Sustainability Competence Framework. Case Study on Sustainability Competences Integration in Technician in Agriculture Professional Training Standard

“…Several studies and curriculum redesign initiatives have shown that sustainability is a transversal skill that must be integrated in curriculum at all levels. (Membrillo-Hernández et al, 2021) Societies in the twenty-first century face the difficult task of swiftly transforming towards sustainability while balancing the complicated trade-offs between ecological, social, and economic factors (Raworth, 2012). Deeply rooted learning processes with regard to abilities, knowledge, and values are essential to reconcile human well-being and the integrity of geo-bio-chemical processes necessary for all life on Earth (Sterling, 2016).…”