The Concept of Smart-Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The issue of the advancement of modern education in the context of sustainable development is significant. The reason for this is that the introduction of the ideas and principles of sustainable development into the content of education is a prerequisite for the implementation of sustainable development strategies. This goal contributes to the establishment of moral principles in the society and environmental responsibility. In turn, the necessity of elaboration of a concept of Smart-education for sustainable development is determined by globalization of education and lifelong learning. The timeliness of this study is due to the lack of comprehensive research of Smart-education in the context of sustainable development. However, the availability of some scientific publications in the field of Smart-education, which include a description of system solutions and technologies in the field of education, results in conceptual ambiguities of Smart-education. The authors' approach to the formulation of the concept of Smart-education for sustainable development has been presented. The goal of Smart-education includes the implementation of three main aspects. One of these aspects is aimed at sustainable development of the society and economy in accordance with the changing environment. Another aspect creates conditions for acquiring knowledge and skills which are required in the contemporary society. The third aspect determines the formation of a personality who is able to develop on a continuous basis and assess the impact of decisions made in a multivariate and uncertain environment. The conceptual ideas of Smart-education for sustainable development (principles, methodological tools, structural components) have been identified.

The impact of educational policies in higher education in the context of sustainable development

“…Higher education institutions are the essential tool of technological innovation with the role of overcoming today's global challenges and aim to prepare citizens capable of building a fairer and more open society, with an ethical-moral vision and the knowledge necessary to ensure the quality of life of future generations [2].…”

“…It is known that the concept of sustainable education involves active academic participation to create economic, social, and environmental programs improving life standards, generating empowerment, and respecting interdependence [2,4].…”

“…Higher education at the end of the last century developed the concept of sustainable development (as well as its three main components which include economic growth, social development, and environmental balance) to analyze, develop and evaluate relevant policies and initiatives needed for it to become operational [2].…”

“…In this sense, the development of new legislative and sectoral initiatives allowed the identification of corrective measures and the estimation of the costs of programmatic interventions [2].…”

“…The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), established in 1983, published a report entitled "Our Common Future" in 1987, which identified, explained, and developed guidelines for sustainable development that was recognized as the "Brundtland Report" after the Commission President, Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. On the other hand, sustainable development is a strategy that is citizenoriented and focuses on innovation, optimism, resilience, and confidence that the state serves the needs of every citizen, fairly and efficiently [2].…”