Sustainability Practices: The Role
of University in Forming Master
Students’ Perspectives
Ana Paula Pessotto, Janaína Macke and Fernanda Frankenberger
Abstract The purpose of this research is to analyze master students’ perspectives
on determinants of sustainable education and practice at Universities. This is significant as Institutions of higher education have the role of training future managers
and, above all, citizens conscious of their role in society. This paper presents the outcome of a master of business advanced topics lecture, where students and professor
held discussions on the sustainable university. The study is qualitative, descriptive,
exploratory and cross-sectional, carried out with 18 students from the Graduate Program in Business at a university in southern Brazil. Research methods include participant observation and document analysis. An analysis of the materials produced
during the lecture leads to the conclusion that students’ knowledge evolves to incorporate environmental, social and economic aspects of the sustainable development
concept. Students developed short and long-term action plans for implementation at
the University and indicators from which HEI may track the development of sustainable practices. These results exemplify how students’ understanding about the
importance of involving all spheres of the University and community in the sustainability debate can be raised.
Keywords Education · Sustainable development · Business students · Perceptions
of sustainability · Sustainable learning
A. P. Pessotto · J. Macke
Business School, IMED, Passo Fundo, Brazil
e-mail: ana.pessotto87@gmail.com
J. Macke
e-mail: janaina.macke@imed.edu.br
J. Macke
Business School, UCS, Caxias Do Sul, Brazil
F. Frankenberger (B)
Business School, PUCPR, Curitiba, Brazil
e-mail: ferfrank1@hotmail.com
Business School, UP, Curitiba, Brazil
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_24
383
of University in Forming Master
Students’ Perspectives
Ana Paula Pessotto, Janaína Macke and Fernanda Frankenberger
Abstract The purpose of this research is to analyze master students’ perspectives
on determinants of sustainable education and practice at Universities. This is significant as Institutions of higher education have the role of training future managers
and, above all, citizens conscious of their role in society. This paper presents the outcome of a master of business advanced topics lecture, where students and professor
held discussions on the sustainable university. The study is qualitative, descriptive,
exploratory and cross-sectional, carried out with 18 students from the Graduate Program in Business at a university in southern Brazil. Research methods include participant observation and document analysis. An analysis of the materials produced
during the lecture leads to the conclusion that students’ knowledge evolves to incorporate environmental, social and economic aspects of the sustainable development
concept. Students developed short and long-term action plans for implementation at
the University and indicators from which HEI may track the development of sustainable practices. These results exemplify how students’ understanding about the
importance of involving all spheres of the University and community in the sustainability debate can be raised.
Keywords Education · Sustainable development · Business students · Perceptions
of sustainability · Sustainable learning
A. P. Pessotto · J. Macke
Business School, IMED, Passo Fundo, Brazil
e-mail: ana.pessotto87@gmail.com
J. Macke
e-mail: janaina.macke@imed.edu.br
J. Macke
Business School, UCS, Caxias Do Sul, Brazil
F. Frankenberger (B)
Business School, PUCPR, Curitiba, Brazil
e-mail: ferfrank1@hotmail.com
Business School, UP, Curitiba, Brazil
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_24
383