Sustainability Insertion in Higher Education: An Analysis ...
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were evaluated regarding their importance to professional qualification. As result,
they validated the following skills to be inserted: “systemic thinking, problem-solving
ability (integrated resolution), ability to work in interdisciplinary group (collaboration), critical thinking, normative competence, competence of self-knowledge,
strategic competence and contextualization and vision of the future” (p. 626). The
findings can be useful for professors to evaluate the pedagogical projects of their
courses.
In the study of Howlett et al. (2016), authors highlight the need of changes to
align higher education for sustainability. They emphasize the need to stimulate critical thinking in students to make this alignment. Although there are several definitions
of this skill, critical thinking can be understood as a way of thinking in which information is analyzed, assessed and improved. Through a case study, the authors show
an experience carried out in an Australia HEI in which a constructivist approach was
used to teach an interdisciplinary content and to stimulate critical thinking in students.
As result, Howlett et al. (2016) stand out the modification obtained in students perception and knowledge about sustainability. Wilkin (2017) also addresses the need to
develop critical thinking in students. In her research a case study is conducted to verify
a problem-based assessment use for post-graduate accounting students. According
to study’s findings, the approach was effective to stimulate students critical thinking.
Analyzing the patterns and trends of sustainability insertion into engineering
education, Tejedor et al. (2019) identified that “Institutional and policies” and “Education strategy” were the categories most identified in their keywords analysis.
However, both items have been decreasing in the last years. At the same time, items
such as training of university professionals and the use of learning strategies have
increased in recent publications. Among the topics that stands out in their study,
transdisciplinarity can be mentioned. It is considered an important mean to insert
sustainability into engineering education.
Focusing on Brazilian reality, there are studies addressing the improvement of
undergraduate students’ qualification. Rampasso et al. (2019a) presented an approach
to insert sustainability aspects into disciplines related to productive systems. The
authors performed an action research in a Brazilian university, showing the mentioned
insertion and compared their findings with the results from Chalmers University
of Technology (in Sweden). Although the didactic material in Sweden were better
prepared for the referred insertion in Sweden, social sustainability debates were
better evaluated in the Brazilian experience.
Regarding the difficulties associated to sustainability insertion into higher education, analyzing Brazilian engineering courses, Rampasso et al. (2018) and Rampasso
et al. (2019b) realized complementary studies. In the first one, the difficulties were
analyzed according to professors’ perception and a relationship among the difficulties
were established. In the second research, the analysis focused on students perception
regarding the difficulties.
657
were evaluated regarding their importance to professional qualification. As result,
they validated the following skills to be inserted: “systemic thinking, problem-solving
ability (integrated resolution), ability to work in interdisciplinary group (collaboration), critical thinking, normative competence, competence of self-knowledge,
strategic competence and contextualization and vision of the future” (p. 626). The
findings can be useful for professors to evaluate the pedagogical projects of their
courses.
In the study of Howlett et al. (2016), authors highlight the need of changes to
align higher education for sustainability. They emphasize the need to stimulate critical thinking in students to make this alignment. Although there are several definitions
of this skill, critical thinking can be understood as a way of thinking in which information is analyzed, assessed and improved. Through a case study, the authors show
an experience carried out in an Australia HEI in which a constructivist approach was
used to teach an interdisciplinary content and to stimulate critical thinking in students.
As result, Howlett et al. (2016) stand out the modification obtained in students perception and knowledge about sustainability. Wilkin (2017) also addresses the need to
develop critical thinking in students. In her research a case study is conducted to verify
a problem-based assessment use for post-graduate accounting students. According
to study’s findings, the approach was effective to stimulate students critical thinking.
Analyzing the patterns and trends of sustainability insertion into engineering
education, Tejedor et al. (2019) identified that “Institutional and policies” and “Education strategy” were the categories most identified in their keywords analysis.
However, both items have been decreasing in the last years. At the same time, items
such as training of university professionals and the use of learning strategies have
increased in recent publications. Among the topics that stands out in their study,
transdisciplinarity can be mentioned. It is considered an important mean to insert
sustainability into engineering education.
Focusing on Brazilian reality, there are studies addressing the improvement of
undergraduate students’ qualification. Rampasso et al. (2019a) presented an approach
to insert sustainability aspects into disciplines related to productive systems. The
authors performed an action research in a Brazilian university, showing the mentioned
insertion and compared their findings with the results from Chalmers University
of Technology (in Sweden). Although the didactic material in Sweden were better
prepared for the referred insertion in Sweden, social sustainability debates were
better evaluated in the Brazilian experience.
Regarding the difficulties associated to sustainability insertion into higher education, analyzing Brazilian engineering courses, Rampasso et al. (2018) and Rampasso
et al. (2019b) realized complementary studies. In the first one, the difficulties were
analyzed according to professors’ perception and a relationship among the difficulties
were established. In the second research, the analysis focused on students perception
regarding the difficulties.