Abstract:

Education is the fundamental pillar for achieving the 2030 Agenda, acting both as a goal in itself (SDG 4) and as a transversal driver for the other 16 goals. In this regard, this article shows how the theoretical module of the course "Information Systems in Public Administrations"—taught in the second year of the Degree in Public Administration Management at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in Castellón—has been redesigned to increase student motivation, attention, competencies, and learning outcomes, while simultaneously enhancing their knowledge and awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To achieve this, the Project-Based Learning with a Sustainability Perspective (S-PBL) methodology was utilized. Project-Based Learning is an active and cooperative methodology that is becoming established as one of the most widely used and valued teaching methods. This approach advocates for a more active role for the student and a shift in the role of the teacher.

The results obtained show that the use of S-PBL has been effective in: Raising the level of knowledge about the SDGs, significantly reducing the percentage of students with "low" or "very low" knowledge; Improving overall scores and decreasing the failure rate; Increasing analytical and argumentation skills when facing real-world sustainability problems, such as climate change or pollution; Enhancing collaboration and leadership due to the group-based nature of the projects; and Increasing environmental awareness among the student body. Furthermore, a series of limitations have been observed, such as the difficulty in perceiving the importance of the SDGs, suggesting that a deeper curricular integration is required.

The conclusion of this work is that S-PBL is an appropriate teaching methodology to foster education as a transversal driver for the other 16 goals, although more research in this field is necessary.

Keywords:

Project-Based Learning, Sustainable Development, teaching methodologies, curriculum design, learning experiences.