Abstract:

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) occupy a privileged place in society, with an unquestionable role in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. They are drivers of global, national and local innovation, economic development and social well-being and contribute to solutions to social and environmental challenges. HEIs play a key role on the implementation and dissemination of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda.

The functions of the HEIs, their experience and preparation, result in the key to being able to win and overcome social, economic and environmental challenges. The main contributions of HEIs can be: Providing the knowledge and solutions that support the implementation of the SDG; Creating Ambassadors (current and future) for the SDG; Embedding the principles of the SDG through governance, management and culture; Providing leadership cross-sectoral in implementation.

The integration of sustainability factors, motivated by the SDG, into the HEI's strategy at the most diverse levels can be a catalyst for sustainable development through the cascading effect they have on the institution's global activity. The promotion of sustainable development and sustainability, in the current context of scarcity and emergency, contributes not only to a management where sustainability assumes a present and active role, but also as a strategic driver of the community in the same sense.

Given the potential role of HEIs in the transition to a more sustainable society, the purpose of this research is to understand better the students and teacher’s awareness and knowledge on how the SDG are driven in Higher Institute of Education and Sciences of Lisbon (Portugal) - ISEC Lisboa. To this end, a survey was carried out among ISEC Lisboa students and teachers.

The survey, consisting of 14 closed and 6 open questions, took place between January and March 2022. The survey was sent by email using the Google Forms application by Google LLC®. The responses were subsequently exported to Microsoft Excel® software, where statistical treatment was carried out.

117 persons (7.8% of the total number of students and teachers) answered to the survey, 76.9% of which students. Most teachers (85.2%) know what the SDG are, but only 46.5% of students claim to have knowledge about the SDG. Of these students, 83.3% said that the SDGs were addressed in a curricular unit (CU). This information was corroborated by 78.3% of professors, who claim that they addressed SDG in the CU they teach.

One can conclude that ISEC Lisboa teachers integrate SDG into their teaching methodology, thus promoting education for sustainable development. However, there is still a mismatch between what is taught and the real awareness of students regarding SDG.

Having developed a SDG Framework, ISEC Lisboa is rethinking teaching as part of their effort to navigate sustainable development. To facilitate internal change for a transition toward sustainability ISEC Lisboa intends to systematize good practices for implementing the SDG and work on the main barriers identified in order to increase student awareness. To enable students and to build their understanding of sustainability, teachers need both the right skills, tools and methods, as well as the right framework to ground their teachings on SDG.

These are the challenges of sustainable development and ISEC Lisboa's response to the education of the future.

Keywords:

SDG, Sustainable Development, Agenda 20230, Higher Education Institutions, ISEC Lisboa.