Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into Higher Education Curricula: Impacts on Sustainability Knowledge, Student Engagement, and Graduate Competencies

Abstract

: In this study, the integration process of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education (HE) education, and the influence of this integration on sustainability knowledge, engagement and qualified competencies of graduates, will be of focus. A questionnaire, interviews, focus group and document analysis was used to gather information from 976 participants in a 20 institution cross sectional design. Descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression and SEM (structural equation modeling) were used in analyzing the statistical data. The findings show that SDG integration has a strong predictive effect on students' competency scores, where establishing SDGs in the school curriculum (β=0.45, p<0.001) and faculty readiness (β=0.38, p<0.001) have the greatest predictive effects; the regression model shows that the variation in students' scores in this competency is 74.2% of the influence of the analyzed variables. SEM indicated good model fit (CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.044). The institutions that had comprehensive integration of SDG content had 28.5% more sustainability knowledge and 24.7% higher level of student engagement with sustainability; they had 22.9% increased levels of environmental responsibility and 19.8% increased employability competencies gained by their graduates compared with the institutions that had limited SDG content. Further, 74.8% of the institutions included content about sustainability in their curriculum and 71.6% of the students participated in sustainable development projects. What makes this work new is the use of multiple levels of empirical effects of curriculum design, teaching, and institutional support as interrelated predictors of sustainability outcomes. We feel it necessary to embed the SDGs in educational programmes; offer support at institutional level and build capacity within the faculty in order to deal with complex global issues. The results of the research will provide some practical specific recommendations to policy writers and teachers who want to enhance curricula and build sustainability capacity in college students