Browsing by Author "Aleixo, Ana Marta"
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- Are the sustainable development goals being implemented in the Portuguese higher education formative offer?Publication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Azeiteiro, Ulisses M.; Leal, SusanaPurpose. The study aims to examine: (a) the vertical integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) in Portuguese public higher education institutions, namely at the level of undergraduate and master´s degrees, and (b) the extent to which Portuguese higher education institutions are preparing for the United Nations call to promote SDGs. Method. A content analysis of the designations and objectives of the 2556 undergraduate and master’s degrees (in 33 Portuguese public higher education institutions) was made to determine whether they promote at least one sustainable development goal. Findings. The results show that: (a) 198 courses directly address at least one SDG; (b) on average, each higher education institution (HEI) has 6 courses that explicitly address at least one SDG; (c) universities have more courses in SDG areas than polytechnics; (d) more master's degrees embrace SDGs than undergraduate degrees; and (e) most of the courses addressing SDGs are from the social sciences and humanities areas and from natural and environmental sciences. Value. This paper serves to raise the awareness of Portuguese higher education institutions of their role and responsibility in furthering sustainable development goals.
- Conceptualization of sustainable higher education institutions, roles, barriers, and challenges for sustainability: an exploratory study in PortugalPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Leal, Susana; Azeiteiro, Ulisses MirandaHigher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved when barriers are faced and challenges overcome. This exploratory study aims to investigate how the main stakeholders (leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders) of Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions perceive: the concepts of sustainability and sustainable higher education institutions, the role of higher education for sustainable development, and the barriers, challenges and obstacles to implementing sustainable initiatives in Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. Through a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews and content analysis procedures, this article explore the perspectives of twenty stakeholders from four Portuguese Public Higher Education Institutions. The results suggest that, although aware of the concept of sustainability, the different stakeholders are not familiar with the concept of sustainable higher education institutions. The lack of financial resources due to the decline in funding for higher education and falling numbers of Portuguese university students is perceived as the main barrier to sustainable development in higher education (i.e. practices are still associated with spending financial resources). This research highlights the importance of a conceptual and organizational change in higher education institutions, notably through identifying new sources of financing, more flexible organizational forms, more comprehensive mission statements, more tailored educational offers, life-long learning and commitment to internationalization, and more strategic human resource management. The paper contributes to the literature by reflecting on how higher education institutions can promote sustainability, how higher education for sustainable development is understood and can be improved in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions.
- Conceptualizations of sustainability in Portuguese higher education:roles, barriers and challenges toward sustainabilityPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Leal, Susana; Azeiteiro, Ulisses MirandaAlthough sustainability in HEI has been studied for over twenty years, relatively little is known about the status of its implementation in the Portuguese HEIs. Few studies have investigated higher education for sustainable development (HESD) in Portugal and none have addressed how sustainability is interpreted and implemented in Portuguese HEIs, the role of HESD, and the related challenges and obstacles they face.
- Práticas sustentáveis nas instituições de ensino superior:um estudo empírico aplicado às instituições públicas portuguesasPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Leal, Susana; Azeiteiro, UlissesConsiderando o enquadramento teórico sobre sustentabilidade nas instituições de ensino superior (IES) (Aleixo, Leal & Azeiteiro, 2018; Lozano, Lukman, Lozano, Huisingh, Lambrechts, 2013) este trabalho analisa as práticas sustentáveis das IES públicas portuguesas. Recorrendo a quatro dimensões de desenvolvimento sustentável (DS) para as IES – ambiental, económica, social/cultural e institucional/educacional/política; Aleixo, Azeiteiro & Leal, 2016) – foi desenvolvido um questionário que permite aferir a implementação (ou não) de 77 práticas sustentáveis nas IES. O questionário foi dirigido aos reitores, presidentes, diretores de faculdades e de escolas superiores de todas as IES públicas portuguesas. Obteve-se uma amostra de 53 responsáveis de IES (4 reitores, 14 presidentes, 22 diretores de escolas superiores e 13 diretores de faculdades), correspondendo a uma taxa de resposta de 22%. Para cada uma das práticas foi solicitado ao respondente que indicasse o grau de implementação na sua IES, de acordo com as seguintes opções: (1) prática não implementada, não projetada e sem relevância; (2) prática não implementada, não projetada, mas relevante; (3) sim, existe, mas apenas em fase de projeto; (4) sim, existe, mas ainda em fase de implementação; (5) sim, existe e está totalmente implementada. A dimensão social/cultural é a que apresenta mais práticas totalmente implementadas; seguindo-se a económica. A dimensão menos desenvolvida nas IES é a ambiental (Aleixo, Azeiteiro & Leal, 2018).
- Rankings and sustainability in portuguese higher education institutions:a descriptive analysisPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Leal, Susana; Leal Filho, Walter; Mendes, Susana; Azeiteiro, Ulisses MirandaThe issue of ranking in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has produced a growing body of literature at an international level that is focused on metaanalysis. However, there is still comparably little discussion on the subject of Higher Education (HE) in Portugal. This paper strives to fill this gap. This research was conducted using the Portuguese public HEIs websites and presents a critical review of HEIs rankings in Portugal. These are the types of Higher Education Institution (HEI) rankings that are concerned with the promotion of sustainable development rankings. The links between rankings and institutional commitment, advanced sustainability or the promotion of a positive image are discussed. This work results in the preliminary discussion of a proposal for an alternative ranking for Sustainable Development (SD) in HEIs. An alternative ranking would take the system and subsystem activities of HEIs into consideration, and would constitute a starting point for further discussion when it comes to the development of the ranking for sustainability in HEIs in responding to the issue of holistic and integrated sustainability in Portuguese public HEIs.
- Sustainable development in Portuguese higher education institutions from the faculty perspectivePublication . Leal, Susana; Azeiteiro, Ulisses M.; Aleixo, Ana MartaHigher education institutions play a fundamental role and have great responsibility in promoting sustainability and achieving sustainable development goals. It is therefore essential to study the teacher's perceptions of incorporating sustainability since they are responsible for promoting competences and preparing citizens to respond with solutions to future challenges. The aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions of sustainability held by teachers at Portuguese public higher education institutions. A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted by administering an online questionnaire. The sample is made up of 444 teachers from different Portuguese public higher education institutions (54.1% women and 45.9% men). The results show that while most teachers believe higher education institutions promote the integration of sustainability in their activities, only 16% consider that sustainable development is holistically integrated in the institutions' different activities. About 30% of the teachers report that they largely or extensively integrate sustainable development in their curricular units, but only 20% of them state that higher education institutions provide regular or systematic training in SD. Teachers prefer to increase students' sustainable development education through conferences, seminars, or research projects. Almost 90% of teachers are concerned about climate change or the environment, but only 40% or less engage in sustainable development-related activities. Four clusters are also identified, representing teachers' different perceptions of the higher education institutions' promotion of sustainability, teachers' participation in sustainable development issues and concerns about climate change. Although teachers feel that sustainability is starting to be integrated in higher education institutions, this is not done holistically; moreover, differences are found between teachers in polytechnics and universities and between different scientific areas.
- The implementation of sustainability practices in portuguese higher education institutionsPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Azeiteiro, Ulisses Miranda; Leal, SusanaThe purpose of this work is to analyze the current state of implementation of sustainability development (SD) in Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was developed to measure the level of implementation of SD practices in HEIs as well as the number of rankings, certifications and declarations of these institutions. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail to all rectors, presidents, directors of faculties, departments and schools of Portuguese universities and polytechnics. A sample of 53 leaders was obtained. Findings Portuguese HEIs are mainly engaged in the social dimension of sustainability. The economic dimension emerges in second place and the institutional in third; the environmental dimension is the least developed. Except for a few specific topics (e.g. related to research on SD, and the offer of degree courses in SD), there are no significant differences between universities and polytechnics in the implementation of SD practices. Only 11 per cent of HEIs are innovators in the implementation of SD practices, and a majority of HEIs have implemented less than 34 per cent of the SD practices studied. Research limitations/implications This research has a national scope, and the results should be interpreted only in the Portuguese context. Future studies should include a larger range of institutional actors within the faculty. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights and theoretical and methodological guidance for future implementation processes supporting the transition to sustainability in HEIs. Originality/value This is the first study conducted in Portuguese HEIs with the aim of determining their efforts to implement and promote sustainability.
- Toward sustainability through higher education:sustainable development Incorporation into portuguese higher education InstitutionsPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Azeiteiro, Ulisses Miranda; Leal, SusanaThis study aims to investigate how sustainable development (SD) has been incorporated into Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs). A review of literature and the analysis of the available documentation in institutional webpages of the different HEIs were conducted to establish the theoretical framework and validating the current state of integration of sustainability in Portuguese HEIs (how SD is integrated in the practices of HEIs). We analyzed the two types of Public HEIs (Universities and Polytechnics) and we found the existence of different ways of approaching SD. The SD dimensions analyzed were the environmental, economic, social/cultural, and institutional/political/educational ones (e.g., Leal Filho et al. in Int J Sustain High Educ 16:112–129, 2015; Lozano in Int J Sustain High Educ 12:67–78, 2011; Segalàs et al. in J Cleaner Prod 18:275–284, 2010; Waas et al. in Sustainability, 3, 1637–1661, 2011). We have also researched the different stages that HEIs are in the incorporation, dissemination, and institutionalization of SD. We have reviewed all the institutional websites for the 34 Public Portuguese’s HEIs, which 20 of them are polytechnics and 14 universities. The majority of HEIs communicate their SD practices actively. It was also pointed out that SD practices vary considerably from one HEIs to another. However, the results show that SD in Portuguese HEIs is still in its early stages.
- Towards sustainability through higher education:sustainable development incorporation into Portuguese higher education institutionsPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Azeiteiro, Ulisses Miranda; Leal, SusanaThe studies about SD in HEIs are still scarce in Portugal, and there is no known study that refers to existing practices in Portuguese’s HEIs (Madeira, 2008). Tauchen and Brandli (2006) published a study where they systematized the different procedures for environmental management system implementation, based on good practices, including practices of the Portuguese HEIs, but it only studied the environmental dimension.
- UN decade of education for sustainable development:perceptions of higher education institution’s stakeholdersPublication . Aleixo, Ana Marta; Azeiteiro, Ulisses Miranda; Leal, SusanaThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the main stakeholders of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) perceive the commitment of HEIs related to: (a) teaching sustainable development Sustainable Development (SD) across all courses, (b) encouraging research and dissemination of SD knowledge, (c) implementing green campuses and supporting local sustainability efforts, and (d) engaging and sharing information with international networks (as defined in Higher Education Sustainability Initiative, United Nations). Through a qualitative approach (semi-structured interviews and content analysis), we explore the perspectives of twenty stakeholders from four Portuguese public HEIs (leaders, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders). The results show that all stakeholders see teaching SD across all courses as a necessity, but they have different visions about how to implement it. Concerning the research and dissemination of SD knowledge, they defend that both should be encouraged and transversal to all HEIs. About implementing green campuses and supporting local sustainability efforts, stakeholders agree that is important, but the practical results, in the Portuguese HEIs analysed, fail to achieve an acceptable degree. As a long term objective, the motivation for engaging and sharing information with international networks is latent.