Higher Education for Professional and Civic Values: A Critical Review and Analysis

Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013–2020

Higher education for sustainable development (HESD) has grown into a substantial field of research and practice. HESD proposes that higher education will be central in a transition towards more sustainable socio-ecological systems. However, the debates on what should be learned in HESD and how this should be learned have remained conceptually controversial and empirically inconclusive. This review examined the evidence that specific pedagogies and content lead to specific “sustainability outcomes” among graduates. Three hundred and fifty-seven studies published between 2013 and 2020 were analyzed. The reviewed research was case-driven and often undertheorized regarding learning processes and outcomes. Despite its volume, the literature did not provide coherent insights into what should be learned and how. If the project of HESD is to be pursued further, more courage will be needed in creating novel forms of higher education, while more purpose and conceptual precision will be required in future research.

Evaluation of Scientific Research in Universities Based on the Idea of Education for Sustainable Development

Our research aims to establish an evaluation framework and evaluate the sustainability of scientific research in universities. Based on the concept of Education for Sustainable Development and the function of scientific research activities, an evaluation framework was constructed including three dimensions: the sustainable trend of scientific research activity, research performance related to the topic of sustainable development, and sustainability of scientific research contributions. Descriptive analysis, Data Envelopment Analysis, and a Statistical Index Method were used to calculate the sustainability of scientific research of world-class universities in China. Results show that China’s world-class universities published more articles related to sustainable development than the best-performing universities in the UK and USA. They make sustainable contributions to society through cultivating Ph.D. graduates, publishing research papers, and transforming science and technology. However, the sustainable trend of the scientific research of universities is still to be improved. The result of resource efficiency is relatively low, and attention should be paid to the waste of human and financial resources. In addition, universities should improve their ability to withstand external risks to minimize the influence of external public emergencies such as COVID-19.