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COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching

Author

Listed:
  • Walter Leal Filho

    (Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
    Manchester Metropolitan University)

  • Elizabeth Price

    (Manchester Metropolitan University)

  • Tony Wall

    (University of Chester)

  • Chris Shiel

    (Bournemouth University)

  • Ulisses M. Azeiteiro

    (Universidade de Aveiro)

  • Mark Mifsud

    (University of Malta)

  • Luciana Brandli

    (University of Passo Fundo)

  • Carla Sofia Farinha

    (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa)

  • Sandra Caeiro

    (Universidade Aberta
    Universidade NOVA de Lisboa)

  • Amanda Lange Salvia

    (University of Passo Fundo)

  • Claudio Ruy Vasconcelos

    (Federal University of Paraíba
    University of Minho)

  • Luiza Olim Sousa

    (North-West University)

  • Paul Pace

    (University of Malta)

  • Federica Doni

    (University of Milano-Bicocca)

  • Lucas Veiga Avila

    (Federal University of Santa Maria – UFSM)

  • Bárbara Fritzen

    (University of Passo Fundo)

  • Todd Jared LeVasseur

    (College of Charleston)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis, one which also influences the ways sustainability is being taught at universities. This paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 as a whole and the lockdown it triggered in particular, which has led to the suspension of presence-based teaching in universities worldwide and influenced teaching on matters related to sustainable development. By means of a worldwide survey involving higher education institutions across all continents, the study has identified a number of patterns, trends and problems. The results from the study show that the epidemic has significantly affected teaching practices. The lockdowns have led to a surge in the use of on-line communication tools as a partial replacement to normal lessons. In addition, many faculty teaching sustainability in higher education have strong competencies in digital literacy. The sampled higher education educations have—as a whole—adequate infrastructure to continue to teach during the lockdowns. Finally, the majority of the sample revealed that they miss the interactions via direct face-to-face student engagement, which is deemed as necessary for the effective teaching of sustainability content. The implications of this paper are two-fold. Firstly, it describes how sustainability teaching on sustainable development has been affected by the lockdown. Secondly, it describes some of the solutions deployed to overcome the problem. Finally, the paper outlines the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may serve the purpose of showing how university teaching on sustainability may be improved in the future, taking more advantage of modern information technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Walter Leal Filho & Elizabeth Price & Tony Wall & Chris Shiel & Ulisses M. Azeiteiro & Mark Mifsud & Luciana Brandli & Carla Sofia Farinha & Sandra Caeiro & Amanda Lange Salvia & Claudio Ruy Vasconcel, 2021. "COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 11257-11278, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:23:y:2021:i:8:d:10.1007_s10668-020-01107-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-01107-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Esther Salmerón-Manzano & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2018. "The Higher Education Sustainability through Virtual Laboratories: The Spanish University as Case of Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, November.
    2. Virginia Gewin, 2020. "Five tips for moving teaching online as COVID-19 takes hold," Nature, Nature, vol. 580(7802), pages 295-296, April.
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    4. Editorial, 2020. "Covid-19 and Climate Change," Journal, Review of Agrarian Studies, vol. 10(1), pages 5-6, January-J.
    5. Chao Li & Hong Zhou, 2018. "Enhancing the Efficiency of Massive Online Learning by Integrating Intelligent Analysis into MOOCs with an Application to Education of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.
    6. Rodrigo Lozano & Michelle Y. Merrill & Kaisu Sammalisto & Kim Ceulemans & Francisco J. Lozano, 2017. "Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carolina Feliciana Machado & João Paulo Davim, 2022. "Higher Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Approach—What, Where and Who Is Doing Research in This Subject?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, April.
    2. Walter Leal Filho & Amanda Lange Salvia & Ismaila Rimi Abubakar & Mark Mifsud & Hossein Azadi & Ayyoob Sharifi & Todd LeVasseur & Johannes M. Luetz & Luis Velazquez & Priyatma Singh & Rudi Pretorius &, 2022. "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Routines of Higher Education Institutions: A Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Ronghuai Huang & Ahmed Tlili & Huanhuan Wang & Yihong Shi & Curtis J. Bonk & Junfeng Yang & Daniel Burgos, 2021. "Emergence of the Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) Learning Wave in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Pilot Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.

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