Assessment of the integration of sustainable development goals in information and documentation curricula

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62758/re.v3i4.241

Keywords:

Sustainability, Education for Sustainability, Information and Documentation, Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, Teaching Plans

Abstract

Universities have the responsibility to play an active and fundamental role in promoting sustainability; however, it has been observed that the implementation of sustainable development in these institutions is still in its early stages. Teaching is one of the core missions, but the effective integration of sustainability in this dimension still poses a significant challenge. The aim of this study is to analyze the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the field of Information and Documentation. To do so, the course plans of undergraduate programs from a total of ten Spanish public universities have been analyzed by manually categorizing the SDGs based on the content of the objectives and descriptions of each section. Preliminary results show that the most frequently addressed SDGs are Quality Education (SDG 4) and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9). Women excel in courses that include a higher number of SDGs. The allocation of SDGs 5, 9, and 10 follows a generic pattern, as SDGs 5 (gender equality) and 10 (reduced inequalities) appear more frequently in courses taught by female professors or mixed teams, while SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) is associated with male professors. Additionally, it is especially in the category of elective courses where a higher proportion of SDGs in relation to the number of courses is observed, revealing diverse profiles depending on the university. These findings contribute to raising awareness among universities that offer education in Information and Documentation regarding their fundamental role and responsibility in promoting the SDGs.

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Published

2024-01-11

How to Cite

Bautista-Puig, N., Álvarez-Bornstein, B., & Montesi, M. (2024). Assessment of the integration of sustainable development goals in information and documentation curricula. Revista EDICIC, 3(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.62758/re.v3i4.241