Gade, A N; Jensen, C; Sandelin, S; Lilja, K and Joosten, F (2022) Sustainable Development Goals in construction engineering education: Comparison of current curricula in Denmark, Finland, and Belgium. In: Tutesigensi, A and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 38th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2022, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry plays an essential role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted in the 2030 Agenda. However, limited research exists on how sustainability is implemented in higher education in construction programs. This study aims to map and compare the SDGs and their targets in the curricula of three construction engineering programs at bachelor level in Denmark, Belgium, and Finland. This was done by sorting the learning objectives of the curricula according to their contribution to the SDGs and targets. The learning objectives in the three curricula were then discussed concerning their contribution to the SDGs. The results show that the SDGs were addressed in all three curricula. Furthermore, all three sustainability dimensions were identified in the curricula. The results provide insights into the sustainable knowledge, skills, and competencies that higher education students are expected to obtain to tackle the sustainability challenges of the Northern European construction industry.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | education; green buildings; professionalism; sustainability |
| Index terms: | sustainability challenge, higher education, Finland, Belgium, green building, sustainable development goal, program, construction engineering, dimension, professionalism, construction industry, Denmark |
| Subjects: | design practice, engineering methods, software systems, Geography, sustainable design, professional development, educational institutions, industry analysis, environmental issues, health monitoring assessment and metrics |
| Topics: | Information Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here