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Publication
Sustainability assessment and benchmarking in higher education institutions: a critical reflection
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in implementing practices for
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This implementation should be done in different
dimensions according to a holistic and whole-school approach. Different tools have been adapted
and developed to assess this integrated approach. The aim of this research is to critically reflect the
existing tools to assess and benchmark ESD implementation and to discuss their applicability in two
case studies. Two public Universities in Southern Europe, with headquarters in the capitals of
Portugal and Spain were selected to assess and compare the integration of ESD according to a
whole-school approach—Universidade Aberta in Portugal and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
in Spain. After a critical analysis of the existing tools based on literature review and a list of criteria
classified by experts, two tools were selected to be applied in the case studies. The online
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Reporting Tool was used in Universidade
Aberta and Green Metrics tool was used in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The tools were
complemented with focus group with key-actors in both universities. The results obtained allowed
to identify the need to define a common objective of the assessment tools and limitations they still
have. The tools need improvements on their development namely to integrate the external impact
of Higher Education Institutions on sustainability, to integrate participatory processes and to assess
non-traditional aspects of sustainability. This research hopes to contribute to the continuous
research about the usefulness of these assessment and benchmarking tools as drivers to HEIs
improve their sustainability performance and their role as agents of changes.
Description
Keywords
Higher education institutions Sustainability benchmarking Sustainability tracking Assessment and rating systemTM Green metrics Education for sustainability