Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights [Scholarly Article - Environment, Development and Sustainability, January 2023]

Title:

Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights

 

Authors:

Laís Viera Trevisan, João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio, Bárbara Galleli Dias, Walter Leal Filho & Eugênio Ávila Pedrozo

 

Published:

Environment, Development and Sustainability, 5 January 2023

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10668-022-02874-7

Abstract:

The technological revolution has contributed to environmental and social issues around the world. However, in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) – key stakeholders for sustainable development - there is a theoretical gap regarding systematic reviews on the topic. In order to address this need, this study explores how digital transformation (DT) can contribute to sustainability in HEIs by identifying the general state of the art, the theoretical perspectives in the field, and future research insights. A multi-methods approach was adopted, which consisted of a quantitative bibliometric review and a qualitative content analysis. Consistent with this approach, the Scopus database was used for the bibliometric analysis of 672 publications, which was conducted with the support of VOSviewer software. Subsequently, a content analysis of 72 publications was carried out using the software ATLAS.ti and Zotero. The findings suggest three areas of current research: ensuring sustainability competencies through DT, smart and sustainable campus approaches, and theorisation of sustainability in higher education through DT. The theoretical perspectives of the field were divided and discussed into seven main clusters. Lastly, five research lines for further studies on DT towards sustainability were identified. This study has both theoretical and practical implications since it may be the first literature review on this subject, providing theoretical insights to the academic community, guiding sustainability and digital practices in HEIs - through the identification of tools, approaches, and strategies - and then supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Students’ perception and preference for online education in India during COVID -19 pandemic [Scholarly Article - Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2021]

Title:

Students’ perception and preference for online education in India during COVID -19 pandemic Author links open overlay 

 

Authors:

T.Muthuprasad, S.Aiswarya, K.S.Aditya & Girish K.Jha

Published:

Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 4 January 2021

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291120300905

Abstract:

Educational institutes across the world have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardizing the academic calendars. Most educational institutes have shifted to online learning platforms to keep the academic activities going. However, the questions about the preparedness, designing and effectiveness of e-learning is still not clearly understood, particularly for a developing country like India, where the technical constraints like suitability of devices and bandwidth availability poses a serious challenge. In this study, we focus on understanding Agricultural Student’s perception and preference towards the online learning through an online survey of 307 students. We also explored the student’s preferences for various attributes of online classes, which will be helpful to design effective online learning environment. The results indicated that majority of the respondents (70%) are ready to opt for online classes to manage the curriculum during this pandemic. Majority of the students preferred to use smart phone for online learning. Using content analysis, we found that students prefer recorded classes with quiz at the end of each class to improve the effectiveness of learning. The students opined that flexibility and convenience of online classes makes it attractive option, whereas broadband connectivity issues in rural areas makes it a challenge for students to make use of online learning initiatives. However, in agricultural education system where many courses are practical oriented, shifting completely to online mode may not be possible and need to device a hybrid mode, the insights from this article can be helpful in designing the curriculum for the new normal.