Social Impact through the SDGs: Case Studies in Higher Education

Abstract

Since the approval of the SDGs by the United Nations in 2015, public and private institutions worldwide have been working to meet the global goals identified in the 17 SDGs. This research is based on the analysis of the contribution of universities in Spain on these challenges to promote sustainability considering public information from international rankings. Following this, the main objective of this chapter is i) to understand how universities generate social impact, ii) how rankings measure the impact on SDGs through the university activities involving their stakeholders, and iii) how these actions affect people and society. The results, based on the scores from The Higher Education Ranking 2022, show that the best performance in Spanish Universities is related to the SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 5, SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 11, SDG 16, and SDG 17. In addition, the success of an educational project for social inclusion is presented (SDG 4), where the capacity of universities to generate social impact is shown through an original program using a higher educational method and created for people at risk of exclusion, in order to increase their employability.

1. Introduction

Since the 2030 agenda was adopted at the United Nations (UN) in September 2015, the 17 SDGs have been developed in public and private institutions around the world [1] and signed by more than 190 countries. Also, several universities have increased their interest in implementing and reporting their activities following the SDGs of the UN, in a similar context than other industries.

Moreover, universities have an important role to facilitate the transformation of society educating people for a sustainable future and considering the impact of climate change and other global risks for humanity [2]. Therefore, universities are including the SDGs in their strategies through teaching, research, and projects proposing many solutions and measuring their impacts. Consequently, it represents a clear advance to better understand the social impact of universities considering their responsibility in educating people for a sustainable society [3].

To understand the level of progress in higher education, we need to analyze some studies that show what universities are working on and which SDGs they are implementing in several activities. In this sense, some studies have been carried out to obtain this global vision [4] explaining the connection between universities and sustainable development. In addition, we can evaluate the global results from a quantitative perspective in different rankings, such as The Impact Ranking, that show the progress of universities in this area [5]. Additionally, many universities report annually on their sustainability policies and include some practices/activities and projects on their corporate websites.

However, the quantitative analysis provided by the rankings can be completed with an appropriate strategy in universities. These institutions can internally connect the purpose and values of the institution with research applied to the different areas of knowledge, and with student learning in all areas of knowledge. In addition, this level of progress is facilitated by different international networks (Sustainable Development Solutions network) to implement good practices in the educational sector. All this makes it easier to progress on sustainable development through higher education, as well as the analysis of global needs adapted to specific environments through the SDGs. All this should increase the number of studies with specific results on the level of progress of higher education in achieving a sustainable society.

This study provides an analysis of the contribution of Spanish universities based on the data provided by The Impact Ranking 2022. To this end, the scores in each SDG are shown, which makes it possible to identify the strategic areas for these universities. In addition, to have a qualitative approach to the implementation of the SDGs, a case study of inclusive education developed at ESIC is explained. This project is based on the training provided to groups at risk of exclusion through a communication skills course carried out with university methodology whose objective is to increase their employability. All of this contributes to generating a social impact in the community through quality education (SDG 4).

This chapter is structured as follows. The next section shows an analysis of the role and contribution of higher education to sustainable development through the implementation of the SDGs. Below are the Spanish Universities ranked by SDGs score in 2022. The following section is a case study based on inclusive education at ESIC University. Then, a discussion is generated about the main contributions of higher education in the world and finally, some conclusions are summarized in this study.

2. Universities’ contribution to sustainable development

The capacity of universities to influence the transformation to a more sustainable society is relevant to educate future sustainability leaders and supporting the SDGs implementation [3]. In fact, university staff and students are actively working towards a sustainable world [6]. Moreover, the integration of diverse disciplines improves students’ problem-solving capacities, changing their minds to create solutions for different challenges [7], promoting coherence between theoretical discourse and action, and between theory and practice [8, 9] to face global risks [2]. In other words, higher education also provides socio-ethical skills to students through projects with a social impact and connecting the classroom to the community [10] and developing learning activities with a social purpose [11].

The role of universities is strategic for sustainable development and its relationship with stakeholders [12, 13] through different dimensions: education, research, outreach, and management [14, 15, 16] where all the experiences in universities can be relevant in social, economic, and environmental transformation. Consequently, stakeholders should be involved in sustainable development through academic discussions [17] and discussing sustainability with students, and administrative and teaching staff [18]. In sum, the challenge is creating a sustainable and global mindset that should be incorporated in academia connecting studies and best practices and measuring impacts to know the contribution of educational institutions. Moreover, educators need to construct their understanding of sustainable development that can guide them in their curriculum planning and teaching. After this critical analysis, understanding the sustainability concepts, issues, and risks, they will shape their resultant pedagogical practices [19]. This is a dynamic process in constant evolution implementing best practices, case studies, and materials for the students.

Higher education is a transformational agent with a tremendous impact on students’ habits and contributions to a prosperous society. Thus, sustainability needs to be at the center of the modus operandi in universities and their organizational culture [3] because universities are considered influential players that foster the growth of partnerships with governments and communities [20]. In fact, more than 300 universities have partnered with the UN to create a network for sustainability called Higher Education Sustainability Education [21] to identify relevant aspects for development and considering that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a critical role in supporting and accelerating SDGs’ success through research and education [4]. However, there is a need to create an appropriate guideline in universities to facilitate the evolution of SDG achievements [22]. Some scholars [23] proposed a model to engage in promoting sustainable development activities in the three core areas of HEIs: teaching, research, and serving society, projects and best practices have been developed in universities worldwide. It requires using indicators of progress in SDGs and the identification of accountabilities which involves universities and their stakeholders [24, 25]. Some universities use the metric management model (MMM) to evaluate their performance [26]. The MMM is a system based on quantitative, which summarizes the right behavior with a numerical score [26], such as Times Higher Education Impact Rankings [5], among others., to have a quantitative measure of their performance against the SDGs. This ranking allows having an idea about the level of progress from HEIs worldwide and it was evaluated empirically by some scholars [4] following the MMM system. The results show that SDG9, SDG3, SDG13, SDG12, and SDG4 positively increased the obtained general ranking score in their research [4]. This ranking also demonstrates that the number of universities committed to SDGs across countries has increased in the last years (467 in 2019, 768 in 2020, 117 in 2021, and 1406 in 2022) [27].

In recent years, some studies have been connected to the impact of universities on sustainability [28, 29], more studies are needed to know how universities can be more sustainable through the SDGs using specific indicators and connected with the 2030 Agenda. Also, there is the need to align strategic planning with all hierarchical levels, to inform higher management’s decision-making regarding SDGs [30].

3. Spanish universities ranked by SDGs score (THE)

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings are global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have selected this Ranking because The Times Higher Education use calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive comparison across four areas in its methodology: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching evaluating excellence in Higher Education. The 2022 Impact Ranking is the fourth edition, and the overall ranking includes 1406 universities from 106 countries/regions.

It is interesting to remark that The Impact Rankings are growingly each year as many more universities seek to demonstrate their commitment to delivering the SDGs; and they allow institutions to demonstrate improvement year-on-year, by introducing new policies or by providing clearer and more open evidence of their progress. Furthermore, we can analyze the level of progress worldwide following this method. In this case, we selected the Spanish universities included in the ranking 2022. Thus, Table 1 shows the scoring of Spanish universities related to their activities connected to the 17 SDGs in 2022. In general, we can see the score of 37 universities, 6 in the range of 101–200, 12 universities in the range of 201–300, 4 of them in the range of 301–400, 11 universities in the range of 401–600, 3 in the range 601--800, and 3 universities in the range 801–1000 in the global ranking 2022. Moreover, we can highlight that 14 universities include information on the 17 SDGs.

The impact Ranking 2022	Institution	Country	SDG 1	SDG 2	SDG 3	SDG 4	SDG 5	SDG 6	SDG 7	SDG 8	SDG 9	SDG 10	SDG 11	SDG 12	SDG 13	SDG 14	SDG 15	SDG 16	SDG 17	Overall Score
Ranking Position
101–200	University of Barcelona	Spain			82,2	87,2					90,3		83					88,1	87,9	82.1–88.5
	University of Girona	Spain	64,5		77,7	89,7	85,5	82,3	79,8	66,7	46,1	68,2	80,9	82,1	72,5				72,1	82.1–88.5
	University of Jaen	Spain	57,6	52,2	68	79,8	80	90,3	75,8	81,4	49,3	65,7	65,6	62,2	67,4	64,4	77,5	83,5	89	82.1–88.5
	University of Murcia	Spain			73					77			77,5			86,1		80,5	85,5	82.1–88.5
	Rovira I Virgili University	Spain	57,3	49,7	71,5	88,3	85,8	58,9	71	71,9	74,3	75,9	59,1	56,6	83	51,3	68,9	82,1	82,5	82.1–88.5
	University of Valencia	Spain	72,2	47,4	83,8	93	74,1	72,1	51,6	74,3	52,4	86,4	76,2	69,5	58,5	64,9	70	85,6	74,1	82.1–88.5
201–300	University of A Coruña	Spain	48,7	41,2	64,7	79,7	71,8	67,1	64,1	69,4	53,1	59,2	62,1	75,3	44,7	51,6	69,8	67,5	82,5	76.9–82.0
	Autonomous University of Barcelona	Spain			78,4		85,6		72,9			75,9	75,7	66,9	63,1				70,6	76.9–82.0
	University of Burgos	Spain			56,7	52	82,2			75,5	31,3				65		82,6	69,5	81,7	76.9–82.0
	Carlos III University of Madrid	Spain							88,5	58,1	49,8							85,6	82,4	76.9–82.0
	Comillas Pontifical Univ.	Spain	64,7						83,8	87		64	62,6	58,4	74,8			70,9	70,5	76.9–82.0
	IE University	Spain					78,5			81,1		84,7							80	76.9–82.0
	Jaume I University	Spain			64,5		71,9	91,6	85,4									73,7	66,9	76.9–82.0
	University of Malaga	Spain	72	55,1	80,3	87,2	77,8	59,3	66,1	82,5	77,7	69,8	79,9	68,2	52,2	50,1	55,2	68,4	62,8	76.9–82.0
	Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya	Spain	58	45,3	50	63,7	51	48,7	71	75,1	84,1	64	80,8	66,6	77,6	74,1	76,2	60,3	72,1	76.9–82.0
	Polytechnic University of Valencia	Spain	40	61,9	33,4	80,9	60,1	50,8	55,8	80	88,6	60	47,5	81	55,3	46,2	46,6	39	70	76.9–82.0
	Pompeu Fabra University	Spain			71,9	73,9	80,5					59,6			74,8			82,9	76,4	76.9–82.0
	University of Vigo	Spain	62,7	48,2	45,8	78,5	75,7	62,6	87	71,3	75,7	57,8	72,6	56,6	55,1	65,7	50,8	81,8	77,4	76.9–82.0
301–400	University of Lleida	Spain				83,6	82,3					66,5							67,7	72.0–76.7
	Miguel Hernández University of Elche	Spain	58,8	55	71,6	70,7	71,3	51,4	30,7	81,6	81,3	66,3	66,9	56,6	62,7	45,7	50,1	63,6	57,4	72.0–76.7
	Public University of Navarre	Spain	59,3	78,3	60,6	69,4	67,5	49,8	63,4	67,1	48,7	46,3	56,3	65,3	31,8	34,6	62,8	73,2	82,8	72.0–76.7
	University of Salamanca	Spain	67,5	58,2	67	67,6	72,7		57,4	57,2		63,1	70,4		37,9			72,9	76,3	72.0–76.7
401–600	University of Alcalá	Spain				78,2	75,2						57,7						65,1	65.0–71.9
	Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia	Spain	33,3	36,3	73,5	82	64			72,9		41	60					53,4	46,8	65.0–71.9
	Complutense University of Madrid	Spain			74,2	57,5				57,9								62,4	73	65.0–71.9
	ESIC	Spain				80,7	70,1			73,1		75,5						45,7	49,4	65.0–71.9
	National University of Distance Education	Spain	34	19	29,2	48,5	61	53,7	52	58,9	38,7	54,6	31,9	45,2	44,6			75,9	85,8	65.0–71.9
	University of Oviedo	Spain	69,7	23,1	46,7	52,5	42,8	33,3	62,2	70,5	54,9	35,3	41,9	58,6	43,4	46,3	31,7	67,5	60,1	65.0–71.9
	University Rey Juan Carlos	Spain	19,8	34,6	49,8	41,8	57,7	43,1	42,6	68,8	27,6	38,8	48,6	81,4	58,8	32,6	48,5	55,6	62,5	65.0–71.9
	University of Seville	Spain	66,9	59,3	76,2	38,3	62,5	70	67,8	57,8	67,9	44,2	54,6	45,5	37,8	44,3	31,7	61,7	43,9	65.0–71.9
	Technical University of Madrid	Spain	43				57,7				79,2		54,5		64,6				66,5	65.0–71.9
	University of Valladolid	Spain	53,9	48,2	56,2	60	57	30,5	54,4	49,8	49,1	31,4	88,6	37,7	57,2	34,4	50,5	71,9	49,4	65.0–71.9
	University of Vic – Central Univ of Catalonia	Spain			74	69,7	78,9	39,8	40,6	58	14,3	60,2	42	51,8	44,7			34,3	40,1	65.0–71.9
601–800	University of Alicante	Spain					65,4	45,3										61,2	59,4	57.3–64.9
	University of Almería	Spain			52,3	41,4	58,1	53,3	38,9	76,4	51		62,3	24,9	55,3				31,8	57.3–64.9
	University of Cadiz	Spain			64,7		63,9									67,9			62,6	57.3–64.9
801–1.000	CEU University	Spain	44,6		77,8	58,5			42,6										45,2	50.3–57.2
	Mondragon University	Spain				71,9				66,8				28,8				41,4	31,1	50.3–57.2
	University La Laguna	Spain	47,5	37,4	59	53,4	50,4	19,6	50	58,3	11	42,9	36,2	17,9	28,1	30,3		33,3	56,1	50.3–57.2
		Media	54,4	47,2	64,5	69,3	69,3	55,9	62,2	69,9	56,4	59,9	62,8	57,1	56,4	52,4	58,2	66,4	66,6

Table 1.

The impact ranking 2022. Spanish universities SDGs scores.

Source: Adaptation from the impact ranking 2022.

In general, the best performance in Spanish Universities is related to the SDG 3 (64,5), SDG 4 (69,3), SDG 5 (69,3), SDG 7 (62,2), SDG 8 (69,9), SDG 11 (62,8), SDG 16 (66,4), and SDG 17 (66,6). See Table 2 with a media scoring per SDG. This means that the fundamental focus of these universities is on these global challenges, such as Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

Description	SDG	Media Spanish Univ 2022
NO POVERTY	SDG 1	54,4
ZERO HUNGER	SDG 2	47,2
GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING	SDG 3	64,5
QUALITY EDUCATION	SDG 4	69,3
GENDER EQUALITY	SDG 5	69,3
CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION	SDG 6	55,9
AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY	SDG 7	62,2
DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH	SDG 8	69,9
INDUSTRY INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE	SDG 9	56,4
REDUCED INEQUALITIES	SDG 10	59,9
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES	SDG 11	62,8
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION	SDG 12	57,1
CLIMATE ACTION	SDG 13	56,4
LIFE BELOW WATER	SDG 14	52,4
LIFE ON LAND	SDG 15	58,2
PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS	SDG 16	66,4
PARTNERSHIPS FOR HE GOALS	SDG 17	66,6

Table 2.

Impact ranking 2022.

Source: Adaptation from the impact ranking 2022. Scores Media Spanish Universities.

In the case of ESIC, the Sustainable and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy of this institution is focused on some aspects, such as SDG 4 (80,7), SDG 10 (75,5), SDG 8 (73,1), and SDG5 (70,1). And SDG 16 (45,7) and SDG 17 (49,4). These SDGs are correlated with quality education in all the programs, employability, and projects with a social impact in collaboration with NGOs. Below is explained a project based on inclusive education through a program with future development for its impact and results. All this is linked with the global purpose of this institution summarized in the idea of Transforming People through education.

4. Case study: relánzaT, an inclusive educational project at ESIC

RelánzaT is an educational project that provides specific training to increase the employability of people at risk of social exclusion (women, young people, over 50s, etc.), who are unemployed and/or have precarious jobs. The RelánzaT project is directly linked to the goals of SDG 4, Quality Education, SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 17, Partnerships to Achieve the Goals. By identifying the needs of each target, a training itinerary is offered with 20-hour courses that provide an ESIC University certification to improve their employability.

The 3 editions developed in the academic year 2021–22 have been carried out with participants from the San Martín de Porres Foundation, located in Madrid, and focus on homeless people with whom we have identified the need to improve communication skills by offering the Communication Skills program. To this end, at ESIC University we designed the program for the 2021–22 academic year together with this Foundation, where three professors created the contents and materials of this training following a university methodology adapted to this target working as volunteers.

In addition, we offered complementary material from ESIC Play, which are free videos in multiple areas of specialized training (https://play.esic.edu/). An additional bibliography has also been provided for them to complement their communication skills for employability with some readings.

The program aims to provide communication skills (intrapersonal and interpersonal) to provide autonomy, organizational skills, and good communication. The academic guide also has defined the learning outcomes, such as i) Develop intrapersonal communication skills to face different challenges oriented in the personal and work environment. ii) Obtain interpersonal communication guidelines and techniques oriented to labor insertion. iii) Develop digital competencies for the management in social networks of the professional profile (LinkedIn).

The evaluation system applied is the Continuous Evaluation (CE), a methodology used in ESIC University courses, in which class attendance is mandatory. In this way, students should present the different written evaluation tests or compulsory work of the subjects taught in class, completing the training with the development of a practical part based on writing their own experience.

Therefore, students are evaluated by presenting 3 pieces of evaluation that will add up to 100% of the grade following this scheme:

1. Written presentation of a case on intrapersonal communication: 33% grade.

2. Written presentation of a case on interpersonal communication: 33% grade.

3. Written presentation of a case on communication tools: 33% grade.

In addition, active participation in the classroom is a fundamental part of the experiential nature of the training. Further, in order to pass the program, it will be necessary to pass each of the evaluation sections (cases and final work). The program consists of the following sections described in the academic guide of the program:

• Part I, intrapersonal communication. Definition of concepts: Self-esteem, Self-management, and Resilience. Keys and examples to have good self-esteem, time management, and being resilient people in the face of changing situations.

• Part II, interpersonal communication. Definition of concepts: Empathy, assertiveness, and conflict management. Keys and examples to increase empathy, assertiveness, and conflict management.

• Part III, communication tools. How to prepare a CV. How to prepare for a job interview. How to manage information in RRSS: creating a LinkedIn profile.

The participants are people of different nationalities who have been selected by the San Martin de Porres Foundation among the Associations with which they work to achieve their fast insertion into the labor market.

Out of the total of participants enrolled in the 1st edition, (November 2021) 8 of them have passed. In the second edition, (February 2022) 11 of the participants passed. In the 3rd edition of RelánzaT, 6 of them have been passed, altogether by delivering all the work required by the teachers and having an adequate attitude, as well as active participation in class (25 participants in 3 editions) Although it should be noted that on different occasions they have had to drop out of the program, both for personal circumstances (health) and family circumstances.

In general, the evaluations of the participants are highly satisfactory, as well as the comments of technicians and managers of the San Martín de Porres Foundation, since they have seen that the training in Communication has provided them with tools to face different situations, both at a personal and professional level. The managers perceived their change of attitude at the end of the program, which materialized in the active search for employment, as well as in their self-confidence to communicate their needs to third parties. For all these reasons, the managers consider this training excellent, since the university methodology followed at ESIC involves learning and effort that has a direct impact on the employability of the participants. As a result of the results obtained in this project, the San Martín de Porres Foundation expresses its interest in continuing with the training in future editions, since Communication continues to be a fundamental area for these groups at risk of social exclusion with whom they work daily. Also, they recognized that the communication program continues to be a relevant area in training for employability, and where they identify profiles for the program with agility and efficiency including people who need a boost to achieve employment quickly. This is the greatest advantage of this program since 60% of the participants of the program have obtained employment after the training (considering the 3 editions carried out in the 2021–2022 course).

The RelánzaT project is directly linked to the goals of SDG 4, Quality Education, SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 17, Partnerships to Achieve the Goals. and its main peculiarity is that it is a project with social impact that has excellent results since people without university studies obtain a certification from this University by achieving a positive evaluation of the pieces evaluated by the volunteer professors.

As a result, this program has some strong points: it provides training to people without resources; it improves the employability of people at risk of exclusion and allows teachers to offer their knowledge in a supportive way. Moreover, considering that education is a universal right, higher education expands its social impact with a project such as RelánzaT.

5. Discussion and conclusions

Higher education is a key sector to face global challenges and risks [2], where quality education (SDG 4) has the objective in universities of adequately training future leaders in sustainability, from theory and practice [8, 9] as well as providing education to people in exclusion, since education is a universal right, as describes the Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN).

To the extent that higher education continues to integrate the SDGs in different institutional areas, its results internally (annual reports) and externally (rankings), we will be able to better understand the contribution of higher education to sustainable development. In this way, both the quantitative data collected by the rankings and the best practices, it shows what is relevant for each university and allow us to know their commitment and relationship with the different stakeholders to work on this common objective.

Together, the areas of education, research, outreach, and management, all together contribute to social transformation [14, 15, 16] considering that education is a fundamental pillar in the development of nations and the 2030 Agenda.

Although there are more than 1400 universities around the world that report actions related to SDGs, there is still a long way to go to contribute to a global mentality that is born before studying at the university, therefore, all educational institutions must work for this common goal. In this sense, the mentality of the students will facilitate a sustainable perspective to solve social problems. To increase their impact, universities should put the SDGs at the center of their strategies and culture [3] providing skills and competencies to the students.

While THE publishes the level of progress generated from more than 1400 universities in the world in 2022, this document analyzes Spanish universities and their scores; additionally, a case study is explained on inclusive education at ESIC, as an educational institution with the purpose of transforming people through education. Furthermore, there are many challenges for universities for sustainable development, both from an economic, social, and environmental perspective.

Finally, to accelerate the contribution of universities to the SDGs, indicators are needed and allow educational institutions to be evaluated and compared with others in their environment and other countries. Different rankings, such as THE, show these contributions to be analyzed through different scores. However, it is necessary to know how these activities are raising awareness among all stakeholders in relation to increasing sustainable behaviors. Then, qualitative research can help us to better understand these insights and future directions. Additionally, researchers can explore new methodologies in terms of sustainability, as well as the use of different technologies to understand the contribution of institutional activities to sustainable development.