Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the e-waste aspect of sustainability in education, with a specific interest in engineering education. Specifically, it focuses on recycling through reclaiming electronic components from e-waste and reusing them in repairs or in the design and construction of new devices. Design/methodology/approach: A…

Purpose: Student engagement has become increasingly significant in sustainability education for engineers because it enables future engineers to develop competencies, knowledge and values relevant to acting for sustainability. Therefore, this paper aims to examine characteristics of student engineer engagement with sustainability and to discuss…

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss how the theory of complex thinking can be considered an interesting element in engineering education, especially in the context in which challenges toward sustainable development are multidisciplinary. Design/methodology/approach: This viewpoint synthesizes the main reflections and discussions generated during a…

Purpose: This study aims, from the perspective of the recovery of sustainability, to develop a framework on sustainability and innovation in the formation of engineers in the courses of Engineering in the Brazilian Amazon. Design/methodology/approach: For this work, a quantitative approach was adopted in the research process. A survey instrument…

Purpose: The information technology (IT) sector has been seen as central to society's transformation to a more just and sustainable society, which underlines teachers' responsibility to foster engineers who can contribute specifically to such ends. This study aims to report an effort to significantly update an existing engineering programme in IT…

Purpose: The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 is at the core of many sustainability initiatives on Mexican higher education institutions (HEIs). Yet, progress to SDG 13 and the entire 2030 Agenda might today appear unlikely to meet. To change this situation, it is necessary to form professionals aware of the impacts of climate change and…

Purpose: This study aims to analyse how the materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes can be better aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: Initially, a content analysis was performed in 39 materials selection course descriptions from 40 engineering undergraduate…

Purpose: In education concerning environmental issues, there are two predominant currents in the world, environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD is the formal commitment and therefore promoted by the United Nations, to ensure that countries achieve sustainable development. In contrast, EE was the first…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how a tangram activity improved students' abilities to explain sustainability, articulate a positive perception of sustainable design and relate sustainability with innovation in engineering design. Design/methodology/approach: The concept of paradigm shift was introduced in the classroom by using a tangram…

Purpose: The global COVID-19 epidemic has posed significant challenges to the development of innovation and entrepreneurship education in Chinese and foreign universities, and the application of artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) technology has presented both opportunities and challenges to its development. The purpose of this study…

Purpose: While sustainability experts point to interrelated social, economic and environmental goals, students may think about sustainability primarily as natural resources. To prepare students to tackle global challenges to well-being, this paper aims to show that educators need to assess and address students' shortcomings in considering…

Purpose: Considering the requirements of sustainable development regarding professionals training and the challenges evidenced during Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to contribute to the debates regarding the need to insert sustainability into engineering education in the current context. Design/methodology/approach: For…

Purpose: The inclusion of sustainability in higher education courses has been debated in recent decades and has gained particular emphasis throughout the COVID-19. This paper aims to show how the context of the pandemic, which demanded the transition from in-person classes to virtual classes, was used to illustrate better the concepts of life…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential for implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the civil engineering bachelor degree in the School of Civil Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). Design/methodology/approach: All the 2019/2020 course syllabi were analyzed to diagnose at which extent…

Purpose: Considering the relevance of education for sustainable development (SD) to enhancing engineers' abilities to contribute towards sustainability-related issues, this study aims to help understand the global context of the insertion of SD into engineering education and to provide guidelines to further evolve research and efforts towards…