Embedding sustainability in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education
Ενσωμάτωση της βιωσιμότητας στην εκπαίδευση της Τεχνολογίας Πληροφοριών και Επικοινωνίας (ΤΠΕ)
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Keywords
Sustainability ; Sustainability in ICT ; Sustainable developmentAbstract
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been viewed as education that can help and support young people to develop the attitude, skills, and knowledge in order to make well-informed decisions in meeting the developmental and environmental apprehension for a sustainable future. In this context, the UN 2030 Agenda aims to achieve SD in an integrated, indivisible and balanced manner through seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG4, according to its target 4.4, intends to promote ESD by increasing the number of young people with relevant skills for labor market competitiveness, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. ICT has a fundamental role in collaborating for SD as it significantly supports the access to information for sustainability by directly applying tools and technologies developed for this. Therefore, the challenge of connecting and combining sustainability with ICT education is imperative for enhancing transformative learning toward SD through integrating aspects of sustainability issues into ICT curricula. To address this challenge, the overall purpose of this thesis is to investigate and contribute novel and generalizable findings on the effects of embedding sustainability in ICT education in the Greek educational system, including the secondary as well as higher education in terms of the young people's broader consciousness of SD. The effects of embedding sustainability in ICT education are investigated through two primary studies. The first study, Study One, deals with the out-of-school or informal education in Greece. It aims to explore the impact of mobile transit applications (apps) in ESD among young people, the potential to foster environmental consciousness, and the intention to actively engage in sustainable traveling practices. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive attitude from young people toward the daily use of the two designed - for the purpose of Study One – mobile transit apps mockups, and participants are willing to change their travelling habits toward more sustainable options and intend to use these apps for this change. The assessment has also revealed that the participants are willing to regularly provide feedback and get rewards to evaluate the impact of the app's systematic use and improve the travel services offered, as there was a strong connection between triggering for testing the app and the possible continuation of its use when participants could discover more healthy and sustainable travel options and get rewards. The second study, Study Two, deals with the in-school or formal education in Greece and focuses on the secondary and higher education levels. It aims to elicit the students' prior knowledge regarding sustainability issues, assess the effects of integrating ESD into ICT curricula, and explore their intention to deal with green informatics in Greece. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the contribution of ICT education to the students' environmental awareness about energy conservation, attitudinal disposition, and e-waste management practices. Concerning secondary education, the study recommends that education for e-waste recycling awareness is vital in achieving environmental skills, behavior and attitudes consistent with environmental protection and sustainable development. Although the pupils' knowledge about sustainability was insufficient, they were willing to learn more and get involved with it. Moreover, the pupils showed a positive perception of green informatics and of the integration of sustainability into the ICT curricula. The research recommends that the ICT curricula should be redesigned in order to integrate the principles of sustainability. Concerning higher education, the outcomes of the study denote that the majority of the ICT students had a deficient level of understanding of the concept of SDGs because of the apparent weakness in incorporating sustainability issues in ICT education in Greece. On the other hand, they showed a significant increment of knowledge regarding sustainability and the environmental impact of ICT studies. In any case, the study outcomes reveal that the ICT students were unsatisfied with the contribution of the university toward sustainability. The study results also provide insights for Greek universities to reorient the ICT curricula in order to integrate sustainability issues. The findings prove that the direct effect of the educational intervention on the intention of the ICT students to engage in sustainability was significant. This result highlights that intention might be enhanced through sustainability-oriented practices implemented by the HEIs and might be supported further with the implementation of rewarding programs that HEIs offer.
Department
Σχολή Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών. Τμήμα ΠληροφορικήςNumber of pages
183Language
EnglishCollections
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Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα