A Systematic Review of the Different Methods Assessing Sustainability Integration in Engineering Curricula

Abstract

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have highlighted the significance of integrating sustainability into higher education. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the literature on engineering education for sustainable development, emphasizing the inclusion of this concept within engineering curricula and recognizing the pivotal role that engineers play in achieving the sustainable development goals. Therefore, sporadic engineering faculties worldwide have begun acknowledging and assessing issues related to sustainability in their curricula. As several methods have been employed to assess its inclusion, the aim of this paper is to review the various methods used to gauge how sustainability is incorporated in their respective engineering curricula. We carried out a systematic review of the literature regarding sustainability as assessed specifically in engineering curricula using the Scopus and ERIC databases. We applied PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology and, as a result, 30 papers were included. The results produced 14 methods with the articles highlighting existing limitations. Therefore, the authors recommend the combination of at least two of the methods to efficiently evaluate sustainability in engineering curricula.