The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0: Universities as Incubators of Future Skills
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Educating for the Future: Embedding Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0
2.1. Industry 5.0 and Sustainable Development: The Role of Higher Education in Promoting SDG-Oriented Competencies
2.2. Digital Ethics and Higher Education: Preparing Students for Responsible Technology Use
3. Research Questions and Hypotheses
- RQ1: To what extent do Polish higher education institutions include elements of sustainable development and digital ethics in their curricula?
- RQ2: Are there statistically significant associations between institutional characteristics and the inclusion of these elements?
- RQ3: Which factors significantly increase the likelihood that an institution incorporates sustainability and ethical considerations into its teaching programs?
4. Material and Methods
4.1. Data Collection
4.2. Data Analysis
4.2.1. Bivariate Associations Using Cramér’s V and Chi-Square Tests
4.2.2. Multiple Correspondence Analysis
4.2.3. Ordinal Logistic Regression
5. Results
5.1. Characteristics of the Study Sample
5.2. Bivariate Associations: Cramér’s V and Chi-Square Analysis
5.3. Latent Patterns: Multiple Correspondence Analysis
5.4. Ordinal Logistic Regression Results
5.4.1. Model Fit and Assumptions
5.4.2. Key Predictors of Sustainability and Digital Ethics Integration
5.4.3. Predicted Probabilities Based on Key Predictors
- Specializations related to Industry 5.0
- Regular cooperation with enterprises
- Inclusion of Industry 5.0 content in curricula
- Type of institution (Public vs. Private)
6. Discussion
6.1. Interpretation of Research Questions and Hypotheses
6.2. Practical Implications, Barriers, and Recommendations for Higher Education Institutions
6.2.1. Institutional Readiness and Strategic Commitment
6.2.2. Barriers to Implementation
6.2.3. Recommendations and Future Directions
6.3. International Perspectives and Literature Comparisons
6.4. Limitations and Directions for Future Research
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | Description | Category | % |
---|---|---|---|
Institution | Type of higher education institution by profile | University | 19.8 |
Technical university | 33.2 | ||
Economic university | 9.1 | ||
Pedagogical university | 12.3 | ||
Medical university | 10.7 | ||
Art university | 5.9 | ||
Vocational university | 9.1 | ||
Type | Ownership status of institution | Public | 52.4 |
Private | 47.6 | ||
Unit | Existence of a unit dedicated to digital technologies | Yes | 51.9 |
No | 48.1 | ||
Cooperation | Degree of cooperation with enterprises in digital technologies | Regularly | 31.0 |
Occasionally | 43.9 | ||
No | 25.1 | ||
Adm_or_sci | Use of AI tools in university administration or scientific research | Yes | 72.2 |
No | 27.8 | ||
Content | Inclusion of Industry 5.0-related content in curricula | Yes | 65.2 |
No | 34.8 | ||
Specializations | Existence of Industry 5.0-related specializations | Yes | 65.2 |
No | 34.8 | ||
Elements | Extent of integration of sustainability and digital ethics into curricula | No | 26.2 |
Partially | 62.6 | ||
Fully | 11.2 |
Predictor | Estimate | Std. Error | OR | 95% CI (OR) | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Institution: technical university | −0.079 | 0.493 | 0.92 | [0.35, 2.44] | 0.873 |
Institution: economic university | −0.141 | 0.685 | 0.87 | [0.22, 3.33] | 0.837 |
Institution: pedagogical university | −1.167 | 0.720 | 0.31 | [0.07, 1.26] | 0.105 |
Institution: medical | −0.312 | 0.641 | 0.73 | [0.21, 2.57] | 0.626 |
Institution: art | 0.242 | 0.800 | 1.27 | [0.27, 6.30] | 0.762 |
Institution: vocational | 0.416 | 0.721 | 1.52 | [0.37, 6.27] | 0.564 |
Type: private | 0.875 | 0.531 | 2.40 | [0.85, 6.86] | 0.099 † |
Unit: yes | −0.117 | 0.471 | 0.89 | [0.35, 2.24] | 0.804 |
Cooperation: regularly | 1.230 | 0.586 | 3.42 | [1.10, 11.02] | 0.036 * |
Cooperation: occasionally | 0.303 | 0.460 | 1.35 | [0.55, 3.34] | 0.511 |
AI use (adm_or_sci) | 0.491 | 0.403 | 1.63 | [0.74, 3.62] | 0.223 |
Content: yes | 0.754 | 0.458 | 2.12 | [0.87, 5.25] | 0.100 † |
Specializations: yes | 1.513 | 0.560 | 4.54 | [1.53, 13.88] | 0.007 ** |
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Olszak, C.M.; Sączewska-Piotrowska, A. The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0: Universities as Incubators of Future Skills. Sustainability 2025, 17, 8530. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198530
Olszak CM, Sączewska-Piotrowska A. The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0: Universities as Incubators of Future Skills. Sustainability. 2025; 17(19):8530. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198530
Chicago/Turabian StyleOlszak, Celina M., and Anna Sączewska-Piotrowska. 2025. "The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0: Universities as Incubators of Future Skills" Sustainability 17, no. 19: 8530. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198530
APA StyleOlszak, C. M., & Sączewska-Piotrowska, A. (2025). The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping Sustainability and Digital Ethics in the Era of Industry 5.0: Universities as Incubators of Future Skills. Sustainability, 17(19), 8530. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198530