Special Issue "Social Innovation at Higher Education Institutions: Promoting Sustainable Development Objectives"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Geography and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Adela García-Aracil
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Management, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n, Building 8E, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: economics of education; social innovation; social capital; human capital competencies; labor market; artificial intelligence in education; teaching and learning; learning outcomes; youth; gender issues
Dr. Rosa Isusi-Fagoaga
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University Institute of Educational Creativity and Innovation (IUCIE), Universitat de València, Calle Serpis 29, 4ª, Campus de Tarongers, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: education and pedagogy; innovative teaching and learning approaches; social innovation; active methodologies; cultural capital; evaluation of competencies; artificial intelligence in education; gender issues; teaching of music

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Social Innovation is considered relevant to deal with the “great challenges" faced by contemporary societies. New models to solve social problems involve different actors and interactions and combine diverse knowledge to introduce solutions with manageable, if not predictable, long-term results. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are rich in resources that can be mobilized to contribute in solving social problems; they have the expertise that provides theoretical frameworks that guide the development of solutions, and the technical skills to collect and evaluate empirical data addressing the viability of the innovation. HEIs not only provide new knowledge useful in social innovation processes, but they can also participate in social innovation processes, both internally, focused on improving their own services and practices or acting as an agent of social innovation by getting involved in the different stages of these processes (idea generation, creation of experimental space, demonstrator, decision to expand, support coalition, codification, and diffusion). Moreover, HEIs can transfer knowledge across sectors, through student training and partnerships with funding agencies, private investors, public policy regulators, and the communities themselves.

However, some HEIs have a dilemma with their involvement in social innovation activities. In the emerging “world class university” model, publications and prizes seem paramount, pressuring universities to reduce their attention upon socially useful activities. Tensions also arise from increasing pressures on HEIs to prioritize individual institutional success (private benefits) over wider public benefits.

With this Special Issue, we intend to collect social innovation practices at HEIs around the world, and whether these practices are incorporated as a part of HEIs’ strategies, decisions, structures, incentives, and way of operating. This Special Issue will also provide new knowledge of scientific and social interest of the right conditions­—in the academic community, regional/national governments, social agents, and civic society (among main stakeholders)—for collaborating and supporting the HEIs’ social innovation process, and in turn, the way in addressing sustainable development objectives.

Dr. Adela García-Aracil
Dr. Rosa Isusi-Fagoaga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Higher Education
  • Social innovation
  • Social agents
  • Civic society
  • Service-learning
  • Community-learning
  • Collaborative teaching–learning
  • Sustainable Development Objectives

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Promotion of Social Innovation through Fab Labs. The Case of ProteinLab UTEM in Chile
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8790; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168790 - 06 Aug 2021
Viewed by 199
Abstract
Fab Labs as manufacturing laboratories that stimulate innovation and collaboration are nowadays proliferating within universities. Given the new social challenges, framed within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we formulate the following research question: Are Fab Labs an effective tool for the promotion of [...] Read more.
Fab Labs as manufacturing laboratories that stimulate innovation and collaboration are nowadays proliferating within universities. Given the new social challenges, framed within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we formulate the following research question: Are Fab Labs an effective tool for the promotion of social innovation from universities? To answer this question, a mixed analysis has been carried out focusing on the case of ProteinLab UTEM. The approach aims to generate a model for the promotion of social innovation from universities through Fab Labs, linking the quadruple helix actors. The objective of this model is to show how Fab Labs can become an effective instrument to promote social innovation from universities. The contribution of this article lies in linking Fab Labs with social innovation through the university’s third mission. Our approach considers Fab Labs as an instrument for the development of social innovations within the university, which contribute, through the third mission, to the social and sustainable development of its environment. As a result of this research, a model is presented for the development of social innovation from universities through Fab Labs. Our research concludes that Fab Labs are an effective instrument for the promotion of social innovation from universities. Full article
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Article
Contribution of Higher Education Institutions to Social Innovation: Practices in Two Southern European Universities
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3594; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073594 - 24 Mar 2021
Viewed by 525
Abstract
The interactions between the higher education sector and society and industry have been attracting increased attention in terms of ways to develop social innovation solutions to societal problems. Despite calls from politicians and the existence of some guidelines, we know little about how [...] Read more.
The interactions between the higher education sector and society and industry have been attracting increased attention in terms of ways to develop social innovation solutions to societal problems. Despite calls from politicians and the existence of some guidelines, we know little about how higher education could incorporate social innovation activities into its structure and missions. This study examines some practice experiences in two southern European public universities in Portugal and Spain. We show that the third mission of universities, which includes social innovation, is both linked to the first two missions of teaching and research, depending on the university’s historical and social context. The high dependence of higher education institutions on economic returns increases the importance of political action to drive the development of social innovation activities. This conditioning factor seems to be intrinsic to some of the barriers that have been identified, such as lack of legitimization and recognition of social innovation practices at the formal governmental level. Full article
Article
Project-Based Learning and the Acquisition of Competencies and Knowledge Transfer in Higher Education
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10062; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310062 - 02 Dec 2020
Viewed by 676
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge about project-based learning (PBL) methodology in higher education by describing and analysing interrelations between competencies, and their contribution to knowledge transfer (KT) and students’ rating of the project. The sample [...] Read more.
The aim of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge about project-based learning (PBL) methodology in higher education by describing and analysing interrelations between competencies, and their contribution to knowledge transfer (KT) and students’ rating of the project. The sample consisted of 464 students from the Universities of Huelva (N = 347; 74.8%) and Murcia (N = 117; 25.2%), enrolled in the second year of a degree in either Infant or Primary Education. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire comprising a total of 53 items measuring general, specific, and transversal competencies, as well as students’ rating of the project. Competencies were selected from the course programmes for the degrees in Infant and Primary Education. Preliminary results showed that competencies were moderately to highly acquired after PBL, and that students reported notable KT as well as a positive assessment of the project. KT showed a high degree of association with students’ ratings and was established as a key factor in learning and learner satisfaction in higher education. Full article
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