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Challenges of Online Higher Education in the Face of the Sustainability Objectives of the United Nations: Carbon Footprint, Accessibility and Social Inclusion

Author

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  • Mikel Perales Jarillo

    (School of Engineering, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain)

  • Luis Pedraza

    (School of Engineering, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain)

  • Pablo Moreno Ger

    (School of Engineering, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain)

  • Elvira Bocos

    (School of Engineering, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain)

Abstract

This article analyses three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gathered by the 2030 Agenda and adopted by the United Nations, and how online educational models may help to reach these goals. Specifically, the three goals discussed through this article are: (i) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (Goal 4); (ii) reduce inequality within and among countries (Goal 10); and (iii) take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Goal 13). This work delves fundamentally into aspects related to online engineering education, such as the impact of the carbon footprint in online education, the reduction of geographical barriers and the social gap, and the complete online accessibility to the educational environment. Finally, this article presents the case of the International University of La Rioja with its 100% online methodology, and approximately 42,000 students distributed throughout the world. This institution is supported by tools that facilitate engineering training for people with reduced mobility and who are geographically dispersed, reducing the carbon footprint through remote training.

Suggested Citation

  • Mikel Perales Jarillo & Luis Pedraza & Pablo Moreno Ger & Elvira Bocos, 2019. "Challenges of Online Higher Education in the Face of the Sustainability Objectives of the United Nations: Carbon Footprint, Accessibility and Social Inclusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:20:p:5580-:d:274990
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gwendolyn Bailey & Thomas LaPoint, 2016. "Comparing Greenhouse Gas Emissions across Texas Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, January.
    2. Chung-Ho Su & Ting-Wen Cheng, 2019. "A Sustainability Innovation Experiential Learning Model for Virtual Reality Chemistry Laboratory: An Empirical Study with PLS-SEM and IPMA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-24, February.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Yuanhong Tian & Matthias Ruth & Dajian Zhu & Jinfeng Ding & Nicholas Morris, 2019. "A Sustainability Assessment of Five Major Food Crops’ Water Footprints in China from 1978 to 2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Ricardo Mendoza-González & Sergio Luján-Mora & Salvador Otón-Tortosa & Mary Sánchez-Gordón & Mario Alberto Rodríguez-Díaz & Ricardo Emmanuel Reyes-Acosta, 2022. "Guidelines to Establish an Office of Student Accessibility Services in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Yuqing Geng & Nan Zhao, 2020. "Measurement of sustainable higher education development: Evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Paola Ingavélez-Guerra & Vladimir Robles-Bykbaev & António Teixeira & Salvador Otón-Tortosa & José Ramón Hilera, 2022. "Accessibility Challenges in OER and MOOC: MLR Analysis Considering the Pandemic Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Erika González García & Ernesto Colomo Magaña & Andrea Cívico Ariza, 2020. "Quality Education as a Sustainable Development Goal in the Context of 2030 Agenda: Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    8. María Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares & Sara Gutiérrez-González & Ángel Rodríguez & Lourdes Alameda Cuenca-Romero & Verónica Calderón & Miguel Ángel Queiruga-Dios, 2020. "Systematic Review on Inclusive Education, Sustainability in Engineering: An Analysis with Mixed Methods and Data Mining Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    9. Cristian Timbi-Sisalima & Mary Sánchez-Gordón & José Ramón Hilera-Gonzalez & Salvador Otón-Tortosa, 2022. "Quality Assurance in E-Learning: A Proposal from Accessibility to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-27, March.
    10. Irene Gómez-Marí & Pilar Sanz-Cervera & Raúl Tárraga-Mínguez, 2021. "Teachers’ Knowledge Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, May.

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