Sustainable development goals in the subject sustainability and environmental technology in the degree of engineering in industrial design and product development at ULPGC

Abstract

This paper shows the change in the perception of the Sustainability and Environmental Technology subject in the students of the degree in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development at ULPGC in the last years. The changes made to the teaching project have led to a higher interest of students in the subject as well as an increased importance of this subject in their studies plan. Among the modifications, the use of social networks (mainly Instagram) was implemented as a way to motivate students and to engage them through the learning and dissemination of the main concepts related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), although also covering other aspects such as life cycle assessment, eco-design or recycling, among others. The curriculum was realigned to include new topics, so that the subject is well contextualized in the degree; initially the subject just dealt with topics related to control and treatment of pollution, while the new outline includes recycling, life cycle assessment and eco-design, among others. The questionnaires performed to students at the beginning and end of the term show a high degree of satisfaction and the courses developed with a high degree of implication and motivation from the students’ side.