Dataset Information

The path of universities to sustainability: Students perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic baffled the traditional educational system and the face-to-face educational process, shifting to the online environment. Almost all university activities were carried out online for a period of time, which put pressure on university strategies, including sustainability. To maintain the international ranking of universities applying a sustainability strategy, the largest and most representative university in Romania continued to implement the principles of sustainability in its activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus fostering a positive, strong, and trustworthy image amongst its main group of stakeholders, namely students.

Objective/aim

The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent students related to the university's sustainable strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess whether students could rely on their university to integrate sustainability-related strategies into the overall university strategy.

Methods/instruments

The authors propose a conceptual model to generate trust in the sustainable practices, which is analyzed with the help of structural equations in SmartPLS.

Results

The results highlight the fact that the students continued to adopt sustainability principles during the pandemic, expressing their preference that the university continue to implement its sustainability strategy, although the focus was on the safety measures generated by the new context. This strategy focusses on sustainable practises, green mobility, and consumption, and, of course, on the sustainable initiatives that address them.

Conclusions/implications

The article presents research based on stakeholder theory, emphasizing the numerous implications for higher education institutions, which can adopt different good practices with a view to improving stakeholder trust and satisfaction.

SUBMITTER: Dabija DC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10037916 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The path of universities to sustainability: Students perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dabija Dan-Cristian DC Câmpian Veronica V Tiron-Tudor Adriana A Stanca Liana L

Heliyon 20230324 4

<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic baffled the traditional educational system and the face-to-face educational process, shifting to the online environment. Almost all university activities were carried out online for a period of time, which put pressure on university strategies, including sustainability. To maintain the international ranking of universities applying a sustainability strategy, the largest and most representative university in Romania continued to implement the principles of ...[more]

PMID: 37035352

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Project description:BackgroundTo explore perspectives of work readiness, including readiness to work rurally, among health students trained in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsParticipants were allied health, medicine, and nursing students in the later years of their degree (third, fourth or final year of an undergraduate entry to practice degree, or second year of postgraduate entry to practice degree), where training is clinically immersive. These students had completed a University Department of Rural Health facilitated rural and remote placement between January 2021 and October 2022. They participated in a cross-sectional online survey (n = 426), comprising Likert-scale questions. Interested survey respondents participated in a semi-structured interview (n = 34). Multiple logistic regression was conducted to examine the predictors of work readiness within the survey, and interview data was analysed via reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsAmong survey respondents, 69.7% felt they would be ready to be a health practitioner when the time came to graduate and 71.8% felt clinically prepared to work in a rural location. Concerns about having developed enough clinical skills on placements to competently practice on graduation and being able to continue studying their course during the pandemic were both predictive of work readiness and feeling clinically prepared to work rurally. Four themes reflecting factors impacting work readiness were developed from interview data: (1) 'I'd estimate probably a 20-30% reduction in face-to-face handling practice over the course of all of my placements' encompassed student concerns regarding the collective impact of cancelled placements and lower patient attendance at healthcare facilities on clinical skill development; (2) 'Two and a half years of sitting behind a computer' related to student experiences of superficial learning and cohort disconnectedness due to online course delivery and loss of on campus simulations; (3) 'I'll still need like a lot of support in my grad year' related to students recognising the need for support and supervision post-qualifying to bridge the gaps in their learning; and (4) 'We are the COVID nurses' encompassed student recognition of skills gained including communication skills, competence with technology and telehealth, knowledge of infection control, and work readiness skills (e.g. adaptability and resilience) as a result of training during the global pandemic.ConclusionsUniversities can support work readiness during pandemic circumstances by fostering clinical skills development through continuation of quality placement experiences and face-to-face curriculum delivery. Although health graduates trained during the pandemic are likely to have a range of additional work ready skills, health services will need to proactively support their transition into the workforce in the coming years.

Dataset Information

The path of universities to sustainability: Students perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Objective/aim

Methods/instruments

Results

Conclusions/implications

Publications

The path of universities to sustainability: Students perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar Datasets

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