From concept to competence: advancing sustainability education through challenge-based learning in higher education

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Bridging the Campus-Community Gap This research highlights a critical perspective shift for higher education: universities must move beyond simply "greening" their campus operations and instead focus on transforming students into active agents of change. By validating Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) as a tool for sustainability, we see a clear pathway for students to take ownership of complex issues and implement tangible solutions, such as rainwater harvesting and zero-waste initiatives, that directly benefit the broader community. A Blueprint for Latin America and Beyond While the benefits of active learning are globally recognized, this study provides much-needed empirical evidence from a Latin American context. It demonstrates how institutional commitments to the UN SDGs can be successfully operationalized in the classroom, offering a scalable pedagogical model that other universities can adapt to foster interdisciplinary engagement and improve graduate employability. Refining Pedagogical Inclusivity While the overwhelming majority of participants thrived, the research also acknowledges that a small percentage (5%) found the open-ended, highly self-directed nature of CBL challenging. A key perspective moving forward is the need to design differentiated scaffolding strategies within active learning frameworks to ensure equitable outcomes and support for all diverse learner profiles. Future Directions: Longitudinal Tracking To build upon these findings, future research must look beyond short-term, semester-long interventions. The next critical step is to conduct longitudinal studies and implement external assessments to evaluate the long-term retention of these sustainability competencies and track how effectively graduates transfer these skills into their professional careers and civic lives.

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