SUSTAINABLE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN INNOVATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ENGAGING GENERATION Z

• DOI: 10.37572/EdArt_2909256421

• Palavras-chave: Sustainable Learning in Education (SLE); Generation Z; Educational Environment; Higher Education Innovation; Four-Pillar Model

• Keywords: Sustainable Learning in Education (SLE); Generation Z; Educational Environment; Higher Education Innovation; Four-Pillar Model

• Abstract:

  Higher education today faces profound challenges: demographic decline, rising costs, competition from online providers, and the growing perception of students as consumers. At the same time, Generation Z learners bring new expectations, seeking educational experiences that are interactive, purposeful, and socially impactful. Responding to these dynamics requires moving beyond incremental reforms and reconceptualizing the educational environment as a holistic and sustainable system. This chapter proposes an integrated framework for a sustainable educational environment, anchored in the principles of Sustainable Learning in Education (SLE). Unlike traditional approaches that address single dimensions of higher education in isolation, our model identifies four interdependent pillars: (1) innovative teaching methods, (2) collaboration with the business world, (3) physical and social spaces—including student services—and (4) technology and digital learning environments. Together, these pillars form a dynamic ecosystem capable of aligning higher education with the values and needs of Generation Z, while also limiting the excesses of the student-as-consumer paradigm. The framework is empirically grounded in a case study from an Italian higher education institution in management studies, drawing on student satisfaction surveys and coordinator interviews. The findings confirm the importance of integrating pedagogical innovation, professional partnerships, inclusive infrastructures, and digital resources to foster student engagement, employability, and well-being. By embedding SLE as the guiding principle, the proposed model highlights how universities can move beyond transactional views of education and cultivate environments that sustain learning over time. The chapter concludes with practical implications for academic leaders and policy makers, underscoring the need for higher education to empower students not merely as consumers, but as adaptive learners and responsible citizens prepared to shape a resilient and sustainable future.