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

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.