UN SDG 4: Quality education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Our research
Academics from our School of Education are working on a project, supported by Meta, studying the benefits immersive technologies can bring to education. A team led by Dr Neil McDonnell is examining the practical and operational considerations of using immersive technologies like extended reality (XR) in education, including teacher capacity and classroom deployment practicalities. The research is generously supported by a gift from Meta’s Immersive Learning Fund, allowing researchers to remain independent whilst working on the project. The announcement follows a recent survey by XR Association (XRA) and the International Society for Technology in Education which found that over two-thirds of educators hope that immersive technologies will be used regularly in schools and 77% believe in the power of extended reality to ignite curiosity and classroom engagement.
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Learning & teaching
Our Adam Smith Business School, who are Advanced Signatories of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), submitted their first Sharing Information on Progress report in 2022. By joining PRME, the school has made a powerful commitment to advancing values such as sustainability, responsibility and ethics in teaching, research and thought leadership. PRME has resulted in several school-wide initiatives, including the embedment of the UN SDGs in teaching; the creation of a webinar series focusing on the importance of sustainability and responsibility in how businesses responded to COVID-19; and the student-led DigiGallus Connect project, which aims to close the digital divide by connecting people online.
Our Centre for Research & Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning (CR&DALL) demonstrates the contribution research in adult and continuing education can make to promoting socio-economic justice; social inclusion and cohesion; sustainable development; and poverty reduction. It aims to enable capabilities and improve life chances for all, including those most at risk in the global south and north. CR&DALL is recognised as one of the most significant centres in the field by key agencies such as the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning, the Asia- Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband.
CR&DALL contributed to large-scale projects involving SDG4 and its interface with other SDGs. These include Transforming education for sustainable futures; GALLANT; Gendered journeys of STEM students in India and Rwanda; Social and scientific innovation to achieve the SDGs; Educational peacebuilding in Medellin and Acapulco; and the Centre for Sustainable, Healthy & Learning Cities & Neighbourhoods.
CR&DALL hosted the 17th Higher Education Reform conference on the relevance of the SDGs for higher education policy in 2023, supporting ASEF in the delivery of its 23rd Summer University for young adults on ‘Liveable cities for a sustainable future’. It provides the Chair for the Asia-Europe Lifelong Learning Network on national policies in lifelong learning and hosts the European centre of the PASCAL Observatory on place, social capital and learning.
University operations
The University’s Widening Access team has launched a partnership with educational charity IntoUniversity providing educational support to 7- to 18-year-olds from two of the most deprived areas of Glasgow. The programmes running in Govan and Maryhill support young people’s progression into higher education.
The University works closely with local schools, Glasgow City Council and other agencies to offer a programme of after-school academic support, mentoring with university students and local professionals, in-school workshops and work experience opportunities.
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Civic engagement
The University of Glasgow’s Professor Louise Hayward led a major review of Scottish education. The report sets out the case for significant change across the sector, including the reform of the current senior school phase, the creation of a new Scottish Diploma of Achievement (SDA), and the use of a digital profile for all learners which allows them to record personal achievements, identify and plan future learning. The report offers the potential to provide a more valuable senior phase experience for learners, build teaching resources and improve the quality of information available to employers, universities and colleges about learners’ achievements.
The Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science project (STACS), based at the University, published its first annual review, highlighting successes in providing support to computing science teachers across Scotland. Over the last 12 months, STACS has developed a central hub website for all things computing science at schools, creating more than 200 hours of high-quality, engaging lessons for the first three years of secondary school, embedding best-practice pedagogy and research around the delivery of computing science. STACS has also launched a national upskilling pilot programme for teachers, helped to connect tech companies with schools and established knowledge-sharing networks celebrating incoming teachers into the profession.
We’re supporting computing science teachers with the Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science project, which helps to create high-quality, engaging lessons and embed best-practice pedagogy and research.
Find out about our progress towards the 17 SDGs:
