DIGITAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY (d – E f S): INVESTIGATIONS ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIGITAL LEARNING OF SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

The global proliferation of digital / social media offers opportunities and challenges in promoting sustainable practices. The growing use of digital platforms necessitates the incorporation of social media into sustainability education and learning to shape behaviors and foster sustainability skills. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are crucial in tackling sustainability concerns; nevertheless, conventional methods of promoting sustainability literacy frequently fail to translate knowledge into action. To address this gap, transformative digital learning methodologies are required that employ the interactive nature of social media to promote sustainable behavioral change. This study examines the potential of social media as a tool for sustainability learning and behavioral change in context of Qatar as a case study. Through social media experimentation, sustainability-oriented content was systematically disseminated via a digital Education-for-Sustainability (d-EfS) course on Instagram. This methodology was informed by the proposed Digital Learning and Teaching Assessment (d-LTA) framework, which was developed from insights gathered through interviews with primary stakeholders and refined further. Two surveys were distributed to assess the transfer of knowledge into actions and habits. A baseline survey was conducted to measure baseline knowledge, interest, and readiness to engage with sustainability information prior to exposure, followed by a post-engagement survey to evaluate the impact, engagement patterns, and behavioral changes resulting from digital sustainability initiative. Findings demonstrate that designed social media learning contents can improve sustainability literacy and promote behavioral changes among participants. The study presents a scalable d-LTA framework for incorporating digital sustainability education in the Gulf area, revealing how social media might enhance conventional educational systems. It also highlights the necessity for balanced and responsible usage to alleviate adverse impacts. The study is limited to Instagram, potentially restricting its generalizability to other digital platforms. Nevertheless, the study underscores the capacity of HEIs, policymakers, and educators to utilize social media as an effective transformative tool for learning, in accordance with national and global sustainability objectives of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goals 4 (Quality Education), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering