Embedding sustainability in digital education: Insights from the learning programme pilot at the University of Alcala

Through the Digital4Sustainability pilot activities, partners across Europe are exploring innovative approaches to developing digital sustainability skills and equipping learners and professionals for the twin digital and green transition. 

We spoke with Dr. Luis Fernandez-Sanz from the University of Alcalá (UAH) about their experience delivering the pilot, what motivated them to take part, and why digital sustainability should play a central role in educating the next generation of IT professionals. 

In this interview, Dr. Luis Fernandez-Sanz explains what he found most valuable about the learning programme, reflects on students’ responses to the course, and shares why he believes sustainability should become an integral part of computing and engineering education. He also discusses the next steps for expanding the programme beyond the pilot phase. 

What motivated the University of Alcalá to participate in the Digital4Sustainability pilot? 

Twin transition is a clear trend in the European Union, and UAH cannot stay apart from it.  Our vision is more comprehensive than merely green IT or one simply restricted to the environmental impact of technology. We already participated in a previous project, GreenCo, which was more oriented towards young people and focused on the ecofriendly use of digital activities. We then realised that other aspects of sustainability are frequently ignored, and the Digital4Sustainability project gave us the opportunity to provide a more comprehensive view of the topic to professionals, as well as to future talent – in this case, PhD Students in the area of computing and engineering. 

Which aspects of the course did you find most valuable? 

I am very satisfied of the combination of knowledge and practical application to real contexts in the form of case studies with clear reasoning and solutions covering the three aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. The creative solutions for delivering an online course through an LMS, which is the minimum standard of quality, while keeping the need for active tutoring limited, suggest a brilliant opportunity for easy future exploitation in other contexts. 

How did students respond to the course? 

The students were enthusiastic about the course. We filled all 30 places offered in this first edition.  

The course received very positive feedback from participants, with 93% rating it as either “Excellent” (68%) or “Good” (25%). 

Do you think digital sustainability should become a standard component of computer science and engineering curricula? Why? 

It is an important transversal component that should be included in many existing courses, probably rather than adding several specific courses at the undergraduate level, as programmes are already packed. Treating relevant topics such as technical debt in Software Quality or Software Engineering courses and exploring and calculating algorithmic complexity and its effects on energy consumption through computing load are simple examples of how traditional technical topics can incorporate sustainability. At the same time, programmes should not forget the social dimension, including, for example, digital accessibility as a key aspect of the design and development of systems and digital information. 

You mentioned plans to continue and expand the programme. What are the next steps for Universidad de Alcalá? 

We plan to organise new editions targeting IT professionals and foreign students through the extensive network of CEPIS, the umbrella organisation for IT professionals in Europe, representing societies from 29 countries. CEPIS is also an associated partner of the Digital4Sustainability project. For this new edition, UAH is planning to offer some places where participants can earn a UAH micro credential free of charge. It is also likely to we will launch a Spanish-language edition of the course for the local audience.

Looking ahead

University of Alcalá’s experience with the Digital4Sustainability pilot shows how sustainability can be brought into digital education in a meaningful and practical way. By connecting technical knowledge with environmental, economic, and social perspectives, the programme encourages future IT professionals to think more broadly about the impact of the technologies they create and use. 

UAH’s experience provides one perspective on how digital sustainability can become part of education and professional development. We look forward to sharing more stories from the Digital4Sustainability pilots and the approaches, challenges, and lessons emerging along the way.