Integrating Sustainable Development Goals in higher education: Academic performance and students’ appreciation

Higher education institutions play a key role in advancing the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). However, Spanish universities rarely incorporate SDGs into their curricula, and sustainability is not systematically integrated into the curricula of Business Analytics degree programs in the country. This pilot study examines whether integrating ESD through project-based service-learning activities with cross-disciplinary projects is associated with differences in academic performance and how students appreciate the experience. A post-test quasi-experimental design with a historical control group was applied. The experimental group (Business Analytics students (n = 86 after exclusions)), developed SL projects focused on the SDGs. The control group (n = 38 after exclusions) completed the same project structure but on topics unrelated to sustainability. Academic performance was measured through final grades and a written exam; student appreciation was analyzed through 13 team-authored reflections. The final-grade comparison showed a small descriptive difference between groups; the written exam also showed no significant difference ( d = −0.14). Because the study was underpowered, these results do not establish non-inferiority or equivalence. Students in the 13 teams expressed positive appreciation, with eight teams expressing an orientation toward social action, seven reporting increased knowledge of specific SDGs, and six expressing self-reported personal impact. This low-barrier approach suggests that SDG-focused service-learning can be introduced into existing academic frameworks without a detectable difference in performance on the common course content in this sample, although further research with stronger designs is needed to confirm causality and long-term effects.