International Higher Education Teacher Award ^2024/25

The CERL for CSRis good practice transforms higher education by integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability through a community-engaged learning approach. The initiative is built on collaboration between a lecturer and the Corvinus Science Shop, a center for community engagement, evolving from BA-level courses into an MA-level program supported by a corporate partner. Students design implementable CSR projects for community partners, fostering a mutual learning process that benefits both the academic and societal spheres. Innovative Aspects: 1. Real-World Application: Students address genuine community challenges by developing CSR proposals that community partners can implement with pro bono corporate support. 2. Mutual Benefit: The course fosters co-creation of knowledge and solutions, strengthening ties between academia, society, and business. 3. Skills Development: Students acquire critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills while engaging with sustainability challenges. 4. Impactful Reflection: Assignments emphasize reflection, fostering awareness of individual responsibility and societal impact. Main Outcomes and Outputs: • Students produced over 14 CSR projects with 11 community partners at the BA level and 3 partners at the MA level, directly addressing local and global sustainability challenges. • Feedback loops involving community partners and students have enhanced the course structure, ensuring its long-term relevance. • The practice fosters behavioral and attitudinal changes, as evidenced by shifts in students’ sustainability preferences and their long-term commitment to socially responsible careers. Key Activities: • Partnerships with diverse community partners to align CSR projects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • Assignments ranging from stakeholder mapping to CSR strategy development, integrated with reflective practices. This good practice demonstrates a strong alignment between impact and mission with and for society and the horizontal priority of sustainability, fostering societal improvement through education. By preparing future leaders with sustainable and socially responsible mindsets, the initiative bridges academic theory with practical, global challenges, contributing meaningfully to SDG achievement.

Methodology

The methodology of CER for CSRfor this practice revolves around community -engaged research and learning (CERL), and it which integrates Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability principles into higher education. The approach is built on a collaborative framework among the lecturer, the Corvinus Science Shop and its community partners, alongside corporate stakeholder. This method allows students to engage with real-world problems, transforming theoretical knowledge into practical solutions, take responsibility for their output during the partnership with community and corporate partners and generate societal impact. The process begins with planning with, where community partners, including social enterprises, NGOs and CSOs are selected for joining the collaboration in a given semester. These partners align with specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that the projects created by students address significant societal issues such as social inclusion, sustainable cities and communities, reducing poverty and inequalities, responsible production and consumption and quality education. Academic staff work closely with the community partners to understand their needs, ensuring that the CSR projects will have a real-world impact. In parallel, course syllabi are designed to include essential CSR frameworks and sustainability concepts that are contextualized to the needs of the community partners. During the implementation phase, students are tasked with creating CSR proposals, often involving stakeholder mapping, CSR models, website analysis. These tasks are distributed as assignments and group projects throughout the semester, where students work in teams to develop actionable and sustainable CSR projects for the community partners. The collaborative process also includes students conducting fieldwork, participating in workshops, and engaging with community representatives to gain first-hand insights into the partner's needs and challenges. The practice benefits from the invaluable support of pro bono corporate partner, who provide expertise, resources, and strategic guidance, ensuring the CSR projects developed by students are not only academically rigorous but also practical, actionable, and aligned with real-world business practices. The practice thrives on continuous feedback loops. At multiple stages, community partners review the progress of student work and provide detailed feedback. These insights help refine the projects to ensure they meet both academic standards and practical requirements. Academic staff serve as facilitators, guiding students through complex CSR concepts while ensuring their projects are feasible and valuable to the community partners. Finally, students engage in self-reflection to assess their learning journey. They reflect on the challenges they faced, the skills they developed, and the impact their work will have on the community. This reflection encourages deeper learning and provides insights into their growth as responsible global citizens. The feedback from community partners also becomes an integral part of the evaluation process, ensuring that the practice is not only academically enriching but also practically beneficial to society.

Tools, equipment, technology used

This goodCERL for CSR practice makes use of various tools, equipment, and technologies to facilitate the learning process, enhance collaboration, and ensure effective project implementation. The primary tool is the Moodle and Neptun platforms, used for distributing assignments, managing communications, and submitting student work. These digital platforms ensure that students remain connected, particularly in a hybrid or remote learning environment. The platforms support real-time communication, allowing for instant feedback and collaborative work. In terms of innovative tools, virtual collaboration technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are employed for meetings, workshops, and presentations, especially during situations where in-person interaction is limited. These tools allow students to maintain direct communication with community partners, regardless of geographic constraints, facilitating collaborative learning and idea-sharing. Teams e.g. enables collaboration by being accessible from in and outside the university, thus community partners can have the same access as students. Moodle and Neptun did not provide for this mutuality. Another key aspect of this practice’s innovation lies in its reflective tools. Students’ online surveys to track their progress, gather peer and partner feedback, and assess their own learning outcomes. These tools support continuous personal development and allow students to engage in meta-cognitive practices that deepen their understanding of CSR and sustainability issues.

Outcomes and outputs, main results

The outcomes and outputs of this good practice have far-reaching impacts both for students and for the community partners involved. Over the course of multiple semesters, students have successfully developed CSR projects in collaboration with 11 community partners at the BA level and 3 partners at the MA level11 community partners. These projects cover a range of SDG-related issues, including social inclusion, sustainable cities and communities, reducing poverty and inequalities, responsible production and consumption and quality education.social inclusion, environmental sustainability, quality education, and poverty alleviation. The outputs from these projects have been both tangible and actionable, with community partners adopting many of the CSR strategies proposed by students. For instance, students have conducted CSR audits, developed stakeholder maps, and formulated sustainability action plans. These projects have been directly used by community partners to secure corporate partnerships, enhance fundraising efforts, or guide the implementation of CSR initiatives. The practice also provides measurable results in terms of the skills acquired by students. Alumni surveys have shown that students gain a profound understanding of CSR principles and are more likely to pursue careers in sustainability and responsible business. Another significant outcome is the shift in students’ attitudes towards sustainability. Surveys administered before and after the course demonstrate that students experience a marked increase in their commitment to sustainable practices, both professionally and personally. This shift reflects the success of the practice in fostering a sense of responsibility and in helping students understand the profound impact that their actions can have on society and the environment. The real-world impact of the projects is also evident in the way community partners have leveraged the student proposals to create long-term value. The projects often lead to the establishment of sustainable partnerships between community partners and corporations, promoting continuous collaborations that extend well beyond the academic year.

Lessons learnt

Throughout the implementation of this practice, several critical lessons have emerged, particularly concerning effective collaboration, sustainability, and student engagement. One major lesson is the importance of setting clear expectations and goals at the beginning of the project. It’s essential for all stakeholders—students, lectureeducators, and community partners—to have a mutual understanding of the project objectives and the intended outcomes. Misalignment at this early stage can lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies later in the process. Another key lesson is the need for continuous feedback. Regular feedback from community partners is essential to ensure that the students' work remains relevant and feasible. The collaboration should not be a one-time interaction but rather an ongoing dialogue that ensures both academic rigor and practical applicability. A critical challenge identified during the practice was ensuring project scalability. While students produced high-quality proposals, not all projects were immediately implementable due to the capacity or resource constraints of community partners. Moving forward, it's vital to assess the feasibility of the projects early on, providing adequate support to ensure they can be scaled effectively. Finally, student engagement remains central to the success of this practice. It’s important to maintain high levels of motivation and enthusiasm throughout the course. This can be achieved by incorporating hands-on experiences going out of the university building and visiting the community partner on a field trip, real-world challenges, and opportunities for students to see the impact of their work on the community.

Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)

This practice CERL for CSR practice is highly adaptable to other institutions. The methodology of community-engaged learning can be replicated by universities worldwide, particularly those that wish to integrate sustainability and CSR into their curricula. The practice is flexible and can be tailored to the specific needs of local communities or regions, addressing diverse issues ranging from environmental sustainability to social entrepreneurship. Institutions can adapt the practice by identifying suitable community partners and establishing clear roles for corporate stakeholders to ensure that the projects have a lasting impact. The CERL for CSR practice's sustainability is demonstrated through its long-term impact on students, community partners, and the academic institution itself. For students, the learning extends beyond the classroom, equipping them with practical knowledge and a sustainable mindset. Many alumni report that their participation in the program significantly influenced their professional trajectories, particularly in CSR and sustainability roles. Community partners also benefit from the ongoing implementation of CSR proposals, leading to sustainable development within the organizations. The partnerships formed during the course provide community partners with a platform for continuous collaboration, ensuring that the CSR projects continue to deliver value long after the course ends. By embedding sustainability principles into both the curriculum and the community projects, the practice ensures that its outcomes are sustained over time.

Promotion of best practice

The best practice is promoted through a variety of channels to ensure its wider dissemination and adoption. The practice is actively shared via university websites, academic journals, and conferences focusing on sustainability and CSR education. Presentations at national and international conferences allow the practice to be showcased to a wider audience, encouraging other institutions to adopt similar models. Additionally, social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook are utilized to share success stories, project outcomes, and lessons learned. This helps build a network of stakeholders including community organizations, corporate partners, and other educational institutions. Furthermore, the university organizes workshops to engage educators, lecturers, and institutions globally, demonstrating how community-engaged learning can be successfully integrated into sustainability curricula. The excellence of this initiative has been recognized by prestigious accolades, including the PRME Faculty Teaching Award 2024 in Marketing category, and selection into the QS Reimagine Education Awards’ Sustainability Education Literacy category, ranking within the top 25% globally. These honors significantly enhance the visibility and credibility of the practice, inspiring further adoption and collaboration.

Scope and impact

• Course/department level
• Faculty level
• Institutional level
• Cross-institutional level
• National level
• EU/EHEA/International level

The practice’s scope extends to multiple levels: • Course/department level: It is integrated into the Corporate Sustainability and CSR course, offering students a direct link between their education and real-world CSR challenges. • Faculty level: The practice contributes to the faculty’s broader mission of integrating sustainability into its academic programs. Learning of the lecturer of this course are taken to the academic development programs offered to faculty by the Corvinus Science Shop. Being a leading example it is a role model to other lecturer to experiment with and transform their courses for integrating CERL. • Institutional level: At Corvinus University of Budapest, this practice aligns with the institution's strategic goals of embedding sustainability and social responsibility into education. This is one of the approximately 25-40 community engaged courses in an academic year supported by the Corvinus Science Shop within the university providing an outreach to community partners for 5-10 % of students. The course paves the way for other courses in the field as well as courses at university in different disciplines to embed CERL in their practice. • Cross-institutional level: The methodology is shared with other universities through academic networks and collaborative partnerships, helping to scale the practice globally. A dramatized/role-played version of the course was introduced at local and international events to lecturers, membersof Higher Education Institutions interested in CERL across Hungary in person and in Central Easter Europe online. • National level: The practice supports Hungary’s national goals related to CSR, sustainability, and SDG achievement. • EU/EHEA/International level: It aligns with the European Higher Education Area’s goals to foster socially responsible leadership and contribute to the EU’s broader sustainability and CSR objectives. In all these ways, the practice has a profound and lasting impact on students, community partners, and society at large, demonstrating how higher education can play a pivotal role in promoting sustainability and social responsibility.

6.1 Digitalization

• Novel digital solutions (tools, frameworks, devices, tasks to enhance efficiency and motivation)

Reasoning: Digitalization enhances this practice through novel digital solutions like Mentimeter and Kahoot, which are used to increase motivation, support classroom engagement, and ensure inclusivity. These tools foster active participation by allowing all students to share their opinions anonymously in real-time, creating a more interactive and dynamic learning environment. By visualizing collective responses instantly, they encourage open discussion and critical thinking, while boosting overall student.

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6.2 Internationalization

• Students engagement in international projects
• Courses implemented in international cooperation (projects, co-teaching, virtual/blended mobility, etc.)
• Courses offered to international multicultural students both online and offline

Reasoning: Internationalization is embedded in CERL for CSR practice through collaboration with international corporate partners like Deloitte and through cross-border CSR projects. The course is part of the CEMS program, which connects students from multiple countries. Virtual platforms such as Teams and Moodle support international collaboration and communication between students, community partners, and corporate stakeholders, enhancing the global dimension of the learning experience.

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6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design

• Innovative teaching methodology for inclusion and meet diverse student needs
• (Innovative) use of devices and tools for inclusion

Reasoning: CERL for CSR practice ensures inclusion by adopting a universal design approach in course activities. The course incorporates group work and collaborative projects, accommodating students from diverse backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles. The use of digital tools supports flexible learning environments, ensuring students with varying needs can access materials and engage in the learning process. Additionally, students are sensitized to diverse societal needs by working on CSR projects.

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6.4 Sustainability

• Social entrepreneurship projects, service-learning in the topic
• Environmental attitude, skill development and assessment either general or profession-related
• Sustainability aspects are considered in all phases of the learning practice - "hidden curriculum"

Reasoning: The course integrates sustainability with a focus on creating impact with and for society. Content explicitly addresses SDGs like reducing inequalities (SDG 10), sustainable cities (SDG 11), and partnerships (SDG 17) through topics such as CSR and stakeholder engagement. The community-engaged learning methodology ensures students collaborate directly with community partners, designing implementable CSR strategies that address real societal needs. These activities foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork while aligning with sustainability goals. Assessments, including CSR proposals, stakeholder analyses, and community presentations, measure students’ ability to apply sustainability principles in real-world contexts. By addressing genuine challenges for the community, students’ projects contribute meaningful solutions, bridging academia and society for lasting societal impact.

3.3 Public contact datas

Name	Email address	Website
Réka Matolay	science.shop@uni-corvinus.hu	https://www.uni-corvinus.hu/main-page/research/corvinus-science-shop/?lang=en