Advances in Educational Research and Evaluation

This paper reports on the teaching of integrated STEM disciplines at the officially best school for creative and talented students of the Russian Federation. The paper shares how the success of this integration and the advancement of STEM education and research within the school is due to historical, cultural, and national practices of fostering creativity and giftedness at the pre-college level. Signature pedagogy of using concrete problems as a motivation for the study of abstract ideas is discussed. The merit of using traditional skills in mathematics in the digital era is demonstrated in the integrated context of entrance examination to the school and the modern-day digital technology. Several examples of research-oriented projects completed by the students at the school are presented.

Higher education institutions have the responsibility to lead the transformation of thinking through education, promoting a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable world, and playing a crucial role in the development of a sustainable society. The main challenge they face is to promote the principles of sustainability in society while adhering to their traditional missions, and at the same time becoming more sustainable organizations themselves. Over the past three decades, higher education institutions around the world have undertaken numerous sustainable development initiatives and have made significant progress. Sustainability in Higher Education: Strategies, Performance, and Future Challenges aims to provide guidance for higher education institutions in managing and leading sustainable transformation.