Unlocking the Potential of ESG and AI in Higher Education Finance: Insights from a Study across Five European Countries
Tina Vukasović
DOBA Business School, Maribor; International School for Social and Business Studies, Celje, and University of Primorska – Slovenia
Rok Strašek
University of Primorska – Slovenia
Liliya Terzieva; Esmee Messemaker
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
Elenita Velikova
University of National and World Economy
Justyna Tomala, Maria Urbaniec,
Jarosław Pawlik
Krakow University of Economics
Michael Murg, Anita Maček
JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-1-unl
Abstract. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study conducted in five European countries (Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands) as part of the GenESG Erasmus+ project. The research explored how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) content and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are integrated into higher education finance programmes. Data was collected through focus groups with academic staff and analyzed thematically. The study identified several systemic barriers to effective ESG and AI integration, including fragmented curricula, limited interdisciplinarity, lack of standardized competencies, and insufficient ethical frameworks for AI use. Nonetheless, good practices were observed, especially in Slovenia and the Netherlands, where project-based and AI-supported pedagogical models are emerging. The findings highlight the importance of practical skills development, ethical guidance, and motivation-enhancing teaching strategies. Recommendations include curriculum standardization, interdisciplinary cooperation, ethical AI integration, and targeted faculty training. The study contributes novel insights into aligning education with the goals of sustainable and digital transformation in Europe’s higher education systems.
Keywords: Sustainable Finance, ESG Education, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education, Curriculum Innovation, Interdisciplinarity, Ethical AI Use JEL classification code: I23, Q56, O33
Information Literacy in the Digital World: Challenges Facing the Young Generation
Slavyanka Angelova,
Lubomira Hristova
South-West University “Neofit Rilski”
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-2-inf
Abstract. Nowadays access to knowledge in various fields can be instantaneous. In the digital world, an unlimited amount of information is available through numerous online resources – social media and networks, news websites, specialized publications, databases, and more. In this vast landscape, an individual‘s ability to recognize reliable and relevant information is crucial. Even more valuable are young people‘s skills in evaluating digital content, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms increasingly contribute to its generation.
This article highlights the growing importance of information literacy for young people. It is examined as a complex set of knowledge, skills, and competencies that individuals acquire and refine to use different sources critically and effectively. In this context, the article discusses the results of an independent empirical study conducted among students. The focus is on analysing the current state of information literacy, particularly in terms of the cognitive component, students‘ skills, and emerging trends. The study‘s research tool is a questionnaire designed in accordance with the guidelines of the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2).
Keywords: information literacy; digitalization; academic education; young people; lifelong learning
Practice-Based Learning in Tourism Education
Nadezhda S. Kostadinova
St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-3-pbl
Abstract. The paper’s emphasis is on education in the field of tourism, highlighting active forms of teaching and knowledge acquisition for the sector. The literature review comes to reveal the importance of practicing while learning and outlines a complex of transformative educational methods, researched by contemporary scientists. It also provides the context for the study case presented, specifically the educational practice led by the Department of Tourism at St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. The aim of the study is to outline some backgrounds for commencing a process of educational transformation from passive to active learning in the field of tourism as well as to trace the process followed in the University of Veliko Turnovo. The methodology includes qualitative and quantitative analytical approaches. The discussions and results show that one way to properly integrate practice-based learning (PBL) in tourism education is to transform it from a passive to an active approach. The set of tools for this purpose includes: changed strategy of the academic department; inclusion of practice-pointed courses and activities; integration of on-the-go monitoring procedures.
Keywords: practice-based learning, tourism, education, PBL, passive-active transformation
Dynamics of Satisfaction with The Quality of Training of the Students from the Speciality “Real Estate Management” At UNWE
Yana Stoencheva
University of National and World Economy
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-4-dyn
Abstract. The present article is a continuation and comparison with the results obtained on this issue in a previous study. Not only is the knowledge gained with the help of the new empirical material being upgraded, but also new methods for evaluating structural changes are being experimented with. In this way, it becomes possible to assess the benefit of efforts to optimize the educational process by improving the qualification of teaching staff, updating curricula, applying foreign experience from trips of teachers to exchange experience in related foreign academic institutions, improving material base, digitization of part of the educational process and others. The results show that the findings of high interest in candidate student admission and high grades from the passed accreditation procedures are not accidental. A decisive role for the encouraging results obtained through the conducted survey, in our opinion, is played by the connection of training with practice and the personification of training. This approach enables the specialty covered in the study to gain permanent positions on the market of educational services in Bulgaria.
Keywords: student satisfaction; quality of training; coefficient of structural changes
JEL: A22, C1, I21, I28
The Role of Higher Education for the Professional Realisation of Students – Problems and Prospects
Anny Atanasova,
Viktoriya Kalaydzhieva,
Radostina Yuleva-Chuchulayna,
Kalina Durova-Angelova
South-West University „Neofit Rilski“
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-5-the
Abstract. Higher education is constantly evolving in parallel with societal transformations. This study examines the role of higher education for the professional realization of students through the dialectical unification of theoretical and practical knowledge. The aim is to outline the main problems and prospects in this area, as well as to propose possible measures for effectively addressing the identified challenges. The methodological preparation for creating the article is based on the observation, collection, and analysis of information materials from reports, strategies, as well as additional scientific materials to support the theoretical concept of the topic. Empirical research has also been conducted through questionnaires, and statistical methods have been used to process and analyse the results obtained. The results of the study emphasize the key role of higher education for the professional realization of students. The data show that students perceive the university not only as a place for acquiring knowledge but also as a means for future professional development. High levels of satisfaction with the specialties, material base, and teaching, as well as the willingness to recommend the programs, show students’ confidence in the educational process. Although a significant share of students remains unemployed, there is a clear desire for a practical orientation and integration into the labour market. This highlights the need for higher education to strengthen the connection with the real work environment through internships, practical projects and mentoring initiatives that further increase students’ confidence and preparedness for a successful career.
Keywords: higher education, professional realization, higher education institutions, practical training.
Current Research on Scientific Literacy in Teacher Education
Svetlana Angelova
New Bulgarian University
https://doi.org/10.53656/str2025-6-6-rew
The monography "Natural Science Literacy and a Model for Interaction" by Assist. Prof. Magdalena Stoyanova, PhD, who teaches at the Faculty of Educational Studies and the Arts at Sofia University (Stoyanova 2025), spans 300 pages and is structured into an introduction, five chapters, references and addendums. In the introduction she argues that the last few years have seen active discussion as to how the continuity of environmentally friendly education in the institutions from preschool childhood to higher education can be achieved. From the very beginning M. Stoyanova shares that the topic's relevance is further supported by the National Strategy for Encouraging and Increasing Literacy (2014 – 2024). According to her, literacy is interpreted in both a narrow and a broad sense, and, during the last fifteen years, as "literacy in the natural sciences and technologies". As the author states, "natural science literacy as a new field for research", though important for our time, "plays a secondary role in kindergardens" and partially in the primary school stage. "This can be explained by teachers' and managers' uncertainty in testing and evaluating new methods for preschool education, on the one hand; on the other, in overcoming the normative documentation and the traditional methodology plans for the academic education of teachers" (p. 6).
