ASSESSING SDG LITERACY AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES AMONG UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandate that graduates transcend disciplinary training to become world citizens equipped to navigate and integrate complex environmental, social, and economic imperatives. Critically, many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) struggle to fully translate this responsibility into systemic change, resulting in a demonstrable gap in student preparedness. This study aimed to critically evaluate the efficacy of institutional efforts by comparing graduates’ learning experiences with their level of knowledge and awareness of the SDGs. A quantitative investigation was executed at a prominent Malaysian state-private university. Utilizing an empirically validated, adapted instrument (Cronbach’s α=0.977), data were gathered from a large sample of 1,062 graduates across all faculties. The study meticulously mapped ten dimensions of learning experience, ranging from syllabus effectiveness and lecturer support to exposure to global issues and campus living environments, against five scopes of SDG knowledge, including its application to career planning and personal impact. The critical findings revealed that the graduates' overall SDG knowledge spanned a wide and concerning range, ranging from moderately low to moderately high. This variability underscores the inconsistent penetration of the SDG agenda across academic and co-curricular domains. The results provide diagnostic insight into the uneven implementation landscape of a major Malaysian HEI. The study concludes that the reliance on fragmented or informal efforts is insufficient. To successfully bridge the knowledge-to-action gap and adequately prepare graduates as effective agents of sustainable change, the university must immediately commit to adopting rigorous, comprehensive, and institution-wide strategies that systematically embed the SDGs across all aspects of curriculum, policy, and campus life.