Goal 4 - Quality Education

Goal 4 - Quality Education

RMIT is committed to providing an exceptional educational experience for our diverse student body, with the RMIT Capabilities at the heart of this mission. These capabilities reflect our aspirations for graduates, focusing on distinctive, future-oriented knowledge and skills that support lifelong learning, career success, and wellbeing.

Our ambition towards ethical global citizenship, including a commitment to sustainability, engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is embodied in Capability 1 – Ethical Global Citizens.

Highlights of recent SDG 4 aligned activity are included below, with more information available in our 2024 Sustainability Annual Report (PDF 23 MB), with our 10 years of reporting progress outlined on the Sustainability Annual Report webpage.

Broader sustainability contributions are also highlighted in our organisational Annual Report, which are tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

2024 Case Studies

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RMIT Vietnam prioritises sustainability, integrating it into education as highlighted by a 2024 report from the School of Communication & Design. 

Associate Professor Donna Cleveland noted that 100% of the curriculum aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 95.7% incorporating sustainability elements. This prepares students for future careers by equipping them with skills to contribute to a sustainable future.

Dr Nguyen Van Thang Long emphasised the transformative learning environment created by combining theoretical knowledge and practical skills related to the SDGs. Associate Professor Rajkishore Nayak noted the curriculum's advantage for career readiness, particularly in the fashion industry. 

Challenges in implementing sustainability curricula were acknowledged by Dr Justin Battin, who stressed responsible practices beyond SDG labelling. Resource support for successful integration was advocated by Dr Hellmut Monz.

The report, ‘Integrating Sustainability in Curricula of School of Communication & Design,’ recommends strategies like enhancing stakeholder engagement and advocating for sustainability in academic training. 

A significant milestone was the Sustainability Symposium on 22 May 2024, themed ‘Imagining Sustainable Futures in Vietnam through Design and Communication,’ featuring a panel of six experts. This event showcased the school's leadership and RMIT Vietnam's commitment to advancing sustainability and preparing students for a sustainable future.

The Adventures of Soy Boy & Friends is a comic series co-designed with students, educators, and violence prevention experts to combat stereotypes and disinformation.

The term ‘Soy Boy’ is often used in the #manosphere to belittle men who don’t conform to traditional masculine ideals.

At RMIT, we’re creatively challenging these outdated narratives. In Semester 1 2024, young men were engaged on campus in a co-design process, including workshops and pop-ups, to explore creative ways to ‘rewrite the rules’ of the ‘Man Box’.

These sessions led to the creation of the Soy Boy comic storyline, offered as an alternative assessment for students in the Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media.

In Semester 2 2024, all students were invited to illustrate the comic as part of their coursework. Seven students participated, with Millie Ovenden’s adaptation selected for publication and promotion.

This project highlights how RMIT combines education, creativity, and innovation to challenge online narratives, drawing on young men’s lived experiences to redefine masculinity.

RMIT Online, in collaboration with Deloitte, has launched the Sustainability and Climate-Related Financial Reporting short course (TSUS207) to equip professionals with the skills to navigate evolving sustainability and climate related financial standards. This course is aligned with key frameworks such as the International Sustainability

Standards Board (ISSB) and the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), focusing on the four pillars of governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets.

Key learning outcomes:

  • Understand the impact of climate related risks and opportunities on financial performance.
  • Develop strategies for transparent and accountable climate-related reporting.
  • Identify and manage sustainability related risks and opportunities within organisational governance structures.

This course was designed for professionals in finance, accounting, sustainability, and governance roles seeking to enhance their expertise in climate-related financial reporting.

This course supports RMIT’s commitment to advancing sustainability as outlined in our Knowledge with Action strategy.

SDG Alignment Mapping Overview

As reported in the 2024 Sustainability Annual Report, there were 664 course units and 218 research projects aligned with SDG 4 in 2024, representing a wide range of initiatives for quality education. 

Other research insights are captured in the data below.

  • Course Units (Total): 664
  • Research Projects (Total): 218
  • International Research Partnerships (Total): 40
  • Publications (Total): 107
  • Publications in Top 25% Journal Percentiles by SJR (%): RMIT - 51.8 vs. Global Average - 46.4
  • Citations per Publication: RMIT - 1.1 vs. Global Average - 1.2
  • Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI): RMIT - 1.2 vs. Global Average - 1.1
  • National Contribution (%): 3.0%
  • International Collaboration (%): RMIT - 38.3 vs. Global Average - 20.4
  • Developing Country Collaboration (%): 28%
  • Low to Lower-Middle Income Country Collaboration (%): 20%

Research Projects and Initiatives Over the Years

The following research projects have been specifically aligned to Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the aim to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. These projects and initiatives are examples of the University’s contribution to the SDGs over the years.

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Bringing SDGs to Life in Accounting Education

The Accounting, Organisations and Society (AOS) course is a great example of commitment and innovation to meaningful education around the SDGs.

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Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership

The aims of this research partnership between Melbourne Water and RMIT University is to help prevent aquatic pollution.

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Animation in Cambodia

Animation in Cambodia is a project delivered jointly with the NGOs FutureSense & Challenges Abroad.

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The Litter Trackers: Reducing Littering by Education

Most litter that ends up in Port Phillip Bay comes from the catchments. Education is an integral tool for achieving long-term change in community behaviors and reducing litter in waterways and the Bay.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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