Insertion of sustainability performance indicators in an industry 4.0 virtual learning environment

Despite the profound impact caused by the technological revolution of the 20th and 21th centuries, many training practices, especially in formal education, have experienced little change. More holistic and self-sufficient means of education and training are necessary to meet the needs of manufacturing industry, incorporating success factors besides technical knowledge and economic viability, and one of the tools capable of delivering are serious games. One relevant concern when developing these tools is how to assess the learner's development and which goals to set as the learning challenge. To address this matter, this article contains a review of the sustainability assessment theory, focusing mainly on the social and environmental dimensions, and discusses the possibilities for incorporating theses metrics in a virtual learning environment both regarding their role for learning and motivation, their learning advantages and disadvantages as well as their relation to real practice, all in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. It aims to illustrate the usage of sustainability awareness as a learning outcome and the incorporation of sustainability indicators as tool to promote this development.