Tools To Reshape Engineering Education To Prepare Students And Professionals To Be Globally Responsible

Authors

Jonathan TRUSLOVE, Engineers Without Borders UK, United KingdomFollow
Sarah Jayne HITT, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE)Follow
Emma CRICHTON, Engineers Without Borders UK, United KingdomFollow
John KRAUS, Engineers Without Borders UK, United KingdomFollow
Juliet UPTON, Royal Academy of EngineeringFollow

Document Type

Conference Paper

Abstract

This paper describes the development of two tools that support educators to prepare the engineers of today and tomorrow for the simultaneous, deeply interconnected challenges that the 2023 Global Risks Report emphasises as a ‘polycrisis’. This picture is worsened when considering the Institution of Engineering and Technology in 2021 found that only 7% of 1,000 UK engineering companies with a sustainability strategy had the staff with the skills to fulfil it. Against this backdrop, meeting our commitments with integrity, upskilling the current workforce urgently, and ensuring degree courses are future-fit are crucial. In response, these two new actionable tools aid educators in exploring and accelerating curriculum change. First, the Global Responsibility Competency Compass is an articulation of the essential skills, knowledge and mindsets required by the globally responsible practices society needs today. The Compass is designed for everyday professionals in the engineering sector looking to effectively navigate the complexity, uncertainty, and challenges of our age. Second, the Reimagined Degree Map, helps educators develop robust action plans to consider the broader purpose of engineering education and design relevant learning. The Map supports the translation of intention into tangible changes by designing regular learning about engineers' understanding of their global responsibilities and how to navigate through them. This presentation will describe the context and process of the tools’ development and present feedback from key stakeholders and early adopters. Early results suggest the tools can support educators in collaboratively embedding sustainability and global responsibility as a core tenet across higher engineering education.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/1W7Y-XF49

Recommended Citation

Truslove, J., Hitt, S. J., Crichton, E., Kraus, J., & Upton, J. (2023). Tools To Reshape Engineering Education To Prepare Students And Professionals To Be Globally Responsible. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI). DOI: 10.21427/1W7Y-XF49

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.