Challenge driven education for sustainability in engineering. A white paper
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Date
2021-06-14
Authors
Tejedor, Gemma
Högfeldt, Anna-Karin
Segalas, Jordi
Gumaelius, Lena
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
Two contemporary academic movements can be argued to be important for the integration of more field- practice- and cross disciplinary team-based learning experiences into the engineering education curriculum. Firstly, the growth of research in sustainability challenges in combination with the need for change in engineering education, which is seen to evolve from environmental focus to the inclusion of social and transdisciplinary approaches. Secondly, the evolution of engineering education in general: from traditional and instructive to student centered, constructive and practice oriented as well as from isolated and exclusive to an inter-twined part of society, where society’s need for “socially responsible future entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders”. This implies that all engineers need to be equipped with knowledge, skills, values and experiences in order to meet the needs of society. Challenge driven education (CDE) is an evolving concept that can bridge engineering and sustainability. In the challenge driven education, students are working on real-life and often real-time challenges in society and industry. The students work with open-ended, ill-defined problems that do not have a single right answer. With the challenge driven education approach, the aim is to position ideas, innovations and decision making in the forefront of the learning process. InnoEnergy is a transnational educational initiative supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). From the investigation made on the integration of CDE in seven international and cross- border InnoEnergy Masters’ programs, the need appeared for a common understanding on CDE within the knowledge innovation community. The investigation aimed to explore: the perceived drivers and barriers for CDE; the different approaches for integrating CDE in the seven masters’ programs; and the perceived scope for CDE mapped to the achievement of competences for sustainability. Preliminary findings showed that there was a common core of successful initiation of the integration of the CDE approach, although differently in the seven masters’ programs, from different perceptions of CDE for sustainability within the community. Furthermore, the findings revealed a narrow view of sustainability, where the concept is implicitly integrated or “obviously” in some programs with a intend at finding more sustainable energy solutions. An InnoEnergy CDE White Paper has been elaborated, setting the goal for the future progress of challenge driven InnoEnergy MSc education. The paper contributes the definition behind this concept and a strategy on the future development, as well as some best practices of the work so far. Furthermore, the overarching learning outcomes for EIT programs and the UNESCO cross-cutting key competences needed for problem solving for sustainable development, have been merged as new expected outcomes, so that intended learning outcomes based on both perspectives are developed.
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Keywords
Team-based learning , Challenge driven education (CDE) , Engineering education , Sustainability , InnoEnergy
Citation
Tejedor, G., Högfeldt, A. K., Segalas, J. and Gumaelius, L. (2021) ‘Challenge driven education for sustainability in engineering. A white paper, EESD2021: Proceedings of the 10th Engineering Education for Sustainable Development Conference, 'Building Flourishing Communities', University College Cork, Ireland, 14-16 June.