The work of an engineer involves the conceptualization, design, and implementation of new and improved artifacts. However, what sets engineering apart from other professions is the direct responsibility of engineers to think critically and design innovative solutions to solve complex problems in social systems. Unfortunately, the solutions often do not consider the dynamics of the environment or the cultures that will receive them, leading to obsolescence due to the lack of technical knowledge of maintenance and repair. This exacerbates the disruptive power of technology in culture and society, leading to a gap in engineering education that needs to be addressed. Critical theories attempt to reformulate the teaching and practice of engineering in social-environmental contexts of vulnerability, utilizing systemic models to anticipate solutions based on possible scenarios. However, these theories do not consider the mental models of professional engineers, relying mostly on educational studies. To address this gap, this article explores a novel approach to the problem of sustainability mindset in engineering by understanding the characteristics and structures of engineering systems of practice and conveying it through causal loop diagrams. The results identify causal loops that reinforce or affect the application of sustainable practices, which can be used as leverage points within the systems of practice structure to improve the performance and interest of engineering students in sustainable development endeavors and promote more professionals working with a sustainable mindset.
El número de mujeres que ingresan a estudiar alguna carrera de Ciencias o Ingeniería va en descenso. En la Universidad de los Andes se realizó un estudió con colegios colombianos que muestran cuales son las principales motivaciones a la hora de escoger una carrera profesional. Los resultados muestran que la articulación entre Colegio y Universidad puede ser uno de los caminos apropiados para fomentar la motivación de los niños y niñas para vincularse al mundo de la ciencia e ingeniería. En esta dirección, la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad de los Andes ha promovido varias estrategias. Por un lado, la posibilidad de que niñas y niños puedan realizar proyectos de ingeniería con estudiantes y profesores la Facultad. Por otro lado la posibilidad de que niños y niñas se inspiren en figuras de ingenieras y científicas. En este artículo presentaremos estas dos estrategias como apuestas de motivación a niños y sobretodo niñas para estudiar ingeniería: el programa Ingenieros sin Fronteras y el podcast ‘Ingeniosas’. Se presentará una descripción de cada una de las estrategias y resultados cualitativos del impacto de dichas estrategias basados en grupos focales con niños, niñas y maestros de colegios colombianos.
Abstract-One of the major challenges related to water care in Colombia, is to teach and massify good practices along its territory and population, looking forward to promote the preservation of this valuable resource. This paper presents details corresponding to the design, development and implementation of the Web Application Manglar, born within the project Liga del Agua, proposed for cooperative learning towards water care in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The designed Application uses a graph approach, focused on actors and relations, exposing how the participant organizations and communities cooperate, share resources and interact, letting any user to know what has been elaborated and constructed throughout the project Liga del Agua. In this document, we focus on the architecture corresponding to the designed Application, exposing the requirements and functionalities, developed and implemented, looking forward to guarantee a technological scenario for cooperative learning within this context.
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