Development education and engineering

Abstract

PurposeTo show the key points of a development education program for engineering studies fitted within the framework of the human development paradigm.Design/methodology/approachThe bases of the concept of technology for human development are presented, and the relationship with development education analysed. Special attention is dedicated to the role of case studies in engineering courses. After that, the development education program pushed by the Civil Engineering School of Barcelona and Engineering without Borders is explained, focusing on two major contributions: two optional courses about international aid and development and nine classroom case studies about different technologies used in real co‐operation projects.FindingsThis work provides a conceptual basis for incorporating development education into engineering studies, a general overview of different activities promoted in Spanish technical universities and practical information about optional courses and classroom case studies.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposal is based on the experience in Spanish engineering curricula (mostly in five‐year degrees). Some of the topics covered by the courses and the case studies can be better adapted at postgraduate level in three‐ or four‐year degrees.Practical implicationsIt is shown that development education can be incorporated into engineering studies through different specific non‐expensive activities.Originality/valueThis work presents and puts in context the development education activities pushed coordinately between a non‐governmental organization and an engineering school. Thus, it can be of major interest for both teachers and workers of the international development field.

Key characteristics of academics promoting Sustainable Human Development within engineering studies

“…It is worth highlighting specific approaches and strategies aimed at integrating SD principles into technical universities (Egelund Holgaard et al, 2016;Lozano et al, 2015;Rose et al, 2015). In addition, complementary perspectives have focused on promoting the convergence between engineering and development studies (Boni and Pérez-Foguet, 2008;Pérez-Foguet et al, 2005), following the theoretical framework of Sustainable Human Development (SHD) (Absell, 2015). However, significant updates of engineering curricula seem to be relatively limited (Davidson et al, 2010), and much of the strategies adopted by technical universities have primarily focused on developing individual courses on SD (von Blottnitz et al, 2015).…”

“…The pedagogical approach, based on the previous works of project partners (Boni and Pérez-Foguet, 2008;Pérez-Foguet et al, 2005), has been extensively described elsewhere (Pérez-Foguet et al, 2018;Trimingham et al, 2016). For the purpose of this research, it is worth mentioning that the project strategy was based on a continuous professional development approach addressing academics focused on three main areas: competences, connectivity and collaboration.…”

Promoting sustainable human development in engineering: Assessment of online courses within continuing professional development strategies

“…Over the last decade, technical universities and engineering faculties have been involved in embedding SD into their academic systems, improving teaching strategies (Boni and P erez-Foguet, 2008;Mulder et al, 2015;P erez-Foguet et al, 2005;Segal as et al, 2010) and ensuring that the approach is incorporated into professional education (Boni and P erez Foguet, 2006;Holmberg et al, 2008;Lozano and Lozano, 2014;von Blottnitz et al, 2015). However, a number of scholars highlight a lack of a proper understanding of the principles of SD among engineering students (Azapagic et al, 2005;Byrne et al, 2013;Segal as et al, 2009).…”

“…As a consequence, continued education/professional development is critical to promote an aware and sustainable citizenship and, through specific programmes targeted to academics, can play a critical role in contributing to the integration of SD in universities. Despite the increasing need to improve the capabilities of academic staff, to support the integration of SD at a curricula level (Ceulemans and De Prins, 2010;Verhulst and Van Doorsselaer, 2015), literature shows limited research on staff development programmes on SD, particularly in the field of engineering (Holmberg et al, 2008;Lozano and Lozano, 2014;Lozano García et al, 2008;P erez-Foguet et al, 2005;Svanstr€ om et al, 2012).…”

Profiling research of the engineering academics who successfully promote education in Sustainable Human Development

“…Diverse approaches aimed at embedding SD in a more integrated and holistic way have focused specifically on technical universities through complementary strategies, such as: i) developing specific, integrated curricula that holistically connect engineering with SD (Lozano and Lozano, 2014); ii) promoting unconventional ways of faculty empowerment and engagement (Holmberg et al, 2008;Svanström et al, 2012); and iii) fostering innovative pedagogical approaches (Pérez-Foguet et al, 2017;Segalàs et al, 2010). Furthermore, other efforts have aimed at reinforcing the alignment between engineering and development studies (Boni and Pérez-Foguet, 2008;Pérez-Foguet, 2008;Pérez-Foguet et al, 2005), in line with a Sustainable Human Development (SHD) theoretical framework, focusing specifically on addressing global inequalities and the promotion of a more socially just world. (Absell, 2015).…”