Energy education and the dilemma of mitigating climate change

Perkins, John H.; Middlecamp, Catherine Hurt; Blockstein, David E.; Cole, Jennifer; Knapp, Robert H.; Saul, Kathleen M.; Vincent, Shirley

doi:10.1007/s13412-014-0189-5

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In general, it is also emphasized that there is a great variation between study programs and education in the field of energy and renewable energy in individual countries. Teaching in the field of energy also requires constant adaptation of the curriculum content to the current trends and directions of energy policy [81][82][83][84]. In both Europe and the US, programs were not fully adapted to the renewable energy needs of the energy sector.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Higher Education in the EU Countries in Achieving the Objectives of the Circular Economy in the Energy Sector

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The main purpose of the article was to identify and present the current situation and changes in higher education in the field of electricity and energy studies in the European Union countries. The specific objectives include determining the degree of concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of dominant education in this field, establishing the correlation between education in the fields of electricity and energy and the parameters assessing the achievement of circular economy assumptions in the energy sector. All Member States of the European Union were deliberately selected for research. The research period covered the years 2013–2018. The source of the materials is a literature review on the subject and Eurostat data. For the analysis and presentation of materials, methods such as descriptive, tabular, graphical, dynamics indicators with a constant basis, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, coefficient of variation, Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient were used. A high concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy was found in several EU countries, the largest in countries with the highest energy consumption, i.e., in France and Poland. Changes in the level of concentration practically did not take place, only in the case of master’s studies, there was an increase in concentration. However, the EU countries did not differ significantly in terms of the structure of the number of students studying electricity and energy.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Higher Education in the EU Countries in Achieving the Objectives of the Circular Economy in the Energy Sector

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These widespread findings pose a call to action for educational institutions at every level to better prepare graduates to tackle the wicked problems related to global energy and climate issues. Energy education crosses many traditional academic boundaries [9], and sustainability requires the development of clean, renewable energy resources with full consideration of economic, social, and environmental limitations [2,9]. Efforts to encourage widespread energy literacy will help students in a range of disciplines engage in decisions and actions that promote a sustainable energy and climate future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Modern, networked technological systems are inextricably linked with human and natural systems, and their complex problems cannot be addressed in isolation. Likewise, complex problems such as those related to energy and sustainability require students to consider the broad spectrum of interrelated consequences including human and environmental health, sociopolitical, and economic factors [9,[36][37][38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Introductory Energy Course to Promote Broad Energy Education for Undergraduate Engineering Students

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Engineering graduates must be prepared to support our world’s need for a clean and sustainable energy future. Complex problems related to energy and sustainability require engineers to consider the broad spectrum of interrelated consequences including human and environmental health, sociopolitical, and economic factors. Teaching engineering students about energy within a societal context, simultaneous with developing technical knowledge and skills, will better prepare them to solve real-world problems. Yet few energy courses that approach energy topics from a human-centered perspective exist within engineering programs. Engineering students enrolled in energy programs often take such courses as supplemental to their course of study. This paper presents an engineering course that approaches energy education from a socio-technical perspective, emphasizing the complex interactions of energy technologies with sustainability dimensions. Course content and learning activities are structured around learning outcomes that require students to gain technical knowledge as well as an understanding of broader energy-related impacts. The course attracts students from a variety of majors and grade levels. A mixed quantitative/qualitative assessment conducted from 2019–2021 indicates successful achievement of course learning outcomes. Students demonstrated significant gains in technical content knowledge as well as the ability to critically address complex sociotechnical issues related to current and future energy systems.

show abstract