New Forms of Social Learning in Mediterranean Higher Engineering Education: Change Lab for Gender Equality Transformation, Methodology, Design Principles

Abstract

Educating students to understand the dynamics of complex systems and acting with responsibility and equality in their professional/private life is pivotal. Implementing social changes in higher engineering education institutions is a challenge. This work is grounded empirically in the tailored practices of the gender equality Change Lab embedded in the network of Mediterranean engineering schools, which is a collective organizational integrity. We used action research and practical learning in our methodology. Design principles are provided, and methodological setup is included. We advocate that in order to mainstream gender equality, develop structures, and overcome some of the known limitations, we need to have conceptual clarity, well-targeted interventions, reflexivity, and empirical evidence. Moving from separate bureaucratic centrally-managed higher education institutions to interconnected networks that can organize self-assembling collaboration in the form of labs, with mutually beneficial partnerships contemplating social innovations, can challenge the melting of the traditional boundaries towards inclusive education. This can be done amidst university reforms conducive to such a transformation. Particular attention is paid to the role of HORIZON 2020 Taking a Reflexive Approach to Gender Equality for Institutional Transformation (TARGET) project in conceptualizing gender equality learning and system change in Mediterranean engineering schools.

Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework

“…Finally, objectives such as the promotion of gender balance in universities, decision-making, and the sharing of responsibilities (professional, personal and family) have not been fully achieved, and in some Mediterranean countries these are not visible objectives inhibiting women from the full exercise of their legitimate aspirations [1][2][3][4][5]7,8 .…”

“…Therefore, the current problematic issue about the exploration of gender inequality in the academic promotion in two Tunisian institutions, namely the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of Sousse (FAHSS) and National Engineering School of Sousse (ENISO) that is a member of the Mediterranean Network of Engineering Schools (RMEI)benefitted from the EU TARGET project, is a thought-provoking original study in support of the RMEI/TARGET objectives as depicted in the conceptual Figure 1 . Following the thread of research in line with the objective of establishing transformation to attain an ideal GE, the conception of this study builds upon GES to endorse and extend on some ideas cited in relevant research papers 6 , 8 , 9 .…”

Learning outcomes of leader and leadership development: Method of Soft and Female leadership (SFL) empirical framework for driving the gender equality change in Mediterranean Engineering Education

“…As scientists in chemical engineering, we are aware of the ‘Spillover’ phenomenon that defines effects of an activity spread further than was originally intended 48 . We assumed that for a gender equality perspective in engineering education, spillover could happen as an interesting phenomenon to shed new light on how the process of a change occurs, and how an individual can become a change-agent 49 .…”

Were Social Labs immune to COVID-19? Impacts and benefits

“…However, SLs -as institutional organisations -are still relatively new in social sciences and humanities. According to Zabaniotou (2020), despite living labs' Marques, 2021, 1139) and SLs' activity all over Europe, there is a lack of research about them. A theoretical gap continues to exist in terms of SL literature; empirical research of their practical implementations is also limited.…”