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Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2020) | Viewed by 40319

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo

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Guest Editor

University Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology (IS.UPC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya–BarcelonaTech, Campus Nord, C/Jordi Girona 34, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: education for sustainable development; innovation in engineering education; ethics and sustainability in engineering education; neuroeducation; curriculum design

Dr. David López Álvarez

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Guest Editor

Barcelona Science and Engineering Education Research Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, c/Jordi Girona, 1-3, Campus Nord. Office C6-218. 08034 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: engineering education; sciences education; scholarship of teaching and learning; ethics and sustainability in engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability plays a key role in Engineering Education. Engineering students must learn to think long-term and understand that, in order to achieve a better world, they must situate their future professional activities within the framework of sustainable solutions. To this end, future engineers must be aware of the complexities of the social environment in which they are developing their work, and of the need to harmonize short-term improvements with sustainable development based on the long term. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in engineering is essential for the training of agents of change and transformation that can promote policies, strategies, and methods that enable a more sustainable future to be built.

This Special Issue will gather original research in the field of ESD in Engineering Education. ESD has been mainly addressed in three different ways: (1) introducing specific sustainability subjects in the curriculum, (2) including learning objectives related to sustainability in technical subjects, and (3) applying criteria of sustainability in the final degree thesis.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Introducing Ethics in Engineering Education;
Deontological principles related to sustainability in engineering;
Developing Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in technical subjects;
Developing SDG in specific subjects;
Developing SDG in Bachelor and Master Thesis in Engineering Degrees,
How to reduce the human carbon footprint thanks to engineering;
How to improve people's daily lives through engineering;
Indicators to estimate/measure environmental effects of an engineering project;
Indicators to estimate/measure how engineering projects improve the common good of society;
Accessibility, ergonomics and security in technological solutions;
Developing sustainable engineering projects;
Green campuses;
Teaching methodologies to introduce sustainability and social commitment in engineering studies.

Dr. Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo
Dr. David López Álvarez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Introducing sustainability and SDG in an engineering curriculum
Sustainability in engineering projects
Ethics and deontological principles in engineering
Encouraging research and dissemination of sustainable development knowledge
Green campuses and supporting local sustainability efforts
Methods for learning and assessing sustainable development in engineering education

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 179 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development—Introduction to a Special Issue

by Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo and David López

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8132; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198132 - 2 Oct 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1817

Abstract

Sustainability plays a key role in engineering education. Engineering students must learn to think long-term and understand that, in order to achieve a better world, they must situate their future professional activities within the framework of sustainable solutions. To this end, future engineers must be aware of the complexities of the social environment in which they are developing their work, and of the need to harmonize short-term improvements with sustainable development based on the long term. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in engineering is essential for the training of agents of change and transformation that can promote policies, strategies, and methods that enable a more sustainable future to be built. This Special Issue gathers six original research papers in the field of ESD in engineering, ranging from general issues such as formulating key issues required for any course in EDS, to the experience of introducing sustainability into very specific subjects. Therefore, this Special Issue is of particular value for both academic researchers and lecturers interested in introducing sustainability into their own teaching subjects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

18 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Key Issues of Education for Sustainable Development

by Peter Glavič

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6500; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166500 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 10009

Abstract

This paper elaborates and presents key issues established for a course on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is supported by the United Nations (UN) organization and its agency, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Quality education is also one of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The evolution of sustainable development and ESD is overviewed first in order to define the most important content of ESD in future teaching. Because of the fast development of humankind in all the SD pillars (economic, social and environmental), the climate crises as well as the new technologies and knowledge emerging, education leaders and teachers are lacking modern and effective content for ESD. Therefore, twelve key issues of ESD are identified and elaborated in the present article. The issues are organized into four groups (approach, contents, teaching, and organization) with three items each. The approach is including ESD scope, policy, and cooperation, the contents part deals with the three ESD pillars — environmental, social and economic; the third group, teaching, regards ESD methodologies, transformative teaching and learning, and capacity building; the organization group presents ESD metrics, documents, and institutions. The twelve issues have been synthesized after reviewing the available literature, enhanced by the participation in several international projects on education. In addition, they were further elaborated from feedback obtained from three international conferences focused on education for sustainable development, social responsibility, and sustainable consumption and production. The key goals suggested by the audience of the international conference in Vienna were holistic education, stakeholders’ awareness, participation and cooperation, and building capacity of stakeholders, while the challenge was found to be the timely evolution of human society towards the deep transformation. This paper is an informed perspective proposing content for an Education for Sustainable Development course. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

17 pages, 1380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Girls4STEM: Gender Diversity in STEM for a Sustainable Future

by Xaro Benavent, Esther de Ves, Anabel Forte, Carmen Botella-Mascarell, Emilia López-Iñesta, Silvia Rueda, Sandra Roger, Joaquin Perez, Cristina Portalés, Esther Dura, Daniel Garcia-Costa and Paula Marzal

Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 6051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156051 - 28 Jul 2020

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 9416

Abstract

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are key disciplines towards tackling the challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals. However, evidence shows that women are enrolling in these disciplines in a smaller percentage than men, especially in Engineering related fields. As stated by the United Nations Women section, increasing the number of women studying and working in STEM fields is fundamental towards achieving better solutions to the global challenges, since the potential for innovation is larger. In this paper, we present the Girls4STEM project, which started in 2019 at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria de la Universitat de València, Spain. This project works towards breaking the stereotypes linked to STEM fields, addressing both boys and girls aged from 6 to 18, but especially trying to open the range of career options for young girls through interaction with female STEM experts. The goal is to spark girls’ interest in STEM disciplines from childhood, so that they become more self-confident in these areas. To achieve this goal, the project is built over three main actions: the Girls4STEM Family Talks, where students, families, and teachers participate; the Girls4STEM Professional Talks, where the target is a general audience; and the Initial Training Seminars for teachers. Short-term results are here presented, showing that aspects related to self-perception and perception from others (family, teachers) play a significant role. Moreover, these results also indicate that there may not be a general understanding of which disciplines are included in STEM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

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24 pages, 501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sustainability Matrix: A Tool for Integrating and Assessing Sustainability in the Bachelor and Master Theses of Engineering Degrees

by Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo, David López, Carme Martín, Eva Vidal, Jose Cabré and Joan Climent

Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5755; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145755 - 17 Jul 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7065

Abstract

It is vital that subjects such as the circular economy, sustainable design, green computing or environmental engineering be included in the engineering curriculum. Education for sustainable development will enable engineers to develop sustainable products and provide sustainable services, thereby leading to a beneficial result for society and making an indispensable contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals achievement. As the last stage for students in academia, Degree Theses (Bachelor’s and Master’s) provide a good tool for reviewing the sustainability competencies developed during the degree, as well as being an opportunity for applying these competencies in a holistic way. In their Degree Theses, students should be able to demonstrate that they are aware of the need to introduce and assess sustainability in their future engineering projects. This paper presents a guide aimed at helping engineering students to design and develop sustainable projects, and analyzes the first results of its use in two schools of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya—BarcelonaTech. The proposal is based on a tool referred to as “the Sustainability Matrix”, in which cells contain questions that engineering students should take into account when undertaking their Degree Theses. The questions are related to the project development, the project exploitation and the possible risks involved, three aspects in accordance with the sustainability dimensions (economic, environmental and social). The Sustainability Matrix helps students to develop sustainable projects when they graduate, and teachers to assess how sustainability is incorporated across the curriculum in the subjects they teach and in the students’ Degree Theses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

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24 pages, 808 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Introducing Sustainability in a Robotic Engineering Degree: A Case Study

by Francisco A. Pujol and David Tomás

Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5574; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145574 - 10 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2946

Abstract

This paper describes a group activity concerning the topic of climate change, designed to introduce the concepts of sustainable development into a Robotic Engineering degree. The purpose of this activity was to make students reflect about the impact of their work on the planet as future engineers by asking them to design an environmentally friendly robot that also integrated social and economic aspects, covering the three dimensions of sustainability in this way. Students were surveyed in order to study different aspects of their commitment, attitudes, practices, and motivation towards sustainability. In addition to the overall analysis of the survey, three specific studies were carried out with the aim of comparing the responses of different population groups: (i) Students who completed the proposed assignment and students who did not, (ii) female and male students, and (iii) roles played in the assignment. The results of the analysis revealed the high commitment of the students with respect to sustainability, but also a lack of active participation and awareness of their impact as future engineers. The activity was not only a way to introduce sustainability concepts, but in many cases, it also became a motivation for the participants, especially for the female students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

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14 pages, 509 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teaching Ethics and Sustainability to Informatics Engineering Students, An Almost 30 Years’ Experience

by Maria Jose Casañ, Marc Alier and Ariadna Llorens

Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5499; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145499 - 8 Jul 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3465

Abstract

A significant number of universities where engineering is taught, acknowledge the importance of the social and environmental impact of the scientific and technological practice, as well as the ethical problems it presents, and the need to provide their students with courses covering this as a subject. This paper presents 29 years of teaching courses with the subject of social, environmental, and ethical issues to students of Informatics Engineering. The table contents and its evolution over the years will be analyzed, plus the different teaching strategies applied, with emphasis on the collaborative learning methodologies to facilitate critical thinking and debate. During the experience, the course incorporated the subject of History of Informatics which proved to fit in the course. While the subject of Ethics and Sustainability is increasingly being regarded as an important matter to learn by future ICT engineers, the courses covering it remain as optional in the curriculums. This should change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

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17 pages, 623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparing Sustainable Engineers: A Project-Based Learning Experience in Logistics with Refugee Camps

by María-José Terrón-López, Paloma J. Velasco-Quintana, Silvia Lavado-Anguera and María del Carmen Espinosa-Elvira

Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 4817; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124817 - 12 Jun 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3727

Abstract

This article describes an intrinsic case study of project-based learning (PBL) experience involving an NGO as an external client to promote sustainability competencies. Two research questions are posed: (1) How did this experiential PBL approach impact students learning to develop sustainability competencies by incorporating a responsible engineering perspective? (2) How did college students become engaged with social and sustainable PBL projects when external clients of developing economies were involved? The project-based design involved two subjects in the second year of an Industrial engineering degree. The client was an NGO with an existing project to improve the supply chain logistics of three refugee camps managed by women. Students had to cooperatively develop a sustainable proposal for the NGO with a global mindset. Findings obtained from the analysis of the reflections of students and teachers indicate that this methodology helps students to acquire comprehensively learning outcomes and to develop sustainability competencies. Sustainable and socially responsible engineering were achieved through a methodology that considers the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and engages students in real projects. This approach promotes student awareness on the importance of their actions and their personal behavior as engineers, including a gender perspective, while training them to move towards SDG4 and 5. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development)

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