A Theory-Based Concept for Fostering Sustainability Competencies in Engineering Programs

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

Authors

The paper deals with the importance of education and awareness raising in the context of sustainability, especially in relation to the role of engineering in solving current problems such as population growth, global inequality and climate change. Education for sustainable development plays a key role in promoting sustainable thinking in society and that universities and higher education institutions are fundamental institutions to achieve the SDGs. Therefore, linking technical and sustainability-oriented topics in the curriculum is essential to prepare future engineers for their role as change agents. Within the framework of a design-based research approach, the aim of this paper is to provide a best practice example of an innovative teaching concept that closes this gap and presents a theory-based teaching example for sustainable engineering education. Central questions are, on the one hand, to what extent sustainability topics are currently anchored in engineering courses in Germany. In addition, the question is addressed as to what a subject didactic concept in the engineering sciences can look like under the current conditions that takes up sustainability topics and stimulates an increase in the ecological and sustainable awareness of students. The article gives an overview of the structure and the most important components of the module. The insights gained are intended to contribute to the evidence-based implementation of sustainability in engineering and thus fill a gap in engineering teaching practice and engineering education research.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTowards a Hybrid, Flexible and Socially Engaged Higher Education - Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning ICL 2023
EditorsMichael E. Auer, Uriel R. Cukierman, Eduardo Vendrell Vidal, Edmundo Tovar Caro
Number of pages10
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Publication date01.01.2024
Pages208-217
ISBN (print)978-3-031-53021-0
ISBN (electronic)978-3-031-53022-7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.01.2024
Event26th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning - ICL 2023: Towards a Hybrid, Flexible and Socially Engaged Higher Education - Madrid, Spain
Duration: 26.09.202329.09.2023
Conference number: 26

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

    Research areas

  • Education for Sustainable Development, Engineering Education Research, Sustainable Engineering Education
  • Engineering