The Influence of Sustainable Development Module on the Values and Beliefs of First-Year Students in Undergraduate Engineering Education

With the demand for engineering graduates at what may be defined as an unprecedented high, many universities find themselves facing significant levels of student attrition—with high “drop-out levels” being a major issue in engineering education. In order to address this, Aston University in the UK has radically changed its undergraduate engineering education curriculum, introducing capstone CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) modules for all first year students studying Mechanical Engineering and Design. The introduction of CDIO is aimed at making project / problem based learning the norm. Utilising this approach, the learning and teaching in engineering purposefully aims to promote innovative thinking, thus equipping students with high-level problem-solving skills in a way that builds on theory whilst enhancing practical competencies and abilities. This chapter provides an overview of an Action Research study undertaken contemporaneously with the development, introduction, and administration of the first two semesters of CDIO. It identifies the challenges and benefits of the approach and concludes by arguing that whilst CDIO is hard work for staff, it can make a real difference to students’ learning experiences, thereby positively impacting retention.

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Collaborative teaching and learning in an outcomes assessment environment: An example from undergraduate engineering education

2012 15th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL) ◽

10.1109/icl.2012.6402191 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Barbara Kerr

Keyword(s):

Engineering Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Outcomes Assessment ◽

Collaborative Teaching ◽

Undergraduate Engineering ◽

Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽

Assessment Environment

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Education for sustainable development in Spanish higher education: an assessment of sustainability competencies in engineering and education degrees

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/ijshe-02-2021-0060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo ◽

Daniel Romero-Portillo ◽

Bàrbara Sureda Carbonell ◽

Francisco Manuel Moreno-Pino

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Education For Sustainable Development ◽

First Year ◽

Education Students ◽

First Year Students ◽

Content Type ◽

Spanish Higher Education ◽

Percentage Measure ◽

University Degree

Purpose This paper aims to present a methodology for analysing the extent to which students of a university degree perceive that they have received a good education for sustainable development (ESD). The methodology enables us to quantify this perception, which, in turn, allows us to determine: to what extent the objectives related to ESD are achieved in the degree, and to compare the learning in ESD perceived by students of different degrees. The methodology is applied to nine engineering degrees and nine education degrees in the Spanish university system. Design/methodology/approach ESD is analysed from the students’ learning perception. This perception is measured by comparing the responses of first- and fourth-year students to a questionnaire about their sustainability competencies. Two indicators have been designed to analyse the results. The first indicator, learning increase, measures the declared learning difference between fourth- and first-year students. The second indicator, learning percentage, measure the amount of learning as reported by fourth-year students compared to how much they could have learned. Findings The results show that the average learning percentage perceived by students is higher in engineering degrees (33%) than in education degrees (27%), despite the fact that the average learning increase declared by students at the end of their studies in both areas of knowledge is similar (66%). Engineering students report having achieved higher learning than education students in all sustainability competencies, with the exception of ethics. Originality/value This paper analyses ESD from the student’s perspective. Furthermore, to the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that compares the perception of ESD between engineering and education students. This comparison allows us to determine the different approaches that university Professors take to ESD according to the discipline they teach.

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