Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:17:42.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

FOSTERING SUSTAINABLE MINDSETS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Kamila Kunrath  and
Devarajan Ramanujan
Kamila Kunrath
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering, Aarhus University
Devarajan Ramanujan*
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering, Aarhus University Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University
*
Ramanujan, Devarajan, Aarhus University, Mechanical and Production Engineering, Denmark, devr@eng.au.dk

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Transitioning to a more sustainable society requires that universities produce an increasing number of engineering professionals capable of redesigning current production and consumption systems. This calls for restructuring engineering curricula towards sustainability becoming an integral part of engineering education and professional practice. To this end, this paper investigates the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational aspects of professional identity that contribute to consolidating sustainable mindsets in engineering, considering education as its main route. Specifically, we focus on identifying significant personal and education-related factors that contribute to fostering sustainable decision-making and affect the development of sustainable mindsets in engineering students. In order to identify such factors, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a diverse set of students and professionals (N=12). A thematic analysis of survey transcripts present three main components that support the development of sustainable mindsets throughout engineering education: i) Personal commitment, ii) Learning opportunities, and iii) Internalization time.

Keywords

Design educationSustainabilityDesign cognitionDesign engineering
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 1597 - 1606
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

References

Ahmed, S. and Christensen, B.T. (2009), “An in situ study of analogical reasoning in novice and experienced design engineers”, Journal of Mechanical Design, Transactions of the ASME, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3184693.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Badke-schaub, P., Neumann, A., Lauche, K., Neumann, A., Lauche, K., Badke-schaub, P., Neumann, A., et al. (2016), “Mental models in design teams: a valid approach to performance in design collaboration? Mental models in design teams: a valid approach to performance in design collaboration?”, CoDesign, Vol. 0882 No. November, https://doi.org/10.1080/15710880601170768.Google Scholar
Baumeister, R.F. and Muraven, M. (1996), “Identity as adaptation to social, cultural, and historical context”, Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 19 No. 5, pp. 405–416, https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1996.0039.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernstein, W.Z., Ramanujan, D., Zhao, F., Ramani, K. and Cox, M.F. (2012), “Teaching design for environment through critique within a project-based product design course”, International Journal of Engineering Education.Google Scholar
Brandstätter, V. and Frank, E. (2002), “Effects of Deliberative and Implemental Mindsets on Persistence in Goal-Directed Behavior”, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 28 No. 10, pp. 1366–1378, https://doi.org/10.1177/014616702236868.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brenner, W., Uebernickel, F. and Abrell, T. (2016), “Design Thinking as Mindset, Process, and Toolbox”, Design Thinking for Innovation, Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 3–21, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26100-3_1.Google Scholar
Brown, B.T. and Wyatt, J. (2010), “Design Thinking for Social Innovation”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review [Internet], Vol. Winter No. Winter 2010, pp. 30–35, https://doi.org/10.1108/10878571011042050.Google Scholar
Brown, T. (2008), “Design thinking.”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 86 No. 6, pp. 84–92, 141.Google ScholarPubMed
Faludi, J. (2017), “Recommending sustainable design practices by characterising activities and mindsets”, International Journal of Sustainable Design, Vol. 3 No. 2, p. 100, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSDES.2017.10012855.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fogg, B. (2009), “A behavior model for persuasive design”, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology - Persuasive ’09, Vol. 350, ACM Press, New York, New York, USA, p. 1, https://doi.org/10.1145/1541948.1541999.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, T., Pope, M. and Ellis, E.C. (2017), “Engineering the Anthropocene: Scalable social networks and resilience building in human evolutionary timescales”, The Anthropocene Review, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 199–215, https://doi.org/10.1177/2053019617742415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goekler, J. (2003), “Teaching for the Future: Systems Thinking and Sustainability”, Green Teacher.Google Scholar
Griswold, W. (2017), “Creating sustainable societies: developing emerging professionals through transforming current mindsets”, Studies in Continuing Education, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 286–302, https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2017.1284054.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halbe, J., Adamowski, J. and Pahl-Wostl, C. (2015), “The role of paradigms in engineering practice and education for sustainable development”, Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.01.093.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphries-Smith, T. (2008), “Sustainable design and the design curriculum”, Journal of Design Research, https://doi.org/10.1504/JDR.2008.024194.Google Scholar
Kassel, K., Rimanoczy, I. and Mitchell, S.F. (2018), “A sustainability mindset model for management education”, Developing a Sustainability Mindset in Management Education, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2018., pp. 3–37, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351063340-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, V., Haapala, K.R., Rivera, J.L., Hutchins, M.J., Endres, W.J., Gershenson, J.K., Michalek, D.J., et al. (2005), “Infusing sustainability principles into manufacturing/mechanical engineering curricula”, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-6125(06)80011-7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kunrath, K., Cash, P. and Kleinsmann, M. (2020), “Social- and self-perception of designers’ professional identity”, Journal of Engineering Design, https://doi.org/10.1080/09544828.2019.1676883.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawson, B. (2005), How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified, 4th edition., Architectural Press.Google Scholar
Miles, M. and Huberman, A.M. (1994), An Expanded Sourcebook: Qualitative Data Analysis (2nd Edition), Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Murphy, M., Chance, S. and Conlon, E. (2015), “Designing the Identities of Engineers”, in Christensen, S.H., Didier, C., Jamison, A., Meganck, M., Mitcham, C. and Newberry, B. (Eds.), Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, Vol. 21, pp. 41–64, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16172-3_3.Google Scholar
Papanek, V. (1995), The Green Imperative: Natural Design for the Real World, Thames and Hudson.Google Scholar
Patton, M.Q. (2002), Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, Qualitative Inquiry, https://doi.org/10.2307/330063.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Persun, T. (2020), “How Engineers are Working Through the Coronavirus Pandemic”, ASME, https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/how-engineers-are-working-through-the-coronavirus-pandemic (accessed 9 April 2020).Google Scholar
Ramanujan, D., Bernstein, W.Z., Cardella, M. and Ramani, K. (2014), “Contextualizing Environmental Sustainability in Design Engineering Curricula”, Proceedings of the ASME 2014 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE 2014, Buffalo, New York, USA, pp. 1–10.Google Scholar
Ramanujan, D., Zhou, N. and Ramani, K. (2019), “Integrating environmental sustainability in undergraduate mechanical engineering courses using guided discovery instruction”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 207, pp. 190–203, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shuman, L.J., Besterfield-Sacre, M. and McGourty, J. (2005), “The ABET ‘Professional Skills’ - Can They Be Taught? Can They Be Assessed?”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 94 No. 1, pp. 41–55, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2005.tb00828.x.Google Scholar
Skorikov, V.B. and Vondracek, F.W. (2011), “Occupational Identity”, in Vignoles, V.L., Schwartz, S.J. and Luyckx, K. (Eds.), Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, Springer New York, New York, NY, pp. 693–714, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steinemann, A. (2003), “Implementing sustainable development through problem-based learning: Pedagogy and practice”, Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2003)129:4(216 ).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trede, F. (2012), “Developing a critical professional identity: Engaging Self in Practice”, Practice-Based Education: Perspectives and Strategies, 3rd ed., Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 1–14.Google Scholar