Aligning learning objectives and approaches in global engineering graduate programs: Review and recommendations by an interdisciplinary working group
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Despite decades of global development programming, poverty persists in the low-and-middle-income countries targeted by these efforts. Training approaches to global development must change and the role of engineers in these efforts must evolve to account for structural and systemic barriers to global poverty reduction. Rapid growth in Global Engineering graduate programs in the United States and Canada creates an opportunity to unify efforts between academic institutions and ensure that programs align with the sector's needs as identified by practitioners. To build consensus on how to equip engineering students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary, we convened practitioners, faculty and graduate students for a two-day workshop to establish an agreed-upon Global Engineering body of knowledge. The workshop was informed by a pre-event survey of individual participants and representatives of participating academic institutions with graduate programs in Global Engineering or a related field. Through the workshop breakout sessions and post-event work by the authors, we developed the following priority learning objectives for graduate education in global engineering: Contextual Comprehension and Analysis; Cross-cultural Humility; Global Engineering Ethics; Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement; Complex Systems Analysis; Data Collection and Analysis; Data-driven Decision Making; Applied Engineering Knowledge; Project Design; Project Management; Multidisciplinary Teamwork and Leadership; Communication; Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resilience; Global Health; and Development Economics. Although technical skills are central to preparing the next generation of Global Engineers, transversal and interdisciplinary skills are equally important in equipping students to work across sectors and account for barriers to global development and equity.
Source: Development Engineering
Authors: Laura MacDonald, Evan Thomas, Amy Javernick-Will, Jesse Austin-Breneman, Iana Aranda, Carlo Salvinelli, Rita Klees, Jeffrey Walters, Mary Jane Parmentier, David Schaad, Ayush Shahi, Emily Bedell, Gunārs Platais, Joe Brown, John Gershenson, David Watkins, Esther Obonyo, Vinka Oyanedel-Craver, Mira Olson, Rachael Lau, Gouthami Rao, Alexander Arzon, Kiruba Krishnaswamy, Amy J. Pickering, Christopher Mabey, Abigale Johnson, Rachel Gehr, Karl Linden
Institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Michigan, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, University of Washington Tacoma, Arizona State University, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania State University, Michigan Technological University, University of Rhode Island, Drexel University, Clemson University, University of Missouri, University of California, Berkeley, Brigham Young University
Language: English
Subfield: Media Technology
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,220
Funders: National Science Foundation, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Purdue University, Fort Lewis College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, Emory University, University of Missouri, Villanova University, University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, University of Washington, Drexel University, University of South Florida, Iowa State University, Oregon State University, Michigan Technological University, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, George Fox University, University of Toronto, Connaught Fund, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OpenAlex ID: W4207044679