Engineers as Problem‐Solvers for Sustainable Development?—Exploring Students' Learning Outcomes From Sustainability and Human Rights‐Centered Approaches in Engineering Education

Bibliographic Data

ID21446485
AuthorsMinju Lee (0000-0002-2133-9092, Political Science University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA, corresponding author), Davis Chacon-Hurtado (0000-0001-5722-3545, Civil and Environmental Engineering & Human Rights Institute University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA), Shareen Hertel (0000-0003-3975-3598, Political Science Human Rights Institute University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA)
Year2025
Volume60
Issue2
Publication date2025-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-8211 • E-ISSN: 1465-3435
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ejed.70137
OpenAlexW4410757047
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited31

This paper examines the impact of a human rights framework in engineering education on students' perceptions of sustainability and human rights. Recently, scholars have emphasised the need to develop a new engineering pedagogy and an ethical framework for the workforce. This emphasis arises from the fact that, as the engineering workforce has become multicultural and globalised, prospective engineers require new ideas, technologies, perspectives and professional ethics to adapt to the changing world. In this context, scholars have primarily focused on creating sustainable approaches that highlight the coexistence between humans and nature, along with equity, diversity and human dignity, while also developing educational strategies to challenge the conventional notion of engineers as problem‐solvers. The University of Connecticut (UConn) has developed a curriculum that equips students with the core concepts and methodological tools essential for understanding the socially and environmentally responsive roles of engineers and their solutions. This paper examines learning outcomes in an existing course within this curriculum, ‘Engineering for Human Rights’, by analysing original, anonymized exit survey data and anonymized SET evaluations from enrolled students. We also assess the instructors' reflections on the class. The findings of our research contribute to broader discussions of innovation in engineering pedagogy

Engineering education · Engineering ethics · Engineering management · Human rights · Mathematics education · Political science · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Ecology · Engineering · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Psychology · Sustainability in Higher Education

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