Disrupting the Curriculum: Leveraging the Engineering for One Planet Framework to (re)Center Sustainability in Engineering Education

Cherish C. Vance; Patrick J. Sours

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON) Technical Session 2 - Engineering for One Planet (EOP)
Tagged Division: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47197

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Paper Authors

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Cherish C. Vance The Ohio State University orcid.org/0000-0002-8587-7594

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Cherish Vance (she/her) is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. Her research passions include engineering for sustainable development. A first-generation student, she is currently a PhD candidate and has received a Bachelor of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University.

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Patrick J. Sours The Ohio State University

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Dr. Patrick Sours is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Engineering for Sustainable Development and serves as the Faculty Lead of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at The Ohio State University. In this role, he leads high-impact experiential learning programs, conducts engineering education research, and instructs courses related to Engineering for Sustainable Development. He is passionate about developing engineers' sociotechnical competency to prepare them to address complex global sustainability challenges

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Abstract

To catalyze curricular transformation and thus the training and practice of engineering, we proposed the creation of an Engineering for Sustainable Development specialization within the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering incorporates learning outcomes from the Engineering for One Planet framework. These efforts served to help institutionalize the ongoing sustainable engineering instruction at The Ohio State University in a meaningful way.

Currently, engineering students at OSU do not have a formal pathway or structure to engage with sustainability-related, community-engaged content. While culturally competent sustainability focused coursework may be obtained piecemeal, it is certainly not broadly accessible as a primary focus to engineering students with tight degree plan requirements within their majors.

The proposed specialization is an important long-term programmatic creation effort to advance sustainability education within engineering. The department chair has supported a multi-year effort to support and create student-centric community-engaged learning opportunities. This department driven (top-down) effort is also supported at college level by the Associate Dean and Director for Academic Programs in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The Engineering for One Planet Mini-Grant resources were to develop General Education course offerings within the Sustainability theme as well as technical electives that promote social responsibility. Course creation and revisions incorporated EOP learning outcomes; many of these revisions took effect in Autumn 2023. Additionally, one of the core courses of our proposed specialization will be offered on a satellite campus beginning Spring 2024.

The EOP framework provided the guiding principles for the proposed specialization. These programmatic elements balance student learning with community impacts while weaving Sustainability, Intercultural Competence and Cultural Awareness into a core tenet of engineering. Further, the EOP mentorship program was instrumental in guiding the project participants in creating buy-in from stakeholders across the university enterprise.

Citation
Format

Vance, C. C., & Sours, P. J. (2024, June), Disrupting the Curriculum: Leveraging the Engineering for One Planet Framework to (re)Center Sustainability in Engineering Education Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47197

TY - CPAPER
AB - To catalyze curricular transformation and thus the training and practice of engineering, we proposed the creation of an Engineering for Sustainable Development specialization within the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering incorporates learning outcomes from the Engineering for One Planet framework. These efforts served to help institutionalize the ongoing sustainable engineering instruction at The Ohio State University in a meaningful way.

Currently, engineering students at OSU do not have a formal pathway or structure to engage with sustainability-related, community-engaged content. While culturally competent sustainability focused coursework may be obtained piecemeal, it is certainly not broadly accessible as a primary focus to engineering students with tight degree plan requirements within their majors.

The proposed specialization is an important long-term programmatic creation effort to advance sustainability education within engineering. The department chair has supported a multi-year effort to support and create student-centric community-engaged learning opportunities. This department driven (top-down) effort is also supported at college level by the Associate Dean and Director for Academic Programs in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The Engineering for One Planet Mini-Grant resources were to develop General Education course offerings within the Sustainability theme as well as technical electives that promote social responsibility. Course creation and revisions incorporated EOP learning outcomes; many of these revisions took effect in Autumn 2023. Additionally, one of the core courses of our proposed specialization will be offered on a satellite campus beginning Spring 2024.

The EOP framework provided the guiding principles for the proposed specialization. These programmatic elements balance student learning with community impacts while weaving Sustainability, Intercultural Competence and Cultural Awareness into a core tenet of engineering. Further, the EOP mentorship program was instrumental in guiding the project participants in creating buy-in from stakeholders across the university enterprise.
AU - Cherish C. Vance
AU - Patrick J. Sours
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Disrupting the Curriculum: Leveraging the Engineering for One Planet Framework to (re)Center Sustainability in Engineering Education
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47197
ER -