Sustainable wellbeing education in engineering

Abstract

Notions of human wellbeing can be used to evaluate and plan technological innovation and engineering design. However, current engineering practices and most engineering education curricula do not adequately deal with wellbeing. A set of interdisciplinary courses at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez are proposed by the authors to fill this gap and to provide a transition to an engineering curriculum integrated with community wellbeing. These courses will enroll engineering students alongside non-engineering students. One of such courses was offered for the first time during the Spring 2012 and its preliminary assessment results are presented. This new course incorporates the framework of Appropriate Technology to link traditional goals of engineering-technology innovation with what should be their ultimate goal: to enhance human wellbeing and flourishing. The course involves faculty members from 8 different departments and integrates topics such as ethics, economics, technology innovation, social entrepreneurship, renewable energy, agriculture, philosophy of technology, and community participation. The course is structured as a sequence of weekly modules, each focusing on one area relevant to develop a holistic perspective of appropriate technology. To promote coherence around the central theme of wellbeing, a set of faculty planning meetings, including a day long retreat, were held. This process will enable the transition from multidisciplinary convergence to interdisciplinary coherence.

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