Session Information
30 SES 02 B, Competencies and Skills for ESE
Paper Session
Contribution
Water scarcity in the Middle East is an example of a wicked sustainability problem (WSP). Further examples are global warming, conflicts caused by resource extraction in Central Africa, or the continuous reduction of the global rain forest areas. What these WSPs have in common is that they are complex and that they involve many different stakeholders. This means for example that it is impossible to find a single right solution, or even to clearly define the problem. What is worse, the effect of possible “solutions” cannot be measured at a single point in time, since WSPs continue to evolve. Each WSP is also embedded in a unique context in which different groups of stakeholders have competing interests and hold different values and worldviews (Seager, Selinger, & Wiek, 2012; Rittel & Webber, 1973; Lönngren, 2014).
This paper aims to discuss what it may mean to fully appreciate the complexity of WSPs in the context of engineering education (EngE). By combining previous conceptual work related to perspectives towards WSPs (Lönngren, Svanström, Ingerman, & Holmberg, forthcoming) and empirical work related to students’ ways of understanding a WSP (Lönngren, Ingerman, & Svanström, forthcoming), it aims to lay a foundation for better understanding how EngE can support students in developing the capabilities that they need to constructively deal with the complexity that is inherent in WSPs. A short description of the conceptual and empirical work that is combined in this paper is provided in the "methodology" section of this proposal.
The work is based in the context of engineering education in Sweden, but WSPs and the educational challenges associated with them are not restricted to a single country. Thus, this contribution is relevant for an international audience of participants, and the discussion after the presentation will greatly benefit from the input given by an internationally diverse audience.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Lönngren, J. (2014). Engineering Students' Ways of Relating to Wicked Sustainability Problems. Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Applied IT. Gothenburg: Chalmers. Lönngren, J., Ingerman, Å., & Svanström, M. (forthcoming). Avoid, Conquer, Succumb, or Balance: Engineering Students’ Conceptions of and Approaches to a Wicked Sustainability Problem. Lönngren, J., Svanström, M., Ingerman, Å., & Holmberg, J. (forthcoming). A Conceptual Model of Perspectives for Sustainable Development – Examples from the Context of Engineering Education . Rittel, H. W., & Webber, M. W. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences , 4, pp. 155-169. Seager, T., Selinger, E., & Wiek, A. (2012). Sustainable Engineering Science for Resolving Wicked Problems. Journal of Agricultural Environmental Ethics , 25, pp. 467–484.
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