NMITE Academics will be sharing transformational and innovative ideas at the Twelfth International Conference on Engineering Education for Sustainable Development to be held in June 2025. Professor Sarah Hitt will be facilitating a workshop on leading transformational change in engineering education to embed sustainability, ethics and justice. Graham Ward and colleagues explore the role of engineers as changemakers that help address United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Their paper also provides a case study on Problem Based Learning approach utilised at NMITE. Likewise, Joseph Oyekale and James Atuonwu showcase a pedagogical approach to embedding sustainable development in engineering education through real world projects. In the final abstract, Sarah Peers discusses inclusivity and diversity in mathematics education to support Sustainable Development Goals.
Titles and related abstracts are below.
Workshop: How to navigate transformational change in engineering education
J. Truslove [1], S.J. Hitt[2] and E. Crichton[1]
[1]Engineers Without Borders UK. United Kingdom
[2]New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, United Kingdom
Abstract
A change toward globally responsible engineering education that embeds sustainability, ethics, and justice is imperative at all levels of the engineering education system. But change is hard because of systemic boundary constraints found in institutions and processes. Change is also an emotional and cultural journey for communities and individuals alike. This workshop will give participants the tools to identify, understand, navigate, and lead this change within engineering education. Following the workshop, participants will be able to:
Identify and respond to levers of influence for systemic change and transformation in engineering education.
Understand how to develop the competencies needed to deliver globally responsible engineering education.
Deploy existing techniques and resources in their own contexts in a way that contributes to institutional and cultural transformation.
Connect with a network of support and others who are working toward change.
Based on principles of experiential learning developed within the humanities and social sciences that prioritize hands-on experience, real-world relevance, observation and reflection, participants will be guided through a process of exploring, listening, mapping, and reflecting around key competencies for enabling transformative learning for sustainability: values, systems, futures, strategy, and collaboration.
Because many engineering educators have not been exposed to sustainability learning themselves or are required to deliver topics related to global responsibility that may lie outside of their disciplinary expertise, the workshop activities are designed around how to build knowledge, change habits and approaches, and contextualize what we do as educators.
This highly interactive workshop is rooted in techniques found in coaching, peer-support, and action learning and will include pair and group discussion, small group activities, individual and group reflection, and writing and mapping exercises. Because we acknowledge that transformative learning can feel risky, we will also prioritize establishing the playfulness, connectedness, and flow state which characterize fun experiences.
Sustainable and Equitable Energy Systems: Engineers as Changemakers and Innovative Pedagogy in Engineering Education
Graham Ward[1], Andreas Georgakarakos[1],[2], Sarah Peers[1] and Bertie Knight[1]
[1]New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Hereford, United Kingdom
[2]School of Social Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Abstract
The role of engineers as changemakers is more important than ever, as they are tasked with developing innovative solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. This paper explores a pedagogical approach for teaching foundation level undergraduate engineering students using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) with scaffolded learning, aimed at developing the necessary skills to become effective engineers. A critical input to the process was a liberal arts and humanities review of the broader societal aspects, including the global challenges addressed by the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The specific context of this study revolves around a problem scenario in which students were tasked with designing a heat and electricity solution for a typical household. The assignment was designed to simulate real-world engineering challenges, requiring students to think critically, innovate, and design a functional system that integrates renewable energy sources, heat sources, battery storage, electricity grid connections, instrumentation, and control systems. The use of PBL encourages active engagement with the problem, requiring students to identify what they know, what they need to find out and what they need to learn.
Initially, students received a user requirement specification that outlined the need for an integrated heat and electricity solution. They were encouraged to use functional and transactional writing to articulate their understanding of the problem as well as using labelled sketches and diagrams. The importance of listing assumptions as part of overall validation was emphasised. They were also asked to consider the links from the local to the global, including addressing sustainability and social issues.
Students were required to model their design using appropriate digital tools. This allowed them to simulate and visualise their solutions, ensuring that the theoretical aspects of their designs could be tested and refined before final implementation. The integration of digital tools into the learning process mirrors the increasing reliance on technology in engineering design and is critical for students’ development as proficient, work-ready engineers.
The final component of the assignment was reflective learning. Students were asked to revisit their design process and critically assess their work, considering both their successes and challenges, and how their proposed solution addresses sustainability and the SDGs.
This paper offers a case study of PBL to equip foundation level students with the skills, knowledge, and mindset required to approach engineering problems holistically and innovatively, addressing requirements of multiple SDGs. By engaging students in real-world problem solving and providing them with the tools to think critically, model solutions, and reflect on their learning, this approach fosters the development of engineers who are well-positioned to become changemakers.
Embedding Sustainable Development into Engineering Education: Showcasing a Practice Within an Energy Engineering Module at NMITE
Joseph O. Oyekale[1] and James Atuonwu[1]
[1]New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Hereford, United Kingdom
Abstract
This paper aims to showcase a pedagogical approach to embedding sustainable development into engineering education based on the practice within a module at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), Hereford, United Kingdom. It is an innovative institution with the aim of disrupting engineering education, for efficient transmutation of students into engineering managers who would be work-ready and world-conscious imminently upon graduation. Based on a concise literature review conducted, energy and thermo-fluid contents are being leveraged to embed sustainability into higher education curricula, although their true impacts, in terms of learnings that students can translate into real-world practices, are yet to be quantified adequately. Thus, more research is needed to describe real practices in energy engineering modules, for systematic measurement of the qualitative/quantitative effects of sustainability embedment in them, which has necessitated this paper.
Conscious efforts were made at the start to gauge students’ prior knowledge in an Energy Engineering module delivered to FHEQ Level 5 (Second Year) students, via in-studio interactions and polling. A mix of evidence-based pedagogies were then adapted innovatively to deliver the module contents. In particular, the flipped-classroom, peer-instruction, problem-based learning and research-based learning approaches were intertwined for the delivery of the module syllabus, in a classical block model. Authentic assessments were leveraged specifically to spur students’ awareness of sustainability issues and their responsibilities as future engineers.
In the essay assessment, the students identified at least three hard-to-decarbonise industries and discussed the current roles and future potentials of some highlighted sustainable energy technologies in abating carbon emissions in those industries. In another assessment, a Design Proposal with Justifications, an industry partner presented a challenge to the students, as is the case with most modules at the Institute, aimed in this case at introducing the students to the energy trilemma within a typical food manufacturing plant and possible strategies to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Objective analyses of the students’ works and results of a post-module survey revealed that real learning had taken place around energy recovery and equipment optimization in an industrial process, for enhanced energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Specifically, based on the survey with responses from 20 out of the total 26 module students, an average of 76% of the respondents rated the quality and depth of the knowledge acquired to be outstanding, about 75% considered their exposure to the industry excellent, while about 73% attributed the assessments set to be fit for purpose, which again were aimed at embedding sustainability in engineering education.
In sum, embedment of sustainability in engineering education could be enhanced by setting real assessments that expose students to sustainability issues, giving them ample opportunities to reflect on their roles and responsibilities in tackling such issues in the real world.
Mathematics in Engineering Education:
Impacts on Diversity and the Global SDGs
Sarah M. C. Peers
New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, United Kingdom
International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists, Canada
sarah.peers@nmite.ac.uk / sarah.peers@inwes.net
Abstract
Mathematics is considered a vital part of engineering education, yet it oftens presents challenges in creating a more inclusive profession by placing barriers to entry. Yet practicing engineers in industry often report that the maths they learnt (or suffered) as students is rarely of practical use beyond university. In addition, there is evidence that the most common approaches to teaching and learning maths is not effective in creating mathematical thinkers. These three dimensions represent both an opportunity and a necessity to rethink and reshape our approaches to mathematics teaching and learning.
Addressing the barriers to mathematics at entry, such as unequal prior preparation and perceptions of accessibility, is essential for broadening participation and fostering gender and wider diversity in engineering. In this paper we discuss the practical issues of reducing the usual requirements for mathematics at entry, and how this single step has impacted the teaching and learning in our engineering programmes. The links to global issues of women in STEM and the local questions for underrepresented socioeconomic groups in higher education engineering are also considered.
Innovative approaches to teaching mathematical problem-solving—emphasizing real-world relevance and contextualized learning—can better engage engineering students. By embedding mathematics into engineering problem-based learning and integrating sustainability and social dimensions, students develop a deeper understanding of mathematics and how engineering solutions intersect with global challenges, such as climate change and social inequities.
We also present how, by identifying clearly what is meant by mathematical thinking and fluency, we might be better able to equip our students with a mathematical education more suited to becoming effective engineers. The focus on fluency in mathematics reading and interpretation, and mathematical thinking characterized by critical reasoning, creativity, and adaptability, equips future engineers to navigate complex, interdisciplinary problems. These cognitive skills are essential for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which demand equitable as well as innovative solutions. A mathematics curriculum that prioritizes inclusivity and relevance can not only mitigate attrition among diverse cohorts, and so address the SDGs for meaningful work and gender equality, but it can also enhance the societal impact of engineering practice by cultivating professionals who are more attuned to global needs.
This approach to mathematics in engineering education could provide engineers better prepared to meet the SDGs through solutions that are not only technically sound but also socially and environmentally responsible. Ultimately, reframing mathematics as an accessible, meaningful, and inclusive discipline has the potential to redefine engineering education, empowering a new generation of engineers to address global challenges with empathy, equity, and effectiveness.