The Global Engineer

Incorporating global skillswithin UK higher education

of engineers

March 2008

Authors

Douglas Bourn

Development Education Research Centre

Institute of Education

University of London

20 Bedford Way

London

WC1H 0AL

Tel. +44 (0)20 7612 6000

Email: d.bourn@ioe.ac.uk

Website: www.ioe.ac.uk

Ian Neal

Engineers Against Poverty

2nd Floor Weston House

246 High Holborn

London

WC1V 7EX

Tel. +44 (0)20 3206 0487

Email: i.neal@engineersagainstpoverty.org

Website: www.engineersagainstpoverty.org

This publication in an output of aproject funded by DFID’sDevelopment Awareness Fundentitled Promoting DevelopmentAwareness through dialogue andpartnership exploration: UKEngineering Higher Education.

Whilst acknowledging thissupport, the views expressed inthis publication are those of theauthors alone.

Copyright EAP and Development Education Research Centre

The Global Engineer Page 1

ABBREVIATIONS

CETL Centre for Excellence in Teaching and LearningCPD Continuous professional developmentCSR Corporate social responsibilityDFID Department for International DevelopmentDIUS Department for Innovation, Universities and SkillsEAP Engineers Against PovertyEC UK Engineering Council UKEWB-UK Engineers Without Borders – UKFCO Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeHEFCE Higher Education Funding Council for EnglandHEIs Higher education institutionsICT Information and communication technologyLDCs Less developed countriesNGO Non government organisationRAENG Royal Academy of EngineeringSD Sustainable DevelopmentSETI Science, engineering, technology and innovationSTEM Science, technology, engineering and mathsUK-SPEC UK Standard Performance for Engineering CompetenceVC Vice chancellorWEDC Water Engineering and Development Centre

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................2

RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................................4

PART ONE: KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GLOBAL DIMENSION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION.................................4

What is meant by the global dimension of engineering? ........................................................................................4

What is the global dimension of engineering education? ........................................................................................5

What are the key drivers for increasing the global dimension across higher education? ..........................................8

What do global skills look like? Differing interpretations of global skills .................................................................11

How does international development fit within the global dimension? ..................................................................13

What are the key barriers and contraints and how can these be overcome? .........................................................13

PART TWO: INCORPORATING THE GLOBAL DIMENSION WITHIN LEARNING ........................................................15

Framework............................................................................................................................................................15

Embedding within the curriculum..........................................................................................................................18

Partnerships ..........................................................................................................................................................21

Extra-curricula learning........................................................................................................................................22

University level strategies.....................................................................................................................................23

Inter-university, national and international strategies .............................................................................................25

CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................................................................27

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................28

ENDNOTES............................................................................................................................................................29

Engineering is a global industry undergoing a period ofunprecedented change. The future of engineering (and theworld economy, in general) is being framed by global forceswhich transcend national boundaries such as the impacts ofglobalisation, rapid technology advances, climate changeand inequality. Through the application of science andengineering, humanity has the potential to meet all of itsbasic needs: water, sanitation, food security, shelter, energy,transport. Growth markets in infrastructure, constructionand the extractive industries are increasingly in the devel-oping countries. Technological and scientific advancesespecially at the interface of advanced computing, biologyand physics are leading exponential growth of innovationand opening a world of new possibilities and markets.

It follows that engineering higher education needs to con-stantly strive to keep pace with these advances and inparticular the contribution of engineering to these globalopportunities and challenges. Higher education needs toprepare engineers of the future with the skills and know-how they will need to manage rapid change, uncertaintyand complexity. Key here is the ability to tailor engineeringsolutions to the local social, economic, political, cultural andenvironmental context and to understand the impact of localaction on the wider world. Although there is a global dimen-sion within all subject areas, engineering and technology hasunique importance in addressing global challenges, deliv-ering environmental sustainability, international povertyreduction and economic growth. This publication looks atwhy the global dimension is critical to engineering, whatthis means for engineering education and how this can beimplemented. It specifically considers the importance andrelevance of poverty reduction within the global dimension.

However as a recent study amongst engineering academics1

found, there would be strong opposition to any reduction in‘core engineering’ content or dilution of course content withperipheral subject matter and this was confirmed bydialogue which informed this study. There are strong driverssupporting greater inclusion of the global dimension withinhigher education and engineering higher education in par-ticular. However, as there is little space within the curriculumfor additional content, the challenge is to identify solutionswhich address the constraints engineering departmentsoperate under and the need to protect ‘core engineering’content. This publication captures some of approachescurrently being applied within UK universities and attemptsto draw out wider lessons.

Over the past 18 months, Engineers Against Poverty and theDevelopment Education Research Centre at the Institute ofEducation of the University of London has facilitated a seriesof university workshops and key stakeholder dialogues tobetter understand current practice and thinking within engi-neering higher education. In particular the work looked at

� Current understanding of the global dimension of engi-neering education

� The importance and contribution of the internationaldevelopment / poverty reduction agenda to this globaldimension

� The alignment and tensions with related agendas withineducation such as global skills, education for sustainabledevelopment and education for global citizenship

� The barriers and constraints to change within engineeringeducation

� The business and policy drivers supporting change

� Examples of innovation within teaching and curriculumdesign

� The role of partnerships in delivering the global dimension

The case for radical and urgent change is a strong one.Climate change policy requires an urgent and fundamentalchange within engineering to mitigate and adapt to climatechange, both within the UK and globally. This is especiallyimportant in the areas of transport, energy generation andconstruction. Climate change may increase water scarcity,soil and habitat degradation, food insecurity, naturaldisasters, conflict and international migration. It will hit thepoorest and most vulnerable first and hardest. These are theissues which frame the global dimension of engineering anddefine engineering’s contribution to sustainable develop-ment. Encouragingly the past 5 years has witnessed a seachange in the UK policy environment. There is wide spreadsupport from across government, the engineering institu-tions, academia, employers and students to embrace theglobal skills and sustainability agendas. The importance ofglobal skills in science and engineering education to UKcompetitiveness is reflected in UK government policy andcourse accreditation guidance. Since 2004, it is mandatoryfor engineering courses to incorporate sustainable develop-ment.

The global skills agenda presents particular challenges forengineering education. Firstly there are number of notableconstraints which inhibit curriculum change such as analready crowded curriculum, funding constraints, a percep-tion that research is more highly valued than teaching, alack of relevant experience and knowledge amongst someteaching staff and resistance to any dilution of coreengineering content within the curriculum. Secondly, thereis a risk that different interpretations and language can resultin a lack of policy coherence, competition between differentagendas and initiatives and a marginalisation of the povertyreduction agenda within the wider global skills agenda. Forexample, within the global skills debate, the focus is often onadvanced engineering and advanced and emerging industri-alised markets to the exclusion of intermediate technologyand markets amongst the world’s poorest billions. Similarly,within the education for sustainable development debate,the focus is often on the environmental rather than socialand political dimensions of sustainable development. Thepublication sets out why the poverty reduction and develop-ment agendas are essential components of the sustainabilityand global skills agendas especially within engineeringeducation. It also suggests solutions to overcome the barriersidentified.

It unpacks the concept of global skills and shows how manyof the skills and attitudes which define global skills (such as

Executive Summary

Page 2 The Global Engineer

Recommendations

critical thinking, multi-disciplinarity, team working, the abilityto work across cultures and contexts, systems thinking andstrong inter-personal and communication skills) are equallyrelevant to international development practice. It argues thatinstead of seeing the contribution of engineering to povertyreduction and development as detached and separate from‘mainstream’ engineering, it should be aligned within theglobal skills agenda and embedded across the curriculumand result in a redefinition of ‘mainstream’ engineering in aglobal context.

Finally and most importantly, the publication presents aframework of approaches for embedding the global dimen-sion and examples from current practice to illustrate theseapproaches in action. One of the clearest findings to emergefrom the university workshops is the value academic staffplace on sharing experience with their peers as part of theirprofessional development. Teaching staff require the space,resources and external support to share lessons and experi-

ence in curriculum development and awareness of thewealth of work that already exists.

The publication concludes that continued reform of theengineering curriculum is urgently needed to better reflectthe challenges and opportunities of a globalised world.Sustainability and poverty reduction are essential departurepoints for understanding this global dimension. It recognisesthe constraints and barriers that engineering facultiesoperate under and proposes steps to reduce these. Throughpractical examples, it demonstrates how embedding theglobal dimension can help deliver against a range ofmandatory learning outcomes set out in the EngineeringCouncil’s UK-SPEC for higher education accreditation andnot merely the requirement to address sustainable develop-ment. It also seeks to demonstrate how these reforms areachievable and manageable and in the long term interests ofUK universities, students and employers.

HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

All HEIs engaged in engineering education to undertake areview of existing courses to consider the extent to whichthe global dimension is adequately reflected.

All HEIs engaged in running courses that include sustainabledevelopment and international development to considerways in which these agendas can be brought more closelytogether

HEIs to consider the role of partnerships with business andcivil society in moving forward the global dimension withinboth the review and delivery of engineering courses.

HEIs to develop international partnerships with engineeringdepartments elsewhere in the world with a view tofurthering cultural understanding and respecting differentviews and perspectives on global issues and sustainability.

Higher Education Academy through its engineering subjectcentre to promote professional development around theconcept of the ‘global engineer’ incorporating links withexisting initiatives on sustainable development and interna-tionalisation.

HEFCE to consider ways in which the concept of the ‘globalengineer’ can be taken forward within their strategy on sus-tainable development and to increase funding to HEIs andprofessional bodies to implement this strategy.

GOVERNMENT

DFID and DIUS to consider developing joint policies andinitiatives for incorporating the global dimension withinhigher education including providing additional support toHEIs and professional bodies who demonstrate commitmentto implementing this agenda.

UK government to support initiatives within higher educa-tion that demonstrate the contribution of engineering toglobal challenges and skills debates.

PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND INSTITUTIONS

Professional bodies engaged in engineering education toconsider ways in which the concept of the ‘global engineer’can be promoted within HEIs.

Professional bodies to identify ways in which the globaldimension can enrich initiatives in areas such as engineeringethics, sustainable development, enterprise and professionaland personal skills.

Professional and research bodies to support further researchon the impact and value of the ‘global engineer’ concept inthe contribution of engineering to positive world changeand meeting the skills needs of the UK workforce.

EMPLOYERS

Engineering employers to promote the concept of the‘global engineer’ to their senior managers and staff respon-sible for human resources.

Engineering employers to identify to HEIs and professionalbodies the specific global skills they seek within engineeringgraduates particularly with reference to poverty reductionand sustainable development.

Engineering employers to review the ways in which theirstaff can acquire global skills through professional develop-ment, secondments, mentoring and partnerships with civilsociety organisations and universities and how this links toreforms with engineering higher education.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Volunteering organisations to consider how they can workmore closely with HEIs and support the global learning andcitizenship within their programmes.

Development NGOs to engage with HEIs on the relevance ofinternational development to engineering education.

The Global Engineer Page 3

Part 1: Key questions about the global dimension of engineering education

This publication aims to provide UK engineering facultiesand higher education institutions (HEIs) with practical guid-ance on incorporating global issues and sustainabledevelopment within the engineering curriculum. The issues,examples of practice and recommendations have emergedfrom dialogue with a range of universities around the UKand with the key stakeholders in engineering education. Thepublication is seen as a document to initiate further debateand dialogue within higher education institutions and theengineering profession more widely. It aims to build onexisting research and practice within a number of institutionson sustainable development and international work, to bringtogether a range of different initiatives within a proposedframework and to make suggestions for curriculum develop-ment and partnerships for the future.

Part 1 addresses 6 key questions:

� What is meant by the global dimension of engineering?

� What is the global dimension of engineering education?

� What are the drivers for increasing the global dimensionacross higher education?

� What do global skills look like?

� How does development education fit within the globaldimension?

� What are the key barriers to change and what opportu-nities exist to overcome these barriers?

Part 2 provides a framework and guidance for incorporatingthe global dimension within student learning including:

� Embedding within the curriculum.

� Innovative partnerships and strategies for collaborationat national and international levels.

� Extra-curricula learning.

What is meant by the global dimension ofengineering?

“Amongst the greatest challenges we face in the world

today are those of delivering growing, secure and

affordable supplies of clean water and of energy, to meet

the needs and expectations of an expanding population,

whilst reducing our CO2 emissions and the human

contribution to climate change. The implementation of

innovative engineering solutions is fundamental to

addressing these challenges, whilst also offering

exceptional opportunities for economic growth to the

nations which are able to deliver them”.2

Professor Julia E King, Chair of the Educating Engineers

for the 21st Century Working Party

In essence the global dimension is the sum of the social,political, technological, cultural and environmental issueswhich are shaping engineering at the global level. In a recentindependent review of strategic global trends up to 2036,the UK government concludes human activity will be domi-nated by 3 pervasive ‘ring road’ issues: climate change,globalisation and inequality, which between them frame theenvironmental, economic and social pillars of sustainabledevelopment. It is not that the 3 pillars can be reduced downto just these ‘ring road’ issues, but addressing them willdefine what sustainability looks like. Sustainability lies at theinterface of all 3 agendas and with the alignment of solu-tions and dimensions.3 What are the relationships betweenthe economic, social and environmental dimensions of engi-neering and the relationship between global and localsystems? What are the global drivers of change? How will

these global drivers impact upon engineering? What is thecontribution of engineering to positive world change? Whattechnologies and approaches offer the most promise? Theseare all questions which define the global dimension of engi-neering and engineering education.

The Stern Review4 on the economics of climate change con-cludes that ‘business as usual’ is unsustainable and we havea brief, 10 to 15 year window of opportunity to addressclimate change and move towards sustainability or face fargreater costs and threats in the future. As Stern concludes,“We have the time and the knowledge to act. But only if we

Introduction

From Engineering for Sustainable Development: Royal Academyof Engineering, 2006

Page 4 The Global Engineer

ECO-CENTRICCONCERNS

Natural resourcesand ecological

capacity

SOCIO-CENTRICCONCERNS

Human captialand socialexpectations

SUSTAINABILITY

TECHNO-CENTRICCONCERNS

Techno-economicsystems

act internationally, strongly and urgently.” And as HilaryBenn, former Secretary of State for International Develop-ment states “The truth is if we don’t do something aboutclimate change, aid from rich countries will look pitiful bycomparison with the consequences and the costs for devel-oping countries”. Crucially, the reverse is also true.

Addressing climate change cannot be separated from tack-ling extreme poverty and the needs of developing countries.The extent to which global poverty and climate change areaddressed will define the future of globalisation and thefuture markets and regulation of world manufacturing, con-struction, transport, agriculture and energy. Globalisation,climate change and poverty are closely inter-connected andare the driving issues which will shape engineering over thecoming decades.5

The scale and urgency of the challenge make sustainabilityand poverty reduction the defining issues currently facingengineering and engineering education. It is suggested herethat this should be the starting point for higher educationinstitutions (HEIs) in considering the global dimension withinengineering education. Considering the global dimension ofengineering education is therefore about much more thaninfluencing engineering practice in the ‘developing world’. Itis above all about recognising that engineering is a globalindustry. To be a global engineer requires not only to under-standing the global context but also recognising thecontribution engineering can make to securing economicand social change.

Although economic, social and environmental concerns are

What is the global dimension ofengineering education?

Responses from UK engineering academics whenasked what the global dimension meant to them?

� The ability to take a broader perspective - applicationof curriculum across countries

� An appreciation of what we do in developing coun-tries impact upon ourselves.

� Understanding our culture doesn’t have all theanswers and there is more than one perspective andapproach.

� Understanding the local context of development

� Coping with uncertainty

� Dealing with global issues doesn’t necessarily meangoing to developing countries

� Challenging stereotypes

� Recognition of finite resources in the world and theimpact of globalisation

� Potential role of different technologies

� Mitigating and adapting to climate change

Source: University stakeholder meetings, 2007

often seen as competing agendas with trade-offs, their inter-dependence means that if we are to address the causes andnot merely the symptoms of poverty, a holistic view is nec-essary. A review of the primary anticipated growth marketsfor engineering and construction companies shows they areconcentrated in the developing countries and in regionsprone to conflict and entrenched poverty. They include:

� Investment in oil, gas and mining with over $600bn pro-jected expenditure over the next 10 years in Africa alone.

� Expansion in infrastructure investment especially slumupgrading and urban infrastructure in developing coun-tries. In 2005 the G8 nations pledged $150bn additionalaid for African infrastructure in the next 10 years. By 2015it is estimated that 80% of new infrastructure will be indeveloping countries.6

� Public utilities and infrastructure such as water, transport,electricity, communications and irrigation with a growthin private-sector participation, public-private partnershipsand market deregulation.

� Increased investment and support for enterprise basedsolutions to poverty including ‘base of the pyramid’ mar-keting and social entrepreneurship.

� Opportunities arising from the global application ofemerging computing, energy, nano and bio-science tech-nologies.

� Sustainable technologies / approaches especially in theenergy, transport and construction markets resulting fromboth adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

These markets present complex and unfamiliar challengesespecially for those engineers only familiar with westernmarkets. Investments are often in part supported by the offi-cial donor development assistance and subject to theirscrutiny and social and environmental safeguards. In addi-tion civil society and poverty and environmental pressuregroups scrutinise as never before the actions of multi-national companies and their suppliers and contractorsespecially those operating in the developing countries. Engi-neering companies often work directly with project affectedcommunities and those companies seeking to maximisegrowth in these markets will recognise the importance of aworkforce competent in the theory and practice ofsustainability and development. Table 1 (overleaf) maps theways in which climate change, poverty and globalisationdefine the context of global engineering and howengineering impacts on this context.

The global dimension can be addressed through a variety oflenes and perspectives. Within the context of engineeringeducation, four perspectives and approaches are suggestedas ways to examine what the global dimension looks like.They are a futures perspectives because of the key role uni-versities and engineering plays within technologicaldevelopment. Secondly a business case that recognises areassuch as corporate social responsibility and its social role inthe economies of the twenty first century. Thirdly a criticalperspective because unless engineers recognise there are nosimple or easy solutions and that our actions have social con-sequences, we are not equipping graduates for dealing withcomplexity and uncertainty. This links with the final perspec-

The Global Engineer Page 5

tive proposed which is a whole systems approach that recog-nises the interconnectedness of actions both social andeconomic.

The need to adapt and refine curriculum to keep pace withand anticipate the changing global market place forengineering graduates is widely recognised by government,business, engineering institutions, accrediting bodies andthe universities themselves. As markets become increasinglyglobal, knowledge and innovation driven and defined byenvironmental and social constraints, universities will need tokeep abreast of changing employer requirements and antic-ipate the future, something which is recognised byuniversities themselves. The adjacent table lists someresources for identifying and tracking global futures.

Climate change

linkages

and impacts

Impact of climate change onpoverty• Poor hit earliest and hardest with the

least capacity to adapt. Climatechange may led to:

• Loss of habitats & biodiversity,• Loss of livelihoods / new

opportunities, Increased frequency /severity of natural disasters, floodingand extreme weather,

• Water scarcity & desertification,• Conflict, civil unrest and migration,• Health impacts & food insecurity.• Complex trade-offs: e.g. biofuels

could boost or undermine livelihoodsof poor, carbon markets could reduceor entrench poverty.

Impact of climate change onglobalisation• The impacts of carbon trading and

the shift towards a low carboneconomy especially in energy,transport, foodstuffs, manufacturing,construction & tourism markets,

• Localisation of supply chains &markets due to higher transport costs,

• Increased risk, uncertainty & marketvolatility, Disruption to agriculture &infrastructure,

• Failure to address climate changeundermines global economy andsupport for globalisation processes.

Impact of climate change onengineering• New markets and opportunities in

renewable energy, alternative fuels,energy conservation & wastereduction,

• New research / innovationopportunities,

• Disaster preparedness and relief andpost-disaster reconstruction,

• Low carbon economy especially inenergy, infrastructure & constructionmarkets.

Impact of poverty on climatechange• Farming, energy, transport,

urbanisation and developmentchoices of developing nations arecritical if global CO2 reduction targetsare to be met especially in rapidlyindustrialising economies (Brazil,Russia, India & China).

• Global carbon trading and emissionstargets must recognise the needs andrights of the poor and the obligationsof industrialised nations.

Poverty

linkages and

impacts

Impact of poverty onglobalisation• The responsibility to act ethically,

contribute to poverty reduction andinvolve poor in decision making isbecoming recognised by globalcorporations,

• Failure to act responsibly or to addresspoverty undermines support for(current models of) globalisation.

• Globalisation criticised byinternational development & tradereformers.

Impact of poverty onengineering• Requires low cost solutions that are

appropriate to cultural, political, socialand economic environment,

• Requires participation of the poor andlocal knowledge,

• Developing countries are often highrisk / high return markets.

Impact of globalisation onclimate change• International supply chains increase

energy and transport impacts,• Reduced production costs increase

waste and consumerism fuellingcarbon emissions

• Environmental impacts displaced toless developed country (LDC)production centres.

Impact of globalisation onpoverty• Social, legal & environmental

safeguards often lower in less devel-oped countries (LDCs),

• Offers economic opportunities esp. innatural resources & agriculture,tourism, manufacturing and fair-tradegoods,

• LDC economies vulnerable to capitalflight and brain drain, trade rulesdisadvantage LDCs and underminenational sovereignty.

Globalisation

linkages

and impact

Impact of globalisation onengineering• Growth in LDC markets esp. in

utilities, infrastructure & the extractiveindustries,

• International supply chains promotetechnology transfer & standardisedsystems,

• Growth in labour mobility, access toknowledge.

Impact of engineering onclimate change• Transport, energy, agriculture,

infrastructure and manufacturingchoices determine impacts,

• Engineering and innovation key tomitigation and adaptation,

• Engineering key to disasterpreparedness and reconstruction.

Impact of engineering onpoverty• Engineering key to providing pro-poor

energy, transport, shelter, health andwater products and services,

• Platform infrastructure andtechnologies provide an enablingenvironment for growth,

• Engineering supply chains andtechnology transfer offer povertyreduction opportunities.

Impact of engineering onglobalisation• Engineering knowledge and

innovation especially in transport,energy, manufacturing and ICT arethe drivers behind economicintegration and globalisation,

• Sustainability and climate change willforce a revised model of engineeringand globalisation.

Engineering

linkages

and impacts

Table 1:Simple map of the global context showing the linkages and impacts of climate change, poverty, globalisation andengineering upon each other

A futures perspective

“At no point in our whole history has the speed and scale

of technological change been so fast and pervasive.”

Gordon Brown speaking at the Trades Union Congress

2005 conference

Page 6 The Global Engineer

Common features of these futures studies include:

� The unprecedented nature of global challenges andopportunities.

� The increasing speed of change.

� The interdependency and convergence of issues.

� The high degree of complexity and uncertainty especiallyin global systems such as the climate or economics.

� The key role of science, engineering, technology andinnovation (SETI) driving forward and adapting to change.

Engineers are in the business of anticipating and planningfor the future. This is especially true in civil engineeringwhich relies on accurate design assumptions of future pop-ulation, demand, technology and environmental extremes.The trend within engineering is towards long-term businessmodels such as Private Finance Initiatives, Build Operate Trainand Transfer Projects and Public-Private Partnerships and thisrequires engineers to take a long term perspective includingchange within the local social and political context. Engi-neers will need to factor in the impacts of climate change ininfrastructure design assumptions. These features of changehave important implications for educators. The challenge isnot only to update the curricula to reflect today’s world butto prepare students with the skills and know-how they willneed in 10 or 20 years time. Prof. David Hicks, Director ofCentre for Global and Futures Education at Bath SpaUniversity has been a leading advocate of the need for afutures dimension in education and its linkages with theglobal dimension. Hicks defines futures education as theterm used internationally to describe a form of educationwhich helps students think more critically and creativelyabout the future. In more detail it:

� Enables students to understand the links between theirown lives in the present and those of others in the pastand future.

� Increases understanding of the economic, social, politicaland cultural influences which shape people’s perceptionsof personal, local and global futures.

� Develops the skills, attitudes and values which encourageforesight and enable students to identify both probableand preferable futures.

Executive Summary

RESOURCES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF FUTURE ANDGLOBAL TRENDS

UK HEIs seeking to be internationally competitive in arapidly changing world will need to anticipate and adaptto change and embed global thinking across theuniversity and curricula.

UN Millennium Project State of the Future programmeDFID 2006 White Paper incl. the speeches of Hilary BennDFID Drivers of Change programmePrime Minister’s Strategy UnitUK Government’s Foresight and Sigmascan projectsDeltascan, Stanford UniversityUK Sustainable Development strategies andpriorities

A business perspective

An industry study by the Royal Academy of Engineeringstates ‘UK engineering degree courses must recognise thechanging requirements of industry’. The study furtherstresses the importance of business, enterprise and innova-tion skills, work placements and stronger linkages withindustry and there is a growing demand from students andemployers alike for the global dimension and global skills tobe embedded across higher education. However in seekingto meet industry requirements, universities should guardagainst perpetuating business models and technologieswhich are unsustainable or socially irresponsible. Ifengineering courses are to prepare graduates to work in aglobal industry and for a future defined by globalisation andthe twin challenges of poverty and sustainability, it is essen-tial courses reflect society’s needs and the needs of futuregenerations and not merely ‘the requirements of industry’which may or may not be attuned to societal signals.

The business community is increasingly aware and sup-portive of its responsibility to wider society and protection ofthe environment. Polls of the business community continueto document rising interest in corporate social responsibility(CSR). Unfortunately, they also reveal significant lags inimplementing commitment to CSR.8 A recent McKinseyglobal survey of business leaders suggests that few businessleaders believe that they yet do this well.9 The key to trans-lating CSR commitment into business practice andopportunity is making CSR practically relevant to the busi-ness and this means aligning CSR with core businessoperations and strategy.10

As Björn Stigson, President, World Business Council forSustainable Development (WBCSD) argues “[Business] mustaddress major social and environmental issues as part of [its]business strategies because ultimately it makes good busi-ness sense. A business’s long-term competitiveness – itslicense to operate, innovate, and grow – will increasinglydepend on how it embraces societal challenges.” CSR hasevolved: broadened, deepened and become more aligned

� Works towards achieving a more just and sustainablefuture in which the welfare of both people and planet areof equal importance.7

The Global Engineer Page 7

A model for tomorrow’s global business

understand significance of societalsignals for company and sector

definebusiness success

in long-termcontext

integrate opportunity into strategy

turnunderstandingintoopportunity

Page 8 The Global Engineer

SYSTEMS THINKING IN OTHER DISCIPLINES

In international developmentSchumacher College short course programme and MScin Holistic Sciences; CDRA’s writings on NGOs aslearning organisations and capacity building – shiftingthe paradigms of practice; Gaian Democracies:Redefining globalisation and people power, Roy Madronand John Joplin

In spirituality and new sciences

Conscious evolution; Brian Godwin, From Control toParticipation; Contributors to the ‘What the Bleep’ filmand Bethechange conferences

In the natural sciences

Big picture clips on Interconnectedness, Elisabet Sah-touris, (2), Satish Kumar and of the lecturers atSchumacher College

In agriculture and energy

ISIS Dream Farm model, Permaculture models

In business and organisational learningFrank Dixon on Total corporate responsibility and globalsystem change, (2); Peter Senge on Learning Organisa-tions

with core business functions. The contribution of business topro-poor growth and poverty reduction is recognised asincreasingly important, especially in global industries suchas engineering and extractive industries. The more globalissues such as sustainability and poverty reduction are seento be pivotal to business strategy, public policy and marketregulation, the easier it is to make a clear case both touniversities and business to invest in global skills. TheWBCSD model taken from its publication, ‘From Challengeto Opportunity: The role of business in tomorrow's society’(2006)11, shows the importance of understanding societalsignals, integrating these drivers into business strategy andtranslating them into opportunites. This is reflected in thegrowing interest in enterprise solutions to poverty12 and‘base of the pyramid’ models.

systems and their context. Prof. Paul Jowitt (chair of the Insti-tution of Civil Engineers’ Joint Board of Moderators TaskGroup to embed sustainable development into engineeringcurricula and professional development) states “a moreholistic/systems view of the world is now required - one inwhich engineers need to be more fully aware of theeconomic, social and environmental dimensions of theiractivities and more skilled in meeting their objectives.”14

Systems thinking is, in essence, the ability to see a problemor situation holistically, from a multitude of perspectives andunderstand the relationships, interconnections and com-plexity between the different parts that make up the whole.This approach was originally popularised as chaos or Gaiantheory and has been applied across all disciplines includingthe physical and social sciences (box opposite). Seeing howhuman systems such as engineering mimic the complexity ofnatural systems has led several influential writers to drawcomparisons with how nature can provide lessons for humansystems: a field known as biomimicry.15

A critical perspective

‘Business as usual’ is not sustainable. Poverty and climatechange are symptomatic of long term market and regulatoryfailures. A key issue is to debate why these market failureshave occurred and how global markets and regulationscould be reformed to incentivise engineering businesses totake a more long term view that addresses the challenges ofpoverty and climate change. Indeed it is only through a deeprethinking of what a sustainable, people-centred globaleconomy and society would look like that a new model ofengineering practice can emerge. Critical analysis whichallows learners to challenge their assumptions and theassumptions of others, to analyse a problem from a range ofperspectives and to hear voices they would otherwise not beexposed to, is essential to understanding and exploring thesecomplex issues. Research shows that a common explanationof why engineering projects are unsustainable or haveunintended negative impacts is a failure to adequatelyunderstand the local context and the needs and constraintsof local stakeholders.13 Engineers with critical thinking skillsare more liable to question design assumptions and under-stand and value local knowledge. Critical thinking can bepromoted by providing space for dialogue and exchangewithin the learning environment (through seminars, multi-disciplinary projects and active learning pedagogies, forexample) to explore contentious and controversial aspectsof engineering. This is a particular challenge for engineeringeducation with its grounding in western, empirical, scientificmethods and where learners are often uncomfortable withambiguity and the subjective analysis of the social sciences.This is something which, in large part, explains thedisconnect between the physical and social sciences.

A systems perspective

The nature of engineering is changing. Engineering consul-tancies are becoming multi-disciplinary and global in theirreach. Traditional boundaries between disciplines in science(chemistry, biology and physics) and disciplines within engi-neering (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.) are breaking down.Systems engineering and whole life analysis is increasinglycommon especially in complex systems. Holistic thinking notonly requires understanding complexities within engineeringsystems but also the relationship between engineering

What are the key drivers for increasingthe global dimension across highereducation?

Having explored why the global dimension is so crucial to thefuture of engineering education, it is also helpful to identifythe drivers for increasing the global dimension across highereducation in general. These can be summarised in terms ofthe following:

� Strategies and initiatives on sustainable developmentincluding HEFCE’s Strategy on Sustainable Development,the work of the Higher Education Academy including

A number of universities such as Bournemouth, Leeds Met-ropolitan, University College London, Birmingham andSalford are recognising that internationalisation, sustainabledevelopment and global perspectives need to be seen in aholistic form.20 Globally orientated courses are also morelikely to attract (i) students from diverse and underrepresented groups such as women, (ii) internationalstudents to UK universities and (iii) international students tothe overseas campuses of UK universities.21 Research showsthat students and employers consistently value courseswhich incorporate opportunities to volunteer both in the UKand internationally, which incorporate internationalexchanges, business/ employer secondments and internshipsand which give students practical experience and accreditthis experience.22

University business strategies are strongly driven by theresearch assessment exercise. Research funding can act as adriver for embedding the global dimension. There is someevidence that some research councils are seeking to increasetheir support of research that addresses aspects of the globaldimension including (1) cross-disciplinary collaboration, (2)inter-university collaboration and research consortiaincluding international partnerships, (3) partnerships withbusiness and business schools including commercialisation ofintellectual property and (4) research addressing the keyglobal challenges such as low-carbon technologies andsustainable energy.23 By strengthening the linkages betweenteaching and research, the under-graduate curriculumlearning can benefit from the global understanding andcapacity that exists amongst graduate schools and post-graduates and build on the courses, partnerships andbusiness linkages that graduate schools establish.24 Howeveras the recent HEFCE review of sustainable development inhigher education found, “Sustainable development researchwill not increase further without a further increase in thefunds devoted to it. It is not clear that the Research Councilsare currently committed to such an increase.”25

subject centres, Universities UK’s report on ‘Green Spires”and the work of bodies such as Environmental Associa-tion for Universities and Colleges.

� International strategies of universities based aroundsecuring more international students, export of coursesand expertise and a wider appreciation of the importanceof internationalisation and promoting concept ofgraduates as global citizens. Key to this area has been thegovernment’s strategy on Putting the World into WorldClass Education and follow up initiatives by the HigherEducation Academy, bodies such as the DEA and theirpublication on The Global University and the work of theBritish Council.

� Impact of globalisation and the need to upskill the UKworkforce so that it is more globally competitive. Themain driver in this area has been the recommendations ofthe Leitch Review on Skills.

� Finally and perhaps least known is the Department forInternational Development (DFID) strategy for BuildingSupport for Development (1998) which has resulted in aplethora of initiatives and projects around the UK withinall sectors of education linked to the importance ofpromoting recognition that we live in an interdependentworld and the need to move beyond a ‘charitablementality’ towards the developing world.

There is evidence from a number of initiatives withinengineering education of engagement with these agendas.For example, UK Standard for Professional EngineeringCompetence (the UK SPEC)16 produced by the EngineeringCouncil UK, requires that all UK engineering courses deliveran “understanding of the requirement for engineeringactivities to promote sustainable development” and the JointBoard of Moderators believes “sustainable developmentshould be integrated … and ideally should be pervasivethroughout engineering education.”17

University business drivers

There are also a number of external and internal businessdrivers for the inclusion of global perspectives within highereducation, including: encouraging widening-participation,embracing diversity, broadening internationalisation, takingpositive steps to demonstrate equal treatment with regard torace, and seeking to ensure universities’ own workcontributes to a more sustainable future.18 A major driver forembedding the global dimension and international develop-ment within the curriculum is the internationalization ofhigher education and the growth of overseas studentsstudying in the UK which has doubled since 1998 to a record157,000 in 2006, contributing almost £8.5bn a year to theeconomy according a Home Office study. A third of overseasstudents were from China (52,000), followed by India(16,000) and the US (14,000) with engineering andtechnology being the second most popular subject behindbusiness among students from abroad. "It is therefore vitalfor our universities and the economy that the UK continuesto offer a truly welcoming and supportive environment forinternational students and academics."19

Students as drivers

Increasingly UK universities are operating in a global marketplace and attracting students from around the world. Thiscoupled with the large expansion of higher education overthe past 10 years has resulted in a far more diverse, multi-cultural student population. As well as being an asset and aresource that enriches university life, this transition in thestudent population makes decisions about course contentmore complicated and forces universities to take a moreglobal perspective.

There is evidence from Cambridge University and ImperialCollege which suggests students who are motivated toengage in global issues secure better degrees and more highprofile posts within companies relative to their peers wholack this motivation.26 There is further evidence from anumber of universities and student organizations suggestingstudents are increasingly demanding more courses anddebates on global issues and sustainable development.27 Forexample a number of student organisations such as Peopleand Planet and Engineers without Borders-UK (EWB-UK),have come together to produce a briefing document on the

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challenges, be socially aware, have excellent communicationand intercultural skills and be compassionate.

“In the past it was simple! You selected your suppliers fromyour area, and they used the materials that were to hand.This delivered your project in such a way that the projects'impact on the environment was automatically as low as itcould realistically be. This is no longer the case. Nowadays,the complexity of materials and components, from an everincreasing global supply chain, means that your manage-ment must have a thorough knowledge of the entire supplychain and exactly how it all fits together, in order to makethe right decision. The real stars of the future will be themanagers who take onboard all this information to deliverprojects and can also demonstrate how they use it to reducetheir impact on the environment."31

Research by Bourn and Sharma (2008) on engineering com-panies’ perceptions of the value of global and sustainabilityskills has reinforced these views. Senior staff from a well-known Japanese automobile manufacturer, for example,emphasised the importance of recruiting engineers whohave all-round interpersonal skills, fit into their culture, havean objective focus and an ability to identify and resolve prob-lems quickly. Inter-cultural sensitivity was a key skill for them:

“That is key for us because the perception that some peoplemay have is that engineering is not very global. However,sensitivity to different perspectives, nationalities and cul-tures, languages, locations, time zones and different styles ofworking in different countries is crucial. This is often lackingin people from the UK. Because we are a Japanese company,this becomes very important for us.32

There is further evidence of the value of developing globalperspectives as a contribution to employability from arecruitment consultant. Archer suggests that, ‘to understandthe world we live in we must experience it in the widestsense’ and the skills employers are looking for to demon-strate this can often be found in those graduates who havestudies internationally.33

These trends have been brought together by Shiel, Williamsand Mann (2005) within a framework for students who areself reliant, connected, well rounded, critical reflectors andhave a specialist knowledge. Key to their framework is theimportance of students not only being globally aware, buthaving the ability and skills to engage in society to promotepositive global change. They further suggest an importantcomponent of a global perspective is the ability to questionand challenge and to adopt a critical perspective. Finally, andthis is particularly important in the context of engineering, isthe linkage between specialist knowledge and a globaloutlook. It gives the graduate an added advantage withinthe employment context.34

As Bourn and Sharma (2008) identified more and more engi-neering employers are recognizing the importance of thesemore generic skills including working in environments withpeople from range of cultural backgrounds and be able tounderstand different perspectives and approaches. Gradu-ates also need to understand the ‘world in its global context’and to see ‘the global in the local.’

Employers as drivers

Universities are always conscious of the importance of theemployability of their graduates. There is evidence to suggestthat employers are looking for graduates who have anunderstanding of sustainability.30 In addition from researchon global skills, a wide range of employers are looking forpeople who are ‘well-rounded, ‘can take on complex global

The benefits to universities of globally orientated courses

Supports widening access and attracting students fromnon-traditional and under-represented groups

Supports student retention and motivation

Supports student employability

Supports marketing of UK courses internationally and ensuringinternational relevance of course content

theme of ‘Students as Global Citizens’. People and Planet(2006) suggest that:

‘Awareness of the world has heightened the curiosity of stu-dents about their role in global society. They travel acrossthe world, absorb news from across the world and commu-nicate with people from across the world. Unless studentsfind themselves roles to play, there is a risk of disenfranchise-ment or of disillusionment: that they are aware of globalissues but do nothing about them’.

Research at Bournemouth University (BU) highlights that BUstudents welcome the opportunity to engage in debateabout global and international issues and that 80% of thosesurveyed (sample size of 268) saw global perspectives asrelevant to their lives and would like more opportunity todevelop ‘broader global perspectives’ while studying at uni-versity28 (Shiel 2007). Research by StudentForce forSustainability for Higher Education Academy found studentswere concerned about the preparation for their employmentprovided by universities and believed that sustainabledevelopment and CSR should be taught more at universities.University careers staff confirmed a growing trend forstudents and employers to consider the employer’s socialand environmental responsibility.29

Partly in response to this student demand, some universitiessuch as Bournemouth, University College London (UCL),Leicester and Leeds Metropolitan, make reference toequipping their graduates to be global citizens, marketthemselves as institutions for global citizenship. UCL forexample states that ‘going global’ as an institution with a‘strong liberal tradition’ means ‘promoting a sense of globalcitizenship, social justice and environmental responsibility’.

Engineers Without Borders-UK is a student led charity thatfocuses on removing barriers to development usingengineering with groups in over 14 universities. Its rapidgrowth is testament to the interest in development amongstengineering students. The charity works in 6 areas:placements, bursaries, research, training, outreach andeducation. Its education programme works with teachingstaff to identify opportunities for the wider inclusion ofinternational development in the engineering curriculum.

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Understanding how they interrelate (the local/global) andbeing able to adapt well to diverse situations and percep-tions (multi-cultural), is to have a ‘global perspective’ in theworkplace.

� Promoting closer university-business linkages especially inscience and innovation.

� Internationalisation of higher education and attractingforeign students to UK universities.

� Developing the capacity of higher education institutionsin developing countries.

Underlying the range of issues and approaches raised in thispublication is the need for greater recognition of the inter-connectedness of these perspectives. It is not suggested herethat there is one way of seeing global skills or global perspec-tives, more a recognition of different approaches and notinghow they could potentially come closer together. Recogni-tion of the need to bring these agendas closer together hasrecently been recognised within the curriculum for schools inEngland and Wales.

A review of recent policy studies shows a high degree ofalignment between different skills frameworks that addressthe global dimension. For example: the transferable skillsand competencies identified as being relevant for sustainabledevelopment are very similar to the professional skillsdemanded generically by business and the CSR Academy’sskills framework. The question is how to get these differentinitiatives and drivers for global skills to tie together whilstensuring that critical thinking skills and recognition of mul-tiple perspectives is not lost within the debate. This meansthe inclusion of ‘soft’ professional skills that are genericallyneeded by employers such as communication, presentationand interpersonal skills, critical and analytical skills, creativity,innovation and adaptability.

Examples of professional skills sought by globalemployers

Price Waterhouse CoopersPwC run a professional development programme,Ulysses, with strong emphasis on global reasoning andpositive world change.35 Their work increasingly includesinternational development, CSR and sustainability.“PwC's young people will have to take on some verycomplex global challenges in the years to come, and theywill need more than just business skills and an MBA –they will also have to be socially aware; possess wideinterculturalcommunication skills; be thoughtful; committed toaccountability; and, above all, compassionate.”

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)36

VSO seeks the following qualities in those it employsoverseas:

� self-assurance

� flexibility and adaptability

� a flair for solving problems

� ability to work in a team

� sensitivity to the needs of others

� a desire to learn and help others learn

� a positive and realistic commitment to volunteering

What do global skills look like? Differinginterpretations of global skills

The case for embedding global skills and the global dimen-sion across engineering education is made and accepted verywidely. However, as the authors’ dialogue with academicsand stakeholders demonstrated, there is a wide range ofinterpretations as to what global skills actually look like. Thissection discusses some of these differing interpretations.There is a range of initiatives within higher education whichare relevant to the global skills debate such as:

� Education for sustainable development (ESD) agenda.

� Widening access to higher education.

� Developing ‘corporate social responsibility’ skills.

� Teaching of ethics and human rights.

� Developing entrepreneurial skills and social enterprise.

� Developing students as global citizens.

� Developing professional skills.

� Promoting multi-disciplinary learning.

� Promoting science, technology, engineering and maths(STEM).

� Promoting vocational learning, internships and workexperience placements.

Concepts related to the global dimension

Sustainability

Development education

Global ethics

Human rights

International relations

Political analysis

Justice and equality

Cross-cultural capability

Diversity

Inclusivity

Gender/Race/Ethnicity/

Nationality/Disability

Business responsibility

Citizenship

Skills Frameworks relevant to theglobal dimension

� Global Citizenship secondary school map, NationalAssembly of Wales,37

� Development Education Association’s framework,38

� Learning and skills for sustainable development,(HEPS and Forum for the Future: 2004),39

� ICE Joint Board of Moderators framework onSustainability and Design,40

� The DFES framework, Putting the World in to WorldClass Education41 and

� The CSR academy’s Making CSR Happen: thecontribution of people management.42

In recognition of these complex agendas it is suggested herethat some form of framework of learning is necessary toensure that engineering educators are able to take forwardthis array of approaches and perspectives within a coherentform. The following themes, skills and dispositions aresuggested as a starting point:

companies who desire to work effectively across borderswhile respecting local values.

However this perspective wholly exists within the prevalentglobal business model and fails to acknowledge thelegitimate criticisms of this business model. The danger isthat such an approach is liable to perpetuate ‘business asusual’ attitudes, entrench existing inequalities and powerstructures and leave unsustainable and unethical practiceunchallenged. As the Development Education Association(DEA) has observed unless global skills includes essential skillsin critical engagement and also leads to the adoption ofimpact-oriented behaviours, learning will be ineffectual.46

It is suggested here that the key to understanding globalskills recognising the following:

� The value of critical thinking

� The complex nature of the world in which we are living.

� The increasingly vulnerability of economies and societiesto global shocks.

� That the future is uncertain and there are not necessarilya series of easily identifiable solutions.

In response, education needs to prepare students forlife-long learning in a globalised society which enables themto cope with and adapt to this complexity, uncertainty andvulnerability. This involves fundamental shifts in coursecontent and delivery…

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Moving from Moving towards

Fixed content and skillsto conform to apredetermined idea ofsociety and the future

Concepts and strategiesto address complexity,difference and uncertainty

Absorbing information,reproducing receivedknowledge and acceptingand adapting to existingstructures and models ofthinking, knowing andbeing.

Assessing, interrogatingand connectinginformation, generatingknowledge, living withdifference and conflictand shifting positions andperspectives according tocontexts.

Structured, ordered andstable, predictable,comprehensible as awhole, universal meaningsand interpretations

Complex and changing,uncertain, multifacetedand interconnected,different meanings andinterpretation

A framework for the global dimension within theengineering profession43

Generic Themes:

� understanding of the major global challenges

� commitment to democracy and the social contractbetween government, business and the citizen

� corporate responsibility debates and solutions

� sustainable development debates and solutions

� global development and poverty reduction debatesand solutions

� corruption, conflict and ethical debates and solutions

� global interdependence and the connections betweenlocal and global

Generic Skills:

� holistic thinking, critical enquiry, analysis and reflection

� active learning and practical application

� self awareness and empathy

� strong communication and listening skills

Generic Dispositions:

� commitment to promoting social justice andresponsibility

� appropriate values and informed perceptions

� integrity and trustworthiness

� continuous learner

The Leitch Review44 emphasises the need for ‘world classskills’. A key component of these skills for engineers has tobe to understand and engage with the wider world. But assuggested already, this is not merely knowledge aboutcountries and global processes, important as they are, butthe skills necessary to make sense of globalisation and itsimpact on peoples’ everyday lives and to respond to globalchallenges and opportunities.

Global skills could be defined as merely about skills toengage with economies and markets. This, for example, isthe perspective of major US consultancy company, World-View:45

Global Skills are foundational business skills for companiesseeking to enhance their global competitiveness, and whichfocus on acquiring the necessary local country knowledge asit pertains to communication, relationship-building andproblem-solving skills. Global Skills play a key role betweenthe interplay of economics, politics, culture, technology andthe environment, and reflect the forward thinking of

This approach reinforces the importance of transferableprofessional skills including awareness of emerging globalrisks and opportunities and cross-cultural capability outlinedin the Henley report.47 The Henley report describes theshift in emphasis within engineering education away fromimparting knowledge, towards developing the underpinningskills required to find, analyse and apply knowledge in wayswhich are appropriate and sensitive to the local context andculture and appropriate attitudes and personal qualities todo this with humility and empathy.

How does international development fitwithin the global dimension?The UK is one of the leading providers in the world of under-graduate and post-graduate degree programmes tacklinginternational development. There are a number of specialist‘development engineering’ degrees and masters pro-grammes, that is programmes specifically aimed atengineering in an international development and humani-tarian relief context. Working in developing countries raisessome very specific issues and complexities that engineersworking in the UK are unlikely to have encountered and‘development engineering’ courses play an important rolein preparing engineers unfamiliar with these challenges forwork in international development and humanitariansectors. However, there is a danger that universities will seesuch specialist courses or elective modules as an adequateresponse to global dimension and fail to acknowledge that(1) all engineering students need exposure to the globaldimension and (2) the skills, lessons and approaches whichunderpin ‘development engineering’ have universal rele-vance.

Dialogue with academics from Cambridge and the OpenUniversity (OU) with considerable experience in ‘develop-ment engineering’ education confirmed this danger. Theyrecalled the perception of some colleagues that sustainabledevelopment is only concerned with poverty reduction indeveloping countries or with the environmental impacts ofengineering. The danger in developing a specialist centre orprovision for development engineering within an engi-neering department is that these issues and thinking maybe marginalised: partitioned in a corner, while ‘proper engi-neering’ gets on with what it does. However there is counterevidence that suggests

“The presence of …… a specialist sustainable development(SD) delivery unit has proved an important driver in somecases. Wolverhampton, for example, has long had its inter-nationally recognised Centre for International Developmentand Training (CIDT), which has been a niche player in the SDspace within the university for many years. As HEIs developa more institutional approach to SD such units can have animportant catalyst role in advancing SD adoption.”48

Whilst there will continue to be demand for specialist postgraduate courses preparing engineers for work in the reliefand development sectors, the challenge is to ensure that theglobal dimension is central to the thinking across the wholefaculty and embedded within all engineering courses. Thelack of an explicit poverty reduction dimension withinHEFCE’s recently launched resource centre on sustainabledevelopment education49 perhaps illustrates the difficultiesand confusion arising from different understandings anddefinitions of the global dimension or sustainable develop-ment and the danger that the poverty dimension is excludedfrom this agenda.

A strategy identified to reduce this risk of marginalisation isto demonstrate the relevance of ‘international development’thinking to engineering in ‘developed’ countries. Engi-neering and related services impact on the lives of the globalpoor whether those activities are in the UK or overseas. Most

engineers working in the developing countries do not workfor aid agencies nor on aid-funded projects and few willhave an educational background in development or develop-ment engineering. It follows that if the engineers oftomorrow are to have skills, knowledge and attitude to beable to respond to global challenges and complexities, thenthe global dimension needs to be embedded across all engi-neering courses. In doing so, adequate attention todevelopment and poverty reduction is needed.

In considering how engineering can best minimise itsharmful social and environmental impacts and maximise itspositive contribution to society, the same issues and thesame skill sets arose whether UK or international case studieswere used. The importance of local context and stakeholderengagement can as well be demonstrated by studying theMersey barrage or terminal 5 as the Pergau dam. BillKennedy of the Open University stated his belief that coursesshould instil graduates with the confidence, adaptability,skills and breadth of perspective to work anywhere. In thepast, there was talk of knowledge sharing between theglobal North and the South. It is suggested that now and forthe future the emphasis should be much more on recog-nising the complex linkages between local and global andthat what happens in one part of the world has a directimpact on another.

The principle finding and recommendation arising from thisstudy is that champions of ‘education for sustainable devel-opment’ and ‘development education’ should seek to placesustainability and poverty reduction at the centre of theglobal dimension of education. This understanding of theglobal dimension should be at the heart of the curriculumand pedagogy change; a multi-faceted, cross cutting agendathat is entwined throughout the course and flowingbetween its individual components. The global dimensionshould be at the heart of the university life: its brand,strategy, structures, values and culture. The market for engi-neering services is increasingly global in nature andengineering is both affecting and being affected by themajor global crises. Whilst these issues are particularly rele-vant to civil engineers and engineers working in developingcountries, they affect all engineers to a greater or lesserextent. This is something that is increasingly recognised byengineering institutions.

What are the key barriers and constraintsand how can these be overcome?

Alongside the drivers for the global dimension it is equallyimportant to recognise, explore and identify strategies thataddress barriers and constraints to change. These barrierswill vary between universities, however discussions identifiedcommon constraints linked to space and time in the cur-riculum, skills and expertise, resources, research agendas andsupport from senior management.

Curriculum content management

The Bologna Process promotes harmonisation of engineeringqualifications across Europe. In mainland Europe, coursesare typically 5 years in duration, whilst in the UK 4 years is

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the norm. The RAEng study proposes an output competen-cies approach which would ensure Bologna compatabilitywhilst preserving UK degrees in their current form. In theabsence of a funding increase to enable course expansion,it is unlikely universities will support any extension to courselength and that space within the engineering curriculum willcontinue to be pressured. The study further concludes:

‘Universities must continue to teach 'core engineering' andnot dilute course content with peripheral subject matter.Industry's top priorities for engineering graduate skills arepractical application, theoretical understanding, creativityand innovation. Whilst broader technological understandingis also important it should not be at the expense ofunderstanding the fundamentals. It is important that coursesare not overloaded with technical content: the emphasisshould be on the ability to understand and apply theory toreal problems. There is a limited requirement for training inkey business skills, envisaged primarily as commercial aware-ness - an understanding of how businesses work and theimportance of the customer – combined with the basic prin-ciples of project management.’ (RAEng 2007)50

This conclusion was echoed in the findings from this study’sdialogue. Respondents felt this defense of ‘core engineering’is in part driven:

� By staff wishing to focus on teaching ‘core engineering’topics of which they are familiar and confident with andavoid teaching broader issues of which they are lessfamiliar.

� By the tension between depth and breadth, with thedesire to cover topics in greater depth reducing opportu-nities to include a greater breadth material within thecurriculum.

� By resistance amongst senior staff and researchers whosecareers, funding and prestige are closely linked to excel-lence in leading edge engineering research as opposedto teaching the global dimension.

� By the perception amongst senior teaching staff that proj-ects addressing social and environmental dimensions ofengineering are less academically rigorous and favouredby less able students as an easy option.

� By silo or mono-disciplinary thinking, academic conser-vatism and resistance to disruption that change inevitablyinvolves.

Whilst the need for a global dimension was universallyacknowledged, there would be strong resistance within fac-ulties if additional content displaced ‘core engineering’content. Following on from this, the consensus was not todevelop new modules, but to embed the global dimensionwithin existing courses through the use of globally relevantcase studies, research projects, dissertations and team proj-ects.

Limited staff time, skills, knowledge andcapacity

Academic staff are recruited on a wide range of criteria:research experience and interests, previous work experience,the depth and range of knowledge, an ability to attract new

funding and business and teaching ability. As a result, it isunusual to find engineering teaching staff who also havepractical experience of international development or ofworking in developing countries. This lack of developmentexperience and knowledge may constrain the capacity ofengineering departments to teach and embed internationaldevelopment within the curriculum and bring the globaldimension to life.

There are a range of strategies that departments could adoptto compensate for this gap including:

1. Recognising the existence and implications of this gap.

2. Mapping and tapping into the expertise that does existboth within engineering and in other faculties.

3. Building active, long-term relationships with internationaldevelopment non-government organizations (NGOs)especially those with expertise in development engi-neering and development education. Such partnershipscould mirror initiatives with business and include NGOstaff sitting on course advisory boards, providing visitingprofessors and ‘employer’ tutors, offering project topicsand teaching resources and offering student placements:see partnership section.

4. Supporting the provision of appropriate professionaldevelopment for teaching staff, including linkages andstaff exchange programmes with developing countryuniversities.

5. Utilising the skills and experience that international staffand visiting fellows bring.

Limited funding

‘Engineering courses at UK universities are now seriouslyunder-funded’ concludes the Royal Academy of Engineering.‘Engineering is an intrinsically expensive subject to teach wellbecause of the demands it makes for small group work indesign and build projects, specialist laboratory equipmentand technician support. These elements of the learningexperience are cited as critical by both recent graduates andemployers in developing innovative, entrepreneurial gradu-ates who can tackle open-ended problems. In the context ofthe current funding formula this requires an increased levelof support of the order of 2.5 to three times the basic unitof resource (compared to the current allocation of 1.7)’ (seeendnote 1)

Despite a considerable expansion of overall funding andaccess to higher education over the past 10 years, fundingfor teaching per student has fallen and engineering hassuffered disproportionately. This has led to a reduction inopportunities for relatively expensive practical and projectwork. It is one thing to identify the need for more participa-tory, practical and active learning and greater investment incourse review and design processes, but without thenecessary funding, engineering education reform is likely tobe slow and inadequate.

Engineering faculties need to come together with profes-sional engineering and education bodies to lobby thegovernment to increase funding for both course develop-ment and delivery. In addition to this, universities should

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explore how partnerships with business, NGOs and otheruniversities offer opportunities to increase funding and sharecosts.

Research focus

‘The funding and ranking-driven focus on research in manyuniversities is constraining the development of innovativelearning and teaching in engineering’ (RAEng, 2007). ACambridge professor stated there is little financial and careerincentive to develop more practical and participatorypedagogies such as role plays. This is true not just forengineering or for Cambridge but across academia. Theimportance of the Research Assessment Exercise has leftteaching feeling like a 'poor relation' in terms of competitionfor staff time and commitment in our leading universitiesaccording to the Royal Academy of Engineering. Within theresearch framework there is the perception that researchcouncils prioritise hard specialist, scientific and engineeringresearch over multi-disciplinary research looking at the widersustainability and development context. Whilst teaching staffare also motivated by professionalism and the desire to makecourses interesting and relevant, one way universities can

redress this imbalance, the academy suggest, is to “recog-nise the importance of excellent and innovative coursedesign and delivery through promotion criteria and reward”for teaching staff. Professional engineering and educationbodies also have an important role in influencing theresearch councils and higher education funding.

Senior management support

As with any process of institutional change support forchange from senior management is essential. In order tomake rapid change on the global agenda, senior manage-ment need to be convinced and supportive of the idea thatglobal issues and sustainable development are the keydrivers for HEIs in the UK and these issues should be at theheart of their institutional strategies and thinking. Seniormanagement support is vital at both the faculty anduniversity levels. A key strategy to win this support is todemonstrate the strong business case for a greater globaldimension in teaching and the strong alignment betweenthe global dimension and many other drivers of changewithin higher education and engineering.

Part 2: Incorporating the global dimension within learning

Having explored why the global dimension is so critical toengineering education and what the global dimension lookslike, this second part of the publication aims now to considerhow the global dimension can be embedded by looking ata range of strategies and approaches currently beingadopted by UK universities. The Joint Board of Moderatorsadvises that the best way to embed sustainable development(which as previously noted is closely allied with the globaldimension) is by a teaching and learning process that:

� Provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the problemsthat engineers will tackle in practice

� Develops an understanding of the interaction betweenengineering, the environment and society

� Develops an ability to use technical engineering knowl-edge to help solve complex problems as described above

Designing courses which incorporate these features whilstmaintaining the integrity of core engineering is a complextrade off and the solutions which best suit each faculty and

university will be different. The approaches outlined in stage3 are in current practice and many of the examples andcomments were gathered during the seminars andinterviews. One of the principle findings to arise from theresearch and dialogue with academics for this publicationwas the value staff place on mechanisms to share lessonsand experience with other universities and within their ownuniversities. This is one area where national stakeholderssuch as government, the professional institutions and theHigher Education Academy have a vital role to play. As acontribution to this, Engineers Against Poverty havecompiled a directory of engineering education initiatives andcontacts.51 Although far from exhaustive, it illustrates therange and creativity of what exists. The framework ofapproaches breaks down into curriculum, partnerships andextra-curricula learning approaches which can be adopted atthe course or faculty level as well as university-wide, nationaland international approaches to embedding the globaldimension.

Map the globaldimension of engineering

Map linkageswith the UKSPEC learningoutcomes

Identifyopportunities toembed the globaldimension whilstdelivering learningoutcomes

Link coursecomponents toform cohesivewhole

Monitor andevaluateagainstlearningoutcomes

Stage 1 Stage 4Stage 2 Stage 5Stage 3

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Towards a five stage framework forembedding the global dimension

Course and faculty leaders who are convinced of the case toembed the global dimension within the curriculum areadvised to

Stage 1: Develop their own understanding of the globaldimension of engineering by mapping the issues and skillswhich have a global dimension (see table below) and whichare relevant to their courses and to map how these issuesand skills are currently address within the curriculum.Stage 2: Understand how, by addressing these issues andskills, many of the Engineering Council’s UK SPEC learningoutcomes are also addressed

Stage 3: Identify and prioritise opportunities to embed these

issues and skills within the curriculum as well as extra-curric-ular activities. Develop and pilot new course material,methodologies and approaches

Stage 4: Seek opportunities to link course componentstogether so that learning builds upon prior learning and sothat cross cutting themes such as ethics, business responsi-bility and sustainability become integrated throughout.

Stage 5: Pilot, monitor and evaluate the course innovationsintroduced and measure their effectiveness against courselearning outcomes. Ensure staff have adequate time tomonitor and evaluate course innovations and to reflect onand share this learning with colleagues as well as investingin additional professional development of teaching staff andin course assessment and development if appropriate.

Stage 1:Mapping the key issues and skills which define the global dimension of engineering

Social

� Poverty reduction

Enterprise solutions to poverty

Emerging business opportunities in developingcountries

Challenges of working in developing countries

Working in fragile, conflict and crisis proneregions

Engaging marginalized and disadvantagedgroups

Engineering and humanitarian relief

� Stakeholder analysis and dialogue and public engage-ment

� International politics and political analysis

� Science and engineering in society and social impactsof engineering

Environmental

� Sustainable development

� Climate change

� Soil and water management

� Flooding

� Bio-diversity

� Energy security and ‘peak oil’

� Barriers to sustainable development

� Operation and maintenance

� Recycling, waste management and resource optimisa-tion

Professional and management skills

� Contextual analysis (STEEP: social, technical, eco-nomic, environment and political)

� Needs assessment and feasibility studies

� Design and project management skills

� Systems thinking and systems engineering

� Full life-cycle analysis

� Communication skills

� Team working skills

� Critical thinking skills

� Creativity and conception skills

� Cultural sensitivity and adaptability

Business and enterprise skills

� Business ethics: governance, human rights, trans-parency, accountability and corruption

� Corporate responsibility: social and environmentalimpacts of business, impacts and trends of globaliza-tion, ‘socially responsible investment’, fair and ethicaltrade

� Aligning shareholder and social value

� Conflict sensitive business practice

� Innovation and enterprise: emerging technologiesand their application to global challenges

� Emerging ethical issues arising from emerging tech-nologies

� Emerging markets in low-carbon economy andgrowth in developing country investment

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Stage 2: Mapping the linkages between the UK SPEC learning outcomes for engineering courses and the globaldimension of engineering education

UK SPEC learning outcome The global dimension

Appreciate the social, environmental, ethical, economic andcommercial considerations affecting the exercise of theirengineering judgment.

Opportunity to illustrate how these considerations vary greatly from placeto place by using a wide range of examples and case studies from aroundthe world

Demonstrate creative and innovative ability in the synthesis ofsolutions and in formulating designs

Opportunity to show the importance of creativity and innovation inaddressing global challenges and adapting solutions to a developingcountry context

Able to comprehend the broad picture and thus work with anappropriate level of detail

Exploring the global dimension of engineering is essential for thiscomprehension

Possess practical engineering skills acquired through, forexample, …. work experience; in individual and group projectwork and in design work

The global dimension can be woven into project and design work, UK andinternational volunteering and work placements with internationalengineering companies

Transferable skills and include problem solving, communication,and working with others. They also include planningself-learning and improving performance

Design and research projects especially multi-discipline and team basedexercises present excellent opportunities to incorporate the global dimen-sion and develop these transferable skills

Understanding of and ability to apply a systems approach toengineering problems

Systems thinking ranges from understanding how the components ofengineering systems relate and impact on each other and whole lifeanalysis to understanding complexity in human, natural and economicsystems. The global dimension encourages students to place engineeringwithin its widest context and understand global – local and engineering –society linkages.

Investigate and define a problem and identify constraintsincluding environmental and sustainability limitations, healthand safety and risk assessment issues

The global dimension promotes understanding of these constraints, theircomplexity and how they vary according to the local context as well asappropriate tools to investigate and define a problem such as risk andneeds assessment and social and environmental impact assessment

Understand customer and user needs Global case studies illustrate the importance and challenges of identifyingend-user needs in unfamiliar contexts

Ensure fitness for purpose for all aspects of the problemincluding production, operation, maintenance and disposal

Ensuring that all aspects of sustainability (such as operation andmaintenance capacity) are built into problem solving is a key aspect of theglobal dimension

Knowledge and understanding of commercial and economiccontext of engineering processes

The global dimension deepens understanding of how this context variesgreatly according to locality

Knowledge of management techniques which may be used toachieve engineering objectives within that context

Management tools for environmental, social and ethical issues provide anopportunity to explore the global dimension

Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities topromote sustainable development

The global dimension is essential to fully understand the contribution ofengineering to sustainable development

The ability to develop, monitor and update a plan, to reflect achanging operating environment

The global dimension enhances understanding of how the operatingenvironment varies considerably according to location and over time

Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new andemerging technologies

The global dimension is essential to assess the suitability and sustainabilityof new and emerging technologies in different contexts

Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirementsgoverning engineering activities, including personnel, health,safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues

The legal framework and its enforcement differs greatly between countriesand sector. Global examples will help illustrate this

Understanding of the need for a high level of professional andethical conduct in engineering.

The global dimension is essential to fully understand the range of ethicalissues engineers face

The ability to learn new theories, concepts, methods etc inunfamiliar situations.

The global dimension emphasizes the need to adapt and modifyapproaches in unfamiliar situations and to value new approaches andperspectives

Ability to use appropriate codes of practice and industrystandards.

Global case studies will illustrate how codes of practice and industrystandards vary internationally

Page 18 The Global Engineer

Embedding within the undergraduatecurriculum

“In our view the greatest contribution higher education hasto make to sustainable development is by enabling studentsto develop new values, skills and knowledge. The main(though not the only) way to make this happen is throughdevelopments in curricula and pedagogy.” HEFCE

The following section identifies some of the ways in whichglobal issues and thinking have been embedded withincurricula and pedogogy.

Ethos and core values

The shifts described earlier towards embracing complexity,uncertainty, diversity of perspectives, critical analysis, changeand interconnection and inter-disciplinary thinking could besaid to run counter to engineering culture with itsfoundations set in empirical certainties and scientificmethod. Grappling with messy global problems and complexcontexts is unfamiliar territory for much of engineeringeducation. However, it is very much part of modernengineering. Change has been a constant feature of highereducation especially in recent times. For engineeringeducation in particular and higher education in general, thechallenge of embedding the global dimension especiallysustainability and development is a difficult one which forsome universities will represent considerable change in the

culture, ethos and values. However in a global knowledgeeconomy, HEIs are obliged to embrace the global if they areto remain relevant. The examples given under university widestrategies show how some universities are embracing thisagenda and placing the global dimension at the heart oftheir ethos, values and corporate strateg

Core and elective lectures and modules

One of the key strategies the authors propose for embed-ding the global dimension is to map how the globaldimension can be aligned with other learning outcomesspecified under by the Engineering Council’s UK Standardfor Professional Engineering Competence: The Accreditationof Higher Education Programmes52. The global dimension ismost readily incorporated into modules addressing business,enterprise and project management, design and feasibilitystudies, environmental sustainability, science and society andhuman rights and ethics. One of the keenest debates inengineering education is the balance between depth andbreadth when addressing the global dimension and howbest to embed these issues.

Should the global dimension be taught through separatemodules (such as at the Sustainable Development module atImperial College or the ‘Making a difference: global socialresponsibility’ module at Leeds Metropolitan) or embeddedacross existing modules and in project and design elementsor a combination of both? Should climate change, sustain-

Stage 3: Identifying opportunities to embed the global dimension

Embedding within the Ethos and core valuesundergraduate curriculum Core and elective lectures and modules

Visiting lectureshipsFeasibility and design projectsDissertations and research projectsManagement, business, innovation and enterprise skillsInnovative pedagogies and team based working

Partnerships Linkages between engineering schools and other faculties and graduate andresearch centresPartnerships with businessPartnerships with development and community organisationsPartnerships with overseas campuses and universities based in developing countries

Extra-curricula learning Informal learning events

University level strategies Post graduate and short course trainingCareers adviceProfessional developmentCurriculum review processes

Inter-university, national Sharing good practiceand international Education centres

Course accreditation processesNational and international collaboration, debate and policy initiatives

The Global Engineer Page 19

ability or poverty reduction be discrete modules? If so shouldthey be core or elective modules? How is it best to impartproblem solving or team skills, cultural awareness or criticalthinking? Can these skills be taught or is the role of the ‘lec-turer’ to provide opportunities for students to acquire them?What is the balance between addressing the global dimen-sion within undergraduate courses and more specialistpost-graduate courses? Does engineering in the interna-tional development or humanitarian relief sectors requiresuch a distinct skill and knowledge set that they should betaught separately from traditional civil engineering degrees?

Visiting lectureships

Since 1998 The Royal Academy of Engineering has run avisiting professorships programme in engineering design forsustainable development.54 This programme gives selecteduniversities access to specialist expertise from academia andbusiness and supports sharing of teaching resources. This isvalued by universities but is insufficient to meet the scale ofthe demand and many lecturers supported the creation of aregister of suitable guest lecturers which all universities couldtap into. Beyond national programmes, universities shouldlook to expand guest lectureships, drawing on expertisefrom within the university, from other universities and fromNGOs and business. ‘Guest lectureships’ are a commonfeature of masters and CPD courses. Greater use of outsidelecturers who can provide a range of perspectives andpractical experience should be actively promoted by facultiesembracing the global agenda, although care is required toensure the content of guest lectures fits within the overallcourse structure and is ‘owned’ by the course leader. Guestlectures require careful introduction to avoid the impressionamongst students that such lectures are optional additionsto the core course lectures.

Established in 1998, the Centre aims to be the dedi-cated centre for sustainable development withinCambridge’s engineering department. The centre sup-ports the wider faculty helping to deliver classes: forexample a 4th Year (MEng) option module: EngineeringDesign for Sustainable Development, 3rd year moduleson Technology, Work and Environment and Environ-mental Engineering and a compulsory 1st year class:Engineers in Society, as well as providing case studiesand supporting relevant MEng projects. These modulesare well received and attract positive feedback fromstudents.

The Centre also runs an MPhil programme for engineerswanting to focus on engineering for sustainabledevelopment. With the exception of Centre for Sustain-able Development (CSD), engineering courses atCambridge have a strong mathematical and technicalfocus especially in years 1-3. Only in the 4th year doesthe curriculum widen and include topics on sustain-ability, globalisation, watsan, energy and environmentand responses to climate change. Traditionalists withinthe faculty view the CSD with some suspicion wary ofthe lack of ‘second order differential equations’.

The CSD curriculum focuses a lot on context settingsuch as energy security and developing country dimen-sions. The Centre uses a lot of active learningpedagogies such as role plays, facilitated discussions,distinguished lecture series and staged ‘selectcommittee’ inquiries into sustainable developmentissues The distinguished lecture series is open to thepublic and is one of the most effective ways of raisingawareness of SD issues in the wider academic commu-nity. Initially some students, more familiar with ‘chalkand talk’ teaching methods, struggle with the centre’sapproach. However the course continues to be popular,growing year on year and attracting a high proportionof women, foreign and mature students relative toundergraduate courses, many with work experiencewith international NGOs and business: A resource thatundergraduate course leaders could potentially tap.

Case study

The Centre for Sustainable Development(CSD) at Cambridge University EngineeringDepartment53

Feasibility, design and research projects

The Engineering Council UK SPEC requires courses to “inves-tigate and define a problem and identify constraintsincluding environmental and sustainability limitations, healthand safety and risk assessment issues” and give students“[an] ability to apply a systems approach to engineeringproblems ….” and to “understand customer and userneeds”55 Feasibility and design projects are common to allengineering courses and represent a principle way to deliverthe learning outcomes set out in the UK SPEC and one of themain opportunities to address the global dimension.

Design modules are an excellent way to bring sustainabledevelopment into the curriculum especially when combinedwith international partnerships with universities and NGOs inthe developing countries or undertaken as multi-disciplinaryprojects. One constraint is the need for design courses tomaintain a strong engineering rather than ‘social science’focus. Even subtle changes, such as using examples fromaround the world or conducting tests on materials otherthan concrete and steel, send important signals.

Many courses include research projects and dissertations andthese also provide opportunities to learn about the globaldimension. One example is the Appropriate Technology

Research Programme at Nottingham University, which haswon awards for embedding sustainability within the cur-riculum. The projects were sourced from around the worldthrough NGOs (Tearfund, EWB-UK and Practical Action) andby direct advertising and allow 3rd and 4th year students tolearn about engineering problem solving in a developmentcontext and become involved in global design problems.They are popular with students and have raised the profile ofappropriate technology within the department and beyond.56

Another example is Developing Technologies: a programmeof staff led research projects at Imperial College which

Page 20 The Global Engineer

“works in partnership with development agencies, aidworkers and indigenous communities to provide engineeringdesign and training in appropriate technologies” andprovides 3rd and 4th year students with research projects.57

Design projects offer opportunities for multidisciplinary teamworking, problem solving and project planning and placingengineering within a wider context: These are all skills whichsupport the global dimension. One example of this in prac-tice is Imperial Racing Green58, a cross-faculty project wherestudents from Aeronautics, Chemical Engineering, Electricaland Electronic Engineering, Earth Science Engineering,Materials and Mechanical Engineering are supported by staffto design, build and race a zero-emission electric hybrid fuelcell racing cart. A similar example is provided by mechanicalengineering students at Queen’s University Belfast enteringthe annual Formula Student competition. The endeavour isundertaken in a similar manner to running an engineeringbusiness, with the students undertaking the full range oftechnical and managerial roles necessary to complete theproject successfully and providing opportunities to developkey skills through an authentic design-build project.59

There are other design competitions open to engineeringand built environment students such as the 2005 SustainableConstruction Centre Architecture Design Competition andEcohouse student design competition60 and the RoyalAcademy of Engineering’s Sustainable Engineering Designcompetition, this year won by students from Loughbor-ough.61 Loughborough University has created a ‘toolbox’for other lecturers in engineering and design who recognisethe importance of including Sustainable Design in under-graduate and postgraduate courses.62

help incorporate social and environmental dimensions withinthe business and enterprise education of engineeringstudents. One area students, academics and employersagree upon is the need for courses to be more practicallyrelevant and to develop the practical, problem-solving andcreative skills.64 Work placements are vital in giving studentspractical experience. By offering a broad range of place-ments - especially with employers who work internationallysuch as international development NGOs, students can gaina more global perspective on engineering (see partnershipswith business).

Management, business, innovation and enter-prise skills

Where project management and business skills are includedin the curriculum, there is an opportunity to develop trans-ferable skills and explore global issues such as:

� Global skills required by employers.

� The impact of globalisation on engineering employment.

� Global business drivers (such as innovation, povertyreduction and climate change).

� Global futures in the engineering sector.

� The importance of multi-disciplinary, team working inengineering.

� The importance of understanding the social, economic,environmental, cultural and political context.

� Global business ethics and corporate responsibility.

The Applied Ethics programme at Leeds University CETLorganized a conference on Engineering Ethics in 2006.63

Leading on from this, where enterprise and innovation areincluded in the curriculum, there is opportunity to explorethe important role of innovation, enterprise and technologyhas to play in addressing climate change and poverty. Theuse of diverse case studies, active learning methodologiesand working with other faculties and schools within theuniversity such as business, politics and development can all

Innovative pedagogies and team based working

Despite the constraints identified earlier, there is evidenceof growing support and interest amongst undergraduateteaching staff in teaching methods which enable students toparticipate and engage in learning, rather than acting aspassive sponges of received wisdom. In core engineering(mathematics and engineering science), lecture basedlearning is often the most appropriate and preferredteaching method. However such teaching methods providelittle or no opportunity for group working, critical reflection,discourse and examination of contested and complex issuesand do nothing to develop transferable skills such as teamworking, communication skills or the ability to think ‘outsidethe box’.

Role play, simulation and action learning in general (as pop-ularised by educationalists such as Paulo Friere65 and RobertChambers ) are one of the most useful ways to bring outlearning in development processes. Not only do they providethe space and opportunity to explore complex issues inimaginative ways which actively involve learners, they canalso be used to introduce students to the application andvalue of participatory learning techniques within both inter-national development and organisational learning andmanagement. Participatory techniques such as participatoryrural appraisal and participatory action and learning havebecome highly influential across development thinking. Theyalso have wider application in business management anddeveloping transferable skills. Similar approaches to learningare found in the worlds of business or change/managementconsultancy, for example Peter Senge’s work on LearningOrganisations67 and any number of management textbooks.The use of role play and simulations is common to manydisciplines. For example, in medicine, with actors role playingpatients and in law with actors role playing clients in courtroom exchanges.

Innovative learning encourages more critical and inde-pendent thinking and awareness of context. Lecturers cangain further guidance through dedicated centres whichpromote innovation in teaching and participatory or creativelearning, such as: the Centre for Educational Development atImperial College68, Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry69

and Promoting Enhanced Student Learning70 at NottinghamUniversity and the HEFCE funded Centres for Excellence inTeaching and Learning (CETLs)71 and amongst facilitatorsand trainers within the NGO and business training world.However not all students welcome such approaches.

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Student surveys at Imperial College show some engineeringstudents, particularly those who excel at maths and science,struggle with non-technical subjects and non-lecture basedlearning. These students mark down such modules whichthey perceive to be more difficult, despite many acknowl-edging the value of such non-technical content later in theircourses.

Web-based learning is increasingly popular within highereducation especially among foreign students unable orunwilling to study in the UK with all the additional costs thisentails: Examples include (1) WEDC72 (e.g. WEDC’s newInfrastructure in Emergencies) and the Open University dis-tance learning courses; (2) The Observatory on BorderlessHigher Education73, a joint initiative of the Association ofCommonwealth Universities and Universities UK and (3) theEinstein Network which shows how distance learning canbe applied to professional development of engineers74 andwhich HEIs could adapt and learn from.

Closely linked to innovative learning pedagogies is theintroduction of innovative assessment methodologies. Theseare especially relevant in assessing less tangible learning out-comes such as the assessment of team and group work, theassessment of sustainable design and sustainability and theassessment of creativity in design. EC UK, the EngineeringProfessors Council and the Engineering Subject Centre haverecently formed an Assessment of Learning OutcomesWorking Group (ALOE) which aims to provide support tothe engineering community to enhance the process ofassessing learning outcomes. An ALOE case study, ‘Preparingstudents for the world of work’,75 describes how Prof. Clarkeof Newcastle University has sought to embed issues relevantto the global dimension such as enterprise skills and skillsneeded for sustainable communities within the course.Other examples of innovative assessment methods include(1) conducting and accrediting mock ‘professional reviews’on sustainable development similar to those required byprofessional institutions in order to gain chartered status76

and (2) staging student-led inquiries and debates.

within and beyond science and engineering and whichpromote partnerships between UK universities and betweenUK and overseas universities. In addition, professional andacademic research networks promote dialogue and sharedlearning across disciplines. The opportunity is to build onthese existing collaborations and networks as a way ofbringing a wider range of perspectives to undergraduateteaching and bridge gaps in internal capacity. At the Uni-versity of Bath, there is collaboration between engineeringand economics/international development programmes. Itis suggested that engineering schools learn from theexperience of other disciplines, such as sociology or tourism,in incorporating the global dimension.77 One constraint toincreasing collaboration is incompatible course timetables. Inan effort to promote inter-school linkages, Imperial Collegehas recently introduced ‘flexy Friday’ that enables studentsgreater flexibility in choosing options from other schools.

Partnerships with business

At the post-graduate level, engineering schools have longrecognised the value of working with business to developand commercialise innovation and research. If tomorrow’sengineers are to rise to global challenges, they need businessawareness and the confidence to marry engineering, inno-vation and enterprise. Alliances between engineering relatedgraduate schools, business schools, enterprise developmentagencies and business are common place especially atRussell Group universities and the UK government is espe-cially interested in promoting innovation, enterprise andbusiness skills across higher education. Several universities,such as Surrey and Loughborough, incorporate industrialplacements of up to a year within their courses.

Within the international development community, there isgrowing interest in enterprise, growth and market-basedsolutions to poverty and the role of partnerships inmobilising the private sector in poverty reduction. Oneexample of this approach is given by Professor Hopper ofCambridge University. Having established a record ofsuccessful business start-ups he is now focusing on theapplication of information and communication technologiesfor development.78 Another example is Red Button Designand their reverse osmosis sanitation system (ROSS). Thedesign was originally developed by students from GlasgowUniversity as multi-disciplinary research project. It wasfeatured recently on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den and has wonseveral awards for innovation.79

The challenge and opportunity for undergraduate courseleaders is to tap into these partnerships and bring this knowl-edge into the curriculum. There are many ways which havealready been noted in which business can support engi-neering education including:

� Seconding staff to course development panels andaccreditation boards.

� Seconding staff for guest lectures and extra-curriculatalks.

� Business placements and internships (such as the Year inIndustry programme).

Partnerships

As already identified a lack of relevant experience, skills andresources can significantly constrain the capacity of facultiesto incorporate global and development perspectives. Innova-tive partnerships with a whole range of employers andstakeholders can help bridge these gaps and exposeteaching staff and students to a wider range of perspectives.Many of the initiatives and approaches identified rely onworking with others from outside the engineering facultyand university, building long-term mutually beneficial part-nerships and counteracting knowledge silos andfragmentation of learning that exist within universities.

Linkages between engineering schoolsand other faculties and graduate and researchcentres

Higher education funders are increasingly seeking to supportpartnerships that bring together different disciplines both

Page 22 The Global Engineer

� Topics and support for under-graduate projects andresearch/dissertation.

� Supporting education centres such as the construc-tionarium or partnering in knowledge portals.

� Sharing professional development training resources withacademic partners.

� Joint ventures on research and business start-ups andincubators.

from young people to experience life and work overseas,especially in developing countries. In its 2006 White Paper,DFID committed to, “expand opportunities for young people… to volunteer in developing countries”.. There is a wealthof experience in international volunteering from organisa-tions such as VSO and Skillshare International. Although themajority of volunteering opportunities offered by VSO areopen to professionals with a minimum of 3 yearsprofessional experience, there is renewed interest from DFIDin promoting youth and student volunteering.82 Overseasstudent volunteering offers many benefits to volunteersincluding developing problem-solving, team working andproject skills, developing awareness of the complexities andchallenges of working in the developing countries and theimportance of context to engineering projects and personaldevelopment and awareness of other cultures. This is clearlya potential growth area but the evidence suggests there is aneed for a careful regulation of this area and realisticexpectations of the benefits for the host community orproject are required.83 UK volunteers should work alongsideand be supervised by experienced local developmentworkers. Poorly conceived and managed projects will impactnegatively on the host community and the students’learning.

Partnerships with development and communitysupport organisations

In terms of promoting the global dimension, the opportunityis twofold: (1) Encouraging UK and international studentvolunteering as a central part of an active global citizenshipprogramme and (2) Embedding volunteering within thecurriculum, recognising and accrediting the learning andlinking volunteering to design and practical course elements.A few UK development agencies offer internships and volun-teering opportunities for undergraduate students. This canprovide valuable work experience and understanding ofinternational development as well as supporting the work ofthe NGOs. To date, this experience is largely extra-curriculaand not accredited within courses, although there is growinginterest in recognising and incorporating it within thecurriculum. For example, Heriot Watt University has teamedup with Challenges Worldwide80 to incorporate internationalvolunteering within courses with 5th year return volunteerstudents giving talks to 3rd students about their experiences,an example of peer learning.

Further examples from Nottingham and Developing Tech-nologies work at Imperial College show the advantages ofactive staff support in identifying suitable ‘projects’ and over-seas partners. Feedback from academics suggestsvolunteering can be a life changing and rewardingexperience which is popular with students and motivates awider awareness of the world and their place within it. Engi-neers Without Borders-UK recently won support from DFIDfor a 3 year programme promoting research and UK andoverseas volunteering partnerships between engineeringdepartments and NGOs. As well as internships and researchprojects, NGOs offer valuable experience and knowledge inapplying engineering in the developing countries and thevalue of participatory methodologies in both developmentand learning (e.g. ICA-UK and INTRAC). They can also be arich source of case studies and learning resources in globaldevelopment issues (e.g. Practical Action, VSO and RedR)and guest lecturers. Partnerships with Diaspora and organ-isations serving minority and disadvantaged communitiessuch as the Refugee Council offer student volunteeringopportunities and allow an insight into cross-culturalworking and empowering disadvantaged groups. The 1997White Paper calls for DFID to “build on the skills and talentsof migrants and other members of ethnic minorities withinthe UK to promote development…“ and EngagingDiasporas produced by Oxfam UK explores this approachfurther.81

The growth of commercial and not-for-profit internationalvolunteering agencies (see box) demonstrates the demand

Partnerships with overseas campuses anduniversities based in developing countries

International linkages can include visiting professorships,collaboration on research projects, field trips, student andstaff exchanges and participating in international knowledgeconsortia such as DFID’s Technology, Infrastructure andUrban Planning Resource Centre.84 The internationalisationof higher education has led to fierce competition betweenuniversities to attract overseas students onto UK courses andled to a growing number of partnerships with academicsand universities based in the developing countries.Nottingham University, for example, has establishedcampuses in China and Malaysia. This raises importantquestions on adapting the curricula to the changing studentdemographic.

Volunteering agencies

Architects for AidCo-PlanChallenges WorldwideEngineers Without Bordersi-to-iHabitat for HumanityRaleigh InternationalSAFAD - Silsoe Aid for Appropriate Development

Shelter CentreSkillshare InternationalVSOVoluntary Design and BuildVolunteer AfricaYouth Action for Peace UK

Extra-curricula learning

Informal learning events

At every university there is a wide range of extra-curriculaactivities, societies, student groups, conferences, talks andnetworks. Through these events opportunities arise topromote cross-disciplinary learning and debate on global

The Global Engineer Page 23

issues and sustainable development. The DistinguishedLecture Series held by The Centre for Sustainable Develop-ment at Cambridge85 and Engineers without Borders(EWB-UK) talks86 are two such examples. Student-leddevelopment organisations such as people and planet,EWB-UK, Architects sans Frontiers, the El-Salvador project(Imperial) and SAFAD (Cranfield) have a range of roles:campaigning, talks, training, summer gatherings, research,overseas and UK volunteering, influencing engineeringeducation and so forth. These organisations can make asignificant contribution to student learning and promotingglobal citizenship, a theme explored at conferences on“graduates as global citizens”.87 Universities looking tosupport global citizenship as a strategy to deliver the globaldimension should explore the experience of other universi-ties such as UCL’s ‘Global Citizenship’ programme andBournemouth University’s Global Perspectives Project, as wellas ‘U8 Global Student Partnership for Development’88 whichpromotes international collaboration between studentdevelopment groups.

University level strategies

The university workshops stressed the importance ofworking at all levels (national, university, departmental andcourse levels) to drive change forward. Many examples werefound of individual champions being able to drive forward

change within their own courses from the bottom up evenin the absence of support from senior staff. However, it iswhere university leaders (Council, Senate, Pro-Vice chancel-lors) and Deans and Heads of Department are explicitly andfully supportive of the global dimension and incorporate thisagenda across their strategic thinking, policies and practicethat the greatest opportunity arises. The model below istaken from the HEFCE strategic review of sustainable devel-opment in higher education in England.89 The model isequally relevant to show the phases of adoption of theglobal dimension.

As the HEFCE strategic review of sustainable development inhigher education in England illustrates, curriculum review isonly one area in which sustainable development applies touniversities: other areas include research, marketing, estatemanagement and procurement. Universities wishing toembrace the global dimension are advised here to map howthe global dimension and related agendas are currentlyaddressed across existing strategies, policies and curriculum.Strategies need to cascade from university wide policiesdown to faculty, department and course levels.

A similar process of curriculum mapping is set out by theRoyal Academy of Engineering’s Teaching of EngineeringEthics Working Group in ‘An engineering ethics curriculummap’.90 This process needs to be holistic and lead to a longterm implementation plan. It is advised that each depart-

Phase one Phase two Phase three Phase four

Grass roots enthusiasts Early adopters Getting really serious Full commitment

� Confined to individualenthusiasts and smallteams, with a bottom-up approach

� Values-driven� Activity principally in

teaching and research� Often unaware of one

another’s work, andtherefore someduplication of effort

� Links more likely withother HEIs than inter-nally

� Sometimes element ofcounter-culture

� Senior managementinvolvement (often limited),sometimes on a partlyopportunistic basis

� (Enabling) Steering groupset up

� Largely still (enabled)bottom-up

� Statement on sustainabledevelopment (SD) draftedfor HEI’s next strategic plan

� Formulation of initial policyand procedure on SD

� Staff invited to buy SD, notsold it

� Setting of first andsometimes quite modesttargets, often forbaselining purposes, andwithout clear or compellingsanctions

� SD has little organisationalimpact and no operationalimpact

� Vice Chancellor (VC) hasoverall ‘watching brief’

� Significant involvement ofsenior management bythe end of this phase,resulting in a seniorsponsor with realownership

� VC/governance level activeinterest

� Steering group takingfirmer directive role(yet still collegial wherepossible)

� Small team of SD changeagents in place, often atleast partly virtual

� SD playing a significantrole in both teaching andresearch across the HEI,and full SD estates policyand practice in operation

� SD beginning to bejoined-up

� Extensive use of quantifiedtargets, with an effectivesystem of sanctions

� SD becoming embeddedin human resources

� VC/governance levelownership

� Values-driven/woven intofabric

� HEI is an SD institution inthe same way that itmight be a research-intensive or wideningparticipation HEI

� SD is therefore capturedin mission and in five-yearstrategy, and isorganisationally andoperationally embedded

� Most activity issufficiently ‘on message’that it is integrated, butthere are some who fallat least partly outside thecultural circle

� Joined-up approachwhere the ‘talk’ inresearch and teaching iswhere possible ‘walked’in estates practice

� Virtuous circle ofenhancement

Four phases of sustainable development (SD) adoption:

Page 24 The Global Engineer

ment appoints a team of tutors to be responsible and wherenecessary bring in expertise to advise and train the team anddevelop learning resources. The process should identify: (1)Short term, quick wins and minor adaptations (such as usinga wider range of global case studies) which will promoteglobal perspectives; (2) Wider lessons from other coursesand universities and (3) Gaps in knowledge and capacity andexternal support available to fill these gaps?

Post graduate and short course training

Post-graduate courses represent an invaluable source ofexperience, teaching resources and lecturers, especially forcourse leaders lacking the necessary experience. Withinengineering, there is a need to distinguish between thebachelors and masters levels. At the undergraduate level,there is a lot of pressure to cover all the “hard science”material within the first 3 years of a bachelors degree whichleaves little room for “soft skills” modules. This has led someto suggest that the 4th year (masters level) offers moreopportunity to integrate global issues in the curriculum. Thepast 5 years has seen continued significant growth in post-graduate centres and courses reflecting global issues such asCSR, the environment (especially climate change) and devel-opment / poverty reduction. This training includes mastersand diploma courses, short courses, seminars, lectures anddistance and e-learning including a few specific courses onengineering and development and engineering and human-itarian relief (see box). Post-graduate courses suit thosespecialising in international development, although this pro-vision does not mitigate the need for the global dimensionwithin undergraduate engineering courses.

‘Engineering and Development’ MScs� Bournemouth� Cambridge� Coventry� Cranfield� London Metropolitan� Open University� WEDC� Development studies course directory

Envision 2010 aims to drive reforms across the engi-neering faculty: curricula design, buildings, reward andpromotion of academic staff, recognition of excellence:all fall within its remit. An extensive survey of students,alumni, industry and academic staff found many gradu-ates were falling down on non-technical skills. Theprogramme aims to update engineering education toreflect the changing needs of employers. Envision seeksto break down departmental knowledge silos by pro-moting greater cross-department collaboration, sharedmodules and supporting practical projects like RacingGreen, the El Salvador Project92, Developing Technologiesand EWB-UK Imperial branch.

Case study

University level programmes case study:Envision 2010, Imperial College91

Further examples of UK universities strongly promoting the global agenda

� Bath University Centre for the study of Education in an International Context (CEIC)� Bournemouth University: Includes information on the University's Global Perspectives project� University of Bradford Ecoversity: a programme that aims to embed the principles and practice of sustainable devel-

opment across the entire institution and all activities.� University of Bristol Details of the work of the Energy and Environmental Management Unit.� Chester College: Global Perspective initiative� University of Glasgow brings together the university's sustainable development policies and initiatives.� University of Gloucester The first English institution-wide certification to the ISO14001 environmental management

standard.� London South Bank University Education for Sustainability� Leeds Metropolitan University: Global Perspectives Network linking staff in British universities.� Middlesex University Global Citizenship and Civil Society through Service Learning� University College London: ‘Global Citizenship’ programme

Further examples of UK universities strongly promoting the global agenda

� University of Kingston: Centre for Sustainable Communities Achieved through Integrated Professional Education� University of Plymouth: Education for Sustainable Development� East Midlands Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) in Education for Sustainable Development: Universities in the East

Midlands, officially recognised by the UN, one of only 35 RCEs worldwide and the first in the UK� Engineering Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Full directory of CETLs� Higher Education Academy Subject Centres� Development Education Centre: Global development perspectives in HE 2003, The Global University 2006� Institute of Education, Development Education Research Centre

The Global Engineer Page 25

Careers advice

EWB-UK survey of engineering students found careers advicefocuses on traditional career paths with multi-national com-panies and management consultancies and those studentswith an interest in and commitment to poverty reductionand/or working overseas felt poorly served. These studentsneed clear advice and encouragement to consider engi-neering as a pathway into international relief anddevelopment or sectors such as water engineering whichmake a significant contribution to international develop-ment. Often the most direct route for an engineer is to gaina minimum of 2-3 years professional experience with aninternational engineering company before seeking a role ininternational development since few agencies will employstaff without this professional experience. Here there is arole for organisations such as the Engineering and Tech-nology Board and Women Into Science, Engineering andConstruction (WISE) that are responsible for promoting engi-neering to prospective students, to work with schools anduniversities to promote this message and develop theircapacity in this area. Careers officers in schools, colleges anduniversities need support in gathering and giving studentsaccess to advice on careers related to development orworking internationally. Bristol and Manchester Universitiesas well as NGOs such as RedR, World Service Enquiry andAidWorkers.net offer such guidance on international devel-opment careers and represent a valuable body ofknowledge.93

Professional development

As mentioned previously, a lack of appropriate skills andknowledge amongst teaching staff and the lack of status ofundergraduate teaching in general have been identified assignificant constraints in implementing the global dimensionwithin engineering education. The university meetings pro-posed the following solutions

� Drawing on external expertise such as from the HigherEducation Academy Engineering Subject Centre, Visitingprofessors, NGOs and business

� Investing in professional development and training ofteaching staff and staff within accrediting bodiesincluding funding staff time for networking, knowledgesharing and industrial secondments

� Strengthening the capacity of university staff training anddevelopment offices and drawing on relevant capacityand experience from other universities (e.g. LeedsMetropolitan University courses)

� Giving teaching ability greater consideration duringrecruitment and professional reviews of professors andlecturers

Curriculum review processes

‘The accreditation process for university engineering coursesshould be proactive in driving the development andupdating of course content, rather than being a passiveauditing exercise …. should actively inform the development

of course content to ensure that courses produce graduatesthat industry will want to employ’ (RAEng, 2007).

National accrediting bodies and those organisations whichinfluence and work closely with them (such as the sectorskills councils, the Engineering Council, the Engineering Pro-fessors Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering) areideally placed to shape the future of engineering education.This publication makes the business case as to why industryrequires the global dimension, sustainability and povertyreduction to be at the heart of engineering education. Inseeking to ensure courses meet industry needs, accreditingbody guidance should reflect the needs of global society andthe world’s poor and not just the needs of advanced engi-neering and UK industry. Their guidance needs to be futureproofed and global in perspective. The accreditation and cur-riculum review process offers one of the greatestopportunities to drive this agenda forward. National accred-iting bodies should draw on external expertise to informtheir own work as well as making this expertise available toengineering faculties and course review panels during cur-riculum review. Universities would benefit from greatersupport in how to structure the process of course evaluation,review and development in order to respond to the globaland poverty agendas. One way to redress the imbalance inpriorities between research and teaching, especially at theRussell group universities, is to link funding to excellence inteaching much as the Research Assessment Exercise doeswith research.

Inter-university, national andinternational strategies

Sharing good practice

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) provides subject-spe-cific support for enhancing the student learning experiencethrough 24 subject centres including engineering and builtenvironment as well as the Centres for Excellence in Teachingand Learning previously referred to. This support includes adatabase of publications, research, teaching resources, smallgrant funding, seminars and networks. Both within andbetween universities, networks and virtual communities ofpractice keep researchers, post-graduate students andteaching staff in contact and promote multi-disciplinarity:Examples include (1) CAMTools – run by Caret – at Cam-bridge University, (2) Intute which provides online gatewaysto education resources including engineering and develop-ment94, (3) Teaching for Learning Network, (4) CollaborativeResearch Networks at Birmingham University and (5) Engi-neering Professors Council as well as the engineeringinstitutions.

Education centres

Education centres play a vital role in providing educationalfield visits, practical demonstrations, design and constructionsimulations and opportunities for research collaboration aswell as developing problem solving, team working and

Page 26 The Global Engineer

project skills. All stakeholders recognise the value of practicalexperience and relating taught theory to real life problems.Education centres provide opportunities for role plays andsimulations, team working and action learning (see innova-tive pedagogies). However, providing such practicalexperience is expensive. National and regional educationcentres allow cost sharing and pooling of knowledgeamongst HEIs. Examples of education centres relevant to theglobal dimension of engineering and the built environmentinclude:

� The Centre for Alternative Technology

� The Eden Project and the joint summer schools run withArchitects sans Frontiers

� The constructionarium

� Practical short course training run by NGOs such as RedR,Architects sans Frontiers and EWB-UK

National and international collaboration,debate and policy initiatives

An assessment of the Make Poverty History Campaignshowed that whilst it raised public awareness and support inthe short term, there is little evidence the campaign led to agreater depth of understanding and there is a risk widerpublic support could quickly dissipate. DFID believe thateducation in general and HE institutions in particular areincreasingly important to building support for development.At the national level, there was a perceived need for greatercoherence in government policy on global skills educationand DFID increasingly works with other government depart-ments and agencies such as DIUS, the FCO, the BritishCouncil, HEFCE and the Research Councils. One example ofthis is the DELPHE (Development Partnerships in HigherEducation) programme.95

The debate around the future of engineering education andthe need for a greater global and poverty reductiondimension takes place during a period of rapid change and

expansion in UK Higher Education and within a wider debateon global education and education for sustainable develop-ment and education for global citizenship. Stakeholderswithin engineering education would benefit from informingand participating in these wider debates both nationally andinternationally and forging stronger links with other sectorsand key policy formers. As a case in point, engineering andthe physical and natural sciences could learn from work onglobal perspectives within the social sciences such as theDFID funded study by the Royal Geographical Society.96

As already noted, whilst there is wide support for the ‘globalskills’ agenda examined by the Leitch Review, there aredifferent interpretations of what the implications are forengineering education. What is the balance between (1)‘core engineering’ ‘hard skills’ and broader professional ‘softskills’, between (2) advanced science and engineering and‘intermediate’ technologies often more suited to thedeveloping countries and between (3) meeting the currentindustry needs and anticipating how these needs may

CDIO stands for Conceive - Design - Implement -Operate. CDIO aims to conceive and develop a newvision of engineering Education and is a collaboration ofleading engineering schools in the U.S., Europe, Canada,U.K., Asia and New Zealand to ensure engineeringeducation reflects changing real-world demands onengineers. The CDIO website presents a wealth ofexperience from around the world with particular focuson how practical design projects present students withactive and experiential learning opportunities to developthe personal, professional and creative skills referredthroughout this publication.

Case study

International Collaboration Case study:CDIO Project98

National and international policy frameworks relevant to the global dimension of engineering education

� Putting the World into World-Class Education: DFES,now DIUS

� Education for Sustainable Development and GlobalCitizenship, ACACC, now the Welsh Assembly's Dept.for Education Lifelong Learning and Skills (DELLS).

� Science in society strategy UK Research council

� Engineering a better world, Engineering andPhysical Sciences Research Council

� Sustainable development strategy, Institution of CivilEngineers et al, 2007

� Engineering Subject Centre: Sustainability portal

� Global Sustainability Forum – Imperial College 2007

� Royal Academy of Engineering International Strategy

� Engineers of the 21st century, Forum for the Future

� The environmental association of universities andcolleges (EUAC)

� EU Leonardo Project

� Bologna Declaration

� The Observatory: Status of engineering education forsustainable development in European highereducation, 2006, Alliance for Global Sustainability

� International Federation of EngineeringEducation Societies (IFEES) 2008-2012 Strategic Plan

� Alliance for International Education

� Protocol for Engineering a Sustainable Future for thePlanet: ICE, ASCE and CSCE memorandum

The Global Engineer Page 27

change radically as the engineering sector changes. Howurgent and radical does change need to be? Stakeholderspromoting the concept of the global engineer need to workwith and lobby appropriate national bodies to ensuredevelopment and poverty reduction are integral to thesereforms and that the costs of such reform are adequatelyresourced.

There is also the need to recognise that whilst duplicationand fragmentation exists, this is an inevitable consequenceof the competitive environment within which universitiesoperate that often results in a reluctance to co-operate.Universities will however respond if there are incentives andthere is potential benefit for students in terms of experienceand research.

UK universities could also actively learn from innovation inengineering education from other countries. Examples of

different approaches include: (1) the tradition of engineerswearing an iron ring depicting the moral responsibilities ofengineers in society (Canada)97; (2) 5 year instead of 4 yeardegree programmes, the ability of students to take differentmodules in different universities, degrees being delivered in“smaller chunks” or modules and close collaborationbetween universities (continental Europe) and (3) invertingthe curriculum. In the UK, years 1 and 2 tend to focus onmaths and physics and then move onto practical examples.In the US, courses start with practical examples and work upto the maths. In the US, there is also more private funding,longer courses and more flexibility in terms of subjectchoosing.

This publication has aimed to demonstrate the need forengineering within higher education to give a higher priorityto global and sustainability issues. Engineering does and canplay a major role in combating global poverty. Higher edu-cation needs to prepare engineers for these challenges butalso recognise the increasingly complex and uncertain worldwithin change is taking place.

In addition to addressing the why of the global dimension,this publication has looked at what the challenges mean interms of the content and focus of engineering educationand also how it is implemented. There is evidence fromaround the UK that more and more HEIs involved in teachingengineering are recognising the importance of the globaldimension but in too many cases, it is still seen as a ‘bolt-on’and not an essential component of the learning of all engi-neering graduates.

Key to integrating the global dimension within engineeringeducation is the recognition of the skills graduates will needfor the twenty first century. These global skills of critical

Conclusions

thinking, multi-discipline, team working, the ability to workacross cultures and contexts, systems thinking and stronginter-personal and communication skills will need to an inte-gral part of all engineering education, not just for thoseworking developing countries.

Finally this publication has recognised that these challengeswill not be easy to address and will require additionalresources and support within universities. There will be aneed for an externally supported professional developmentprogramme to ensure academics and institutions have theknowledge and skills to embed the ‘global engineer’ withintheir courses. However, this publication also illustrates thatgiven this additional support, this change is achievable andcommands widespread support from students, employersand academia. The global agenda is here to stay. The issueis now how can the sector best respond to ensure the engi-neering graduate is equipped to play a positive role in theglobal economy and society of the future.

Page 28 The Global Engineer

Tom BickDeveloping Technologies, Imperial College

Malcolm ChrispLecturer, Dept. of Built Environment, Heriot Watt University

Heather CruikshankCentre for Sustainable Development, Cambridge University

Kathleen DeWitt, MScCivil Engineering for international development, MemberEWB-UK

Alan ErvineProfessor of Water Engineering, Department of Civil Engi-neering, Glasgow University

Jonathan EssexICE Environment and Sustainability Board and WSE Con-sultants

Ben FawcettUniversity of Southampton (recently retired), previouslywith Oxfam

Peter GuthrieCentre for Sustainable Development, Cambridge University

Ruth GrahamEnvision 2010 at Imperial College.

Frank HarrissonImperial College

Linda HatanoImperial College

Paul JenkinsProfessor of Architecture and Human Settlements, Dept. ofBuilt Environment, Heriot Watt University

Bill KennedyOpen University

Thalia KonarisEWB-UK CEO

Andrew LambRedR and Education Coordinator for EWB-UK

Bob LarkHead of Discipline, University of Cardiff, architecture andcivil engineering

Brian T LinfootSenior Lecturer, Dept. of Built Environment, Heriot WattUniversity

Jenny LunnAuthor of Global Perspectives in Higher Education, RoyalGeographical Society

Eoghan MackieChief Executive, Challenges Worldwide

Linus MoforProfessor of Civil Engineering, University of Glamorgan

Daphne O’DohertyHead of Discipline, Cardiff University, MechanicaEngineering, Accreditation Panel for SustainableEnvironmental Engineering

Demos PafitisSchlumbergers research lab in Cambridge

Keith PullenDeveloping Technologies, Imperial College

Bob ReedWEDC, Loughborough University

Rod Robeson, BScAward Leader, Civil Engineering, University of Glamorgan

Deborah SeddonSenior Executive Higher Education, the EngineeringCouncil UK

John SwaffieldHead of School, Dept. of Built Environment, Heriot WattUniversity

David TannDivisional Chair of Engineering, University of Glamorgan

Leonard TeddDFID Assistant Infrastructure Adviser

Mike TheisMax Lock Centre at University of Westminster.

Mike ThomasProfessor of Mechanical Engineering, University ofGlamorgan

Tiku TanyimbohSenior Lecturer, Dept. of Civil Engineering, StrathclydeUniversity

Robert WakelingUniversity of Bath, MSc International Development andformer civil engineer

Robin WardlawSenior Lecturer, School of Civil & EnvironmentalEngineering, Edinburgh University

Mike WaytheUniversity of Newport, Civil and Electrical engineering

Patricia XavierEngineers Without Borders, University of Cardiff

Winnie YiuEducation officer, EWB-UK-Imperial

Cover photo credits: Panos Pictures, Anglo American, EAP, Copyrightfree. Copyright: EAP and IOE

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the following individuals for giving their valuable time to share their insights and expertise

The Global Engineer Page 29

1 Educating Engineers for the 21st Century, The RoyalAcademy of Engineering, 2007

2 Ibid

3 Engineering for Sustainable Development: Royal Academy ofEngineering, 2006

4 Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change

5 The Strategy Trends Programme of Development, Conceptsand Doctrine Centre (DCDC), an independent centre withinthe Ministry of Defense identifies the paramount importanceof globalisation, climate change and global inequalities asdrivers of change over next 30 years. The connectionsbetween climate change and poverty and the linkagesbetween globalisation and poverty are described innumerous publications such as DFID’s Climate ChangeKeysheets, Chapter 7 of DFID’s 2006 White Paper andChapter 4 of the Stern Review, DFID’s Making globalisationwork for the world’s poor (2000) White Paper. These publi-cations also note the critical linkages with science,engineering, technology and innovation. The linkagesbetween engineering and poverty been to focus ofnumerous recent studies including Millennium Project TaskForce on Science, Technology and Innovation, C Juma (ed),Going for Growth: Science, technology and innovation inAfrica (The Smith Institute, 2005) and S Jahan and RMcCleery Making Infrastructure Work for the Poor, (UNDP2005)

6 Henry, W P (2004) Engineering Beyond Technology. Inau-gural American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Address,Baltimore, Maryland October 2004.

7 Centre for Global and Futures Education, Bath Spa Univer-sity

8 McKinsey Quarterly January 2006 survey documentsincreasing executive interest in CSR

9 Trends in CSR, Grayson, 2007

10 Corporate social opportunity, Grayson, 2007

11 From Challenge to Opportunity: The role of business intomorrow's society, WBCSD, 2006

12 Enterprise Solutions to Poverty, The Shell Foundation, 2005

13 Making Connections, DFID, 2002 (p15: Learning from PastMistakes)

14 Systems and Sustainability: Sustainable Development, CivilEngineering and the formation of the Civil EngineerProfessor Paul W Jowitt 2004

15 Interviews with leading thinkers on biomimicry, Big PictureTV

16 The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes, Engi-neering Council UK, UK Standard for ProfessionalEngineering Competence, 2004

17 Annex C- Sustainable Development in degree programmes:Joint Board of Moderators, 2005

18 Page 3, World-Wide Horizon: Cross-CulturalCapability & Global Perspectives, Guidelines for CurriculumReview Killick, D. (2006, b)

19 Overseas students boost UK economy by £8bn a year, TheIndependent, 2007

20 The Internationalisation of UK Higher Education: a review ofselected material, Caruana V & Spurling N. (2007)

21 Teaching International Students, Carroll J & Ryan J (2005)Abingdon, Routledge

22 Caruana V & Spurling N. (2007) and Global andSustainability Issues Within Engineering Education, FinalReport, Bourn, D & Sharma, N (2007) Unpublished paperfor Imperial College and Engineers Without Poverty

23 The increased interest of research councils in the GlobalDimension is demonstrated by increased funding forresearch that tackles major international issues as well asnumerous specific initiatives such as EPSRC’s internationalstrategy and activities, its Energy Research and InternationalDevelopment Scoping Workshop and its Carbon Visionprogramme,

24 Education for Sustainable Development: Graduates asGlobal Citizens conference 2007 Bournemouth University,

25 HEFCE strategic review of sustainable development in highereducation in England (2008) HEFCE

26 Unpublished research conducted by Engineers WithoutBorders – UK comparing graduate careers of former EWBand non-EWB members at Imperial and Cambridge

27 Students as Global Citizen? Bourn, D (2007), Unpublishedpaper presented at Bournemouth University Education forSustainable Development conference, September 2007

28 Shiel (2007) 'Developing and embedding global perspectivesacross the university' in Marshal S. ed. Strategic Leadershipof Change in Higher Education, Routledge, London andNew York.

29 Employable Graduates for Responsible Employers: Researchon the links between sustainability and employability in thegraduate job market in relation to higher education teachingand learning, Cade, A. (2008) StudentForce for Sustain-ability. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/tla/sustainability/EmployableGraduates2008.pdf

30 Graduate Employability for Sustainability, Cade, A. andTennant, I. (2005) submitted to the institute of Environ-mental Management (IEMA) for publication in theirDecember 2005 Issue of the Environmentalist in the learningSupplement.

31 Leading figure within large retail company quoted in Bourn,D (2008) Global Skills, Report for Centre for Excellence inLeadership. Andrew Brown in correspondence with author,12 May 2008.

32 Bourn, D. & Sharma, N. (2008) Global and ‘SustainabilityPerspectives within engineering', ‘The Municipal Engineer’,September 2008 vol.161, issue 3.

33 The Global University: what employers are looking for?Archer, W, Presentation at Graduates as Global Citizens:Quality Education for the 21st Century, DEA Conference,London.

34 Shiel C, Williams A and Mann S (2005) 'Global Perspectivesand Sustainable Development in the Curriculum: EnhancedEmployability, More Thoughtful Society? In Enhancing Grad-uate Employability: the roles of learning, teaching, researchand knowledge transfer, Proceedings of the BournemouthUniversity Learning and Teaching Conference.

35 PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ professional developmentprogramme, Ulysses

36 Volunteer Services Overseas assessment process37 Global Citizenship Secondary School Map - Education for

Sustainable Development and Global citizenship: NationalAssembly for Wales, 2005,

38 Development Education Association

References and endnotes

Page 30 The Global Engineer

39 Learning and skills for sustainable development, HEPS andForum for the Future, 2004 and Education for SustainableDevelopment portal

40 ICE Joint Board of Moderators framework onSustainability and Design,

41 The DFES framework, Putting the World in to World ClassEducation

42 The CSR academy’s Making CSR Happen: thecontribution of people management (see also Ashridgestudy)

43 A framework for the global dimension within theengineering profession, EAP/DEA, 2006

44 Leitch Review of Skills, Prosperity for all in the globaleconomy - world class skills, 2006

45 WorldWise web page on global skills46 Measuring Effectiveness in Development Education,

McCollum and Bourn, 2001, Development Education Asso-ciation publications

47 Henley Report Educating Engineers for the 21st Century:The Industry View, Henley Management College, 2006

48 Page 67, HEFCE strategic review of sustainable develop-ment in higher education in England (2008) HEFCE

49 Sustainable development in HE resource guide HEFCE,2007

50 Endnote 1: Educating Engineers for the 21st Century, TheRoyal Academy of Engineering, 2007

51 Directory of UK engineering education, EAP52 UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence,

The Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes, theEngineering Council, 2004

53 The Centre for Sustainable Development atCambridge University Engineering Department

54 Visiting Professors in Engineering Design for SustainableDevelopment, Royal Academy of Engineering

55 Engineering Council UK, UKSPEC, The Accreditation ofHigher Education Programmes 2004

56 Appropriate Technology research at NottinghamUniversity and the work of Mike Clifford (1, 2)

57 Developing Technologies, Imperial College provides engi-neering design and training in appropriate technologies

58 Imperial Racing Green, Imperial College59 Formula Student Design case study, Dr G

Cunningham (2005), Queen’s Belfast University60 Ecohouse Student Design Competition61 Royal Academy of Engineering’s Sustainable Engineering

Design competition62 Toolbox for Sustainable Design education, Loughborough

university63 Engineering Ethics, 2006 conference, part of Applied Ethics

programme at Leeds CETL64 Placements Work – The Empirical Evidence

65 Paulo Freire Institute, UCLA66 Robert Chambers, leading thinker on participation in edu-

cation and development67 Summary of Peter Senge’s work on learning organisations,

Infed website68 Centre for Educational Development at Imperial College69 Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry, Nottingham Univer-

sity70 Promoting Enhanced Student Learning, Nottingham

University71 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs)72 Infrastructure in Emergencies, WEDC and distance learning

at WEDC73 The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education74 The Einstein Network75 ‘Preparing students for the world of work’ case study, Prof.

B Clarke, Newcastle University, (2007)76 ICE Sustainable Development Professional Review77 For example, modules on development and globalisation at

Northumbria and Anglia Ruskin Universities78 Prof. Andrew Hopper, Cambridge University79 Red Button Design’s Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System

was featured on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den80 Challenges Worldwide, Heriot Watt partner81 Engaging Diasporas, deHaas, Oxfam, 200682 DFID and volunteering programme, DFID website, 200783 DEA response to DFID’s Public Consultation Document on

Youth Volunteering, DEA, 200784 DFID’s Technology, Infrastructure and Urban Planning

Resource Centre85 The Distinguished Lecture Series held by The Centre for

Sustainable Development at Cambridge86 Engineers without Borders talks and seminars87 Graduates as Global Citizens Conferences 2005 and 200788 U8 Global Student Partnership for Development89 Page 60 of HEFCE strategic review of sustainable develop-

ment in higher education in England, HEFCE, (2008).90 ‘An engineering ethics curriculum map’, Royal Academy of

Engineering91 Envision 2010, Imperial College92 The El Salvador Project, Imperial college93 Guidance for careers in international development from

Bristol and Manchester Universities, RedR and Aidworkers94 Intute education and research web portal95 DELPHE (Development Partnerships in Higher Education)

programme96 Global Perspectives in Higher Education, Jenny Lunn, Royal

Geographical Society97 Canadian Iron Ring ceremony,98 CDIO Project

The Global Engineer Page 31

Notes

Designed & printed by Charity Graphics. www.charitygraphics.org.uk

Engineers Against Poverty2nd Floor Weston House

246 High HolbornLondon

WC1V 7EX

Email: i.neal@engineersagainstpoverty.orgTel: +44 (0)20 3206 0487

Website: www.engineersagainstpoverty.org

Institute of EducationUniversity of London20 Bedford WayLondonWC1H 0AL

Email: d.bourn@ioe.ac.ukTel: +44 (0)20 7612 6000Website: www.ioe.ac.uk