Heather Cruickshank Richard Fenner理查德芬纳.pdfVIP

Engineering Education in Sustainable Development, Gothenburg, Sweden, September 19-22, 2010 Exploring key sustainable development themes through learning activities Heather Cruickshank Richard Fenner Centre for Sustainable Development, Department of Engineering Cambridge University, U.K. Abstract The Masters programme in Engineering for Sustainable Development at Cambridge University explores a number of key themes, including dealing with: complexity, uncertainty, change, other disciplines, people, environmental limits, whole life costs, and trade-offs. This paper examines how these concepts are introduced and analyses the range of exercises and assignments which are designed to encourage students to test their own assumptions and abilities to develop competencies in these areas. Student performance against these tasks is discussed and student feedback is also presented, with a focus on how their awareness of the themes are met through a range of activities. Introduction Addressing sustainable development issues through postgraduate professional practice Masters programmes allows the freedom to move beyond both curriculum constraints and an emphasis on reductionist thinking often found in engineering courses at the undergraduate level. First degree programmes have tended to focus on conveying basic engineering science and general principles, whilst at the postgraduate level the application of those principles can be explored against the constraints and complexities represented by the wider issues relating to sustainability. Fisk and Ahearn (2006) have suggested Ma