Evolution of an Interdisciplinary Course in Sustainability and Design for Environment
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| Audience/Grade: | College Senior-Graduate |
| Discipline(s): |
Architectural Engineering Biological Systems and Agricultural Engineering Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Design Electrical Engineering Engineering Education Research Engineering Management Environmental Engineering General Engineering, Engineering Science Green Design and Sustainable Engineering Teamwork |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Educational Research Paper |
| Author(s): |
Joyce Cooper |
| Description: | Abstract: "A course in `Sustainability and Design for Environment' has engaged engineering, science, architecture, forestry, business administration, law and public policy students at the University of Washington since 1998. The course is divided into two distinct phases. Phase 1 constructs a Design for Environment (DFE) knowledge base in each individual student through lecture and homework assignments. Topics have evolved to include interactions between technology and the environment, design and other types of decision making, energy efficiency, environmental management for industrial processes, materials selection in product design, product delivery and use, product design for recovery and disassembly, environmental and cost metrics and implementation issues. Phase 2 further develops DFE knowledge through an interdisciplinary team project. Evolution of the team project has taken students from the development of a business plan, a streamlined `Life Cycle Assessment', or disassembly process design for a company that will collect, refurbish, disassemble and recover postconsumer electronic materials to the development of a rating system for a product, process or activity of their choice based on, for example, the LEED Green Building Rating System, the US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star programme, or the US Department of Energy's Energy Guide programme. The five-fold growth in enrolment in the class that has occurred since its inception mirrors the growth in the number of environmentally focused courses and degree programmes on the campus. Co-listing the course in different units allows more students to use the course towards their degree and should ensure a continuing interdisciplinary mix of students." Citation: IJEE, Special Issue on Educating Students in Sustainable Engineering, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 294-299, 2007. |
| Rating: |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | design for environment interdisciplinary pedagogy sustainability team projects |
| Is Component of: |
Educating Students in Sustainable Engineering |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
(c) Design a system, component, or process (d) Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams (e) Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (g) Communicate effectively (h) Understand global, economic, environmental, and societal context |
| Use of Resource: |
Conclusions: The five-fold growth in enrolment in the DFE class since its inception mirrors the growth in the number of environmentally focused courses and degree programmes on the UW campus. Co-listing the course in different units allows more students to use the course towards their degree and should ensure a continuing interdisciplinary mix of students. In 2005, both the chemical and electrical engineering departments have shown an interest in co-listing the class. As such, it is expected that enrolment will continue to grow and, given this and continuing change in the field of DFE, the course will continue to evolve. Plans for 2006 include bringing back the design for a disassembly laboratory as a way to regain the hands-on experience lost in 2005. Further, an extensive course benchmarking activity is planned as part of the course re-design effort in order to benefit from experiences of other universities." |
| Difficulty: |
Medium |
| Interactivity Level: |
Very low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | April 2007 |
| Platform/Format: |
Cross Platform |
| Cost: |
Not free |
| Download URL: | http://www.ijee.dit.ie/latestissues/Vol23-2/10_ijee1891.pdf |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
International Journal of Engineering Education
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