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ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS OF CIVIL ENGINEERS IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY
Abstract
In the context of the man-made burden on the natural environment, the issues of developing civil engineering students’ environmental awareness are important and particularly relevant to low environmental security countries, which include Ukraine. The authors emphasize the need for broad implementation of the Concept of Sustainable Development in professional training of civil engineering students, determine the level of their environmental awareness, compare the levels of formation of environmental awareness components, and pursue to identify effective ways to environmentalize engineering training. The study involved the students of Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. The authors selected the semi-structured questionnaire method combining rating, Likert and importance scales, alternative and unstructured questions, as well as elements of the Azapagic and the Naturafil techniques. The results did not prove the formation level of the civil engineering students’ environmental awareness to be unsatisfactory. It was also found that the civil engineering students have steady environmental beliefs and are willing to comply with environmental norms in their activities. This fact brought the authors to the conclusion that the current practice of higher technical education in Ukraine takes account of sustainable development. The level of the civil engineering students’ environmental knowledge was also determined as sufficient, while their environmental activity and environmental management skills were seen as low. According to the authors, the use of integrated and practice-oriented approaches to teaching professional subjects and the introduction of environmental topics into general education subjects will contribute to strengthened environmentalization of professional training of civil engineers. Keywords: civil engineer, environmental awareness, higher school, sustainable development, technical education
... La conciencia ambiental se define como el conocimiento y comprensión de los problemas ambientales, así como la disposición para actuar de manera responsable hacia el entorno natural [15]. Esta conciencia implica varias dimensiones: cognitiva, afectiva, conativa y activa. ...
... Engineering students may have general environmental knowledge, but engineers in the industry have specific environmental knowledge that is rooted in their professional practice (Ahmad et al. 2015;Laca & Patiño, 2022). Engineers play a crucial role in the adoption of practices and technologies that significantly contribute to the protection and preservation of the environment (Khyzhniak et al. 2021). ...
This study examines the effects of environmental knowledge on pro-environmental attitudes and behavior by analyzing the relationship between general environmental knowledge (GEK), specific environmental knowledge (SEK), environmental attitudes (ENA), and public pro-environmental behavior (PPB) in two demographic groups: engineering students from universities and active engineers working in the maquiladora industry, both in Ciudad Juárez (Mexico). A questionnaire was designed based on a literature review, adapted to the Mexican context, and applied to engineers in 21 companies and 3 universities; 1449 valid responses were collected, and a structural equation model was developed to validate the five hypotheses. The findings suggest that SEK exerts a more significant influence on active engineers’ PPB, possibly because of their industry experience and understanding of the environmental consequences of industrial processes. In contrast, engineering students may exhibit less developed PPB despite having a solid theoretical foundation compared to active engineers. These findings have important implications for both groups’ education and development of environmental awareness and strategies.
Of the goal of study is to investigate the formation of such skills of strengthening of practical component of environmental training of students, having technical specialization. It is achieved by the introduction of such forms and methods of training,as the research of technical projects and scientific articles in the subjected area (using the method of diversionary analysis), the participation of students in the work of scientific departments at the enterprises, in eco-oriented production practice and in the interdisciplinary designing. The results of the experiment show a positive dynamics in the changes of formedness levels of the main characteristics of the students' ecological culture, and confirm the effectiveness of introduction the considered.
The European Union has placed competence-based teaching and competence-based education as one of its highly relevant goals. Due to mass higher education, the assessment of effectiveness and relevance evaluation of environmental engineering study programmes should become an important issue. Presently the focus of the evaluation on multi-disciplinary study programmes varies from the evaluation of attitudes, impacts or effectiveness of utilisation-focused evaluation, summative evaluation and participatory evaluation approaches. The objective of this study was to propose an effective framework to evaluate the Environmental Engineering Master study programmes. During the research, the evaluation of existing study programmes on environmental engineering in Europe was conducted, information about the study courses, teaching methods, assessment methods and competences was used for the analysis. The results obtained showed that lectures, site visits, group coursework, practical laboratories and role-plays allows to reach the necessary knowledge, skills and competences and to provide an effective and relevant education to the Environmental Engineering Master programme students. The proposed evaluation framework was tested and approbated on new Riga Technical University Master study programmes on Environmental Engineering and Bioeconomy.
The incorporation of sustainability in universities finds the greatest barriers in the field of teaching. The curricula do not usually cover all dimensions of sustainability as most of the experiences are isolated and they do not reach all students. Within a larger study, an exploratory investigation has been carried out on how sustainability competences are being integrated into the programs of both Informatics Engineering and Industrial Engineering degrees of 25 Spanish universities. The main findings suggest that existing courses in the domain of the humanities and engineering projects, as well as the final degree project, are very appropriate areas for developing a holistic and reflective approach. Likewise, there is a lack of environmental issues in Informatics Engineering, and ethical issues do not usually appear in Industrial Engineering courses. In general, there is no systematic and strategic integration along the degree programs. However, inspiring practices have been identified to propose lines of action and a curriculum model to embed sustainability into engineering education coherently and effectively. In addition, some reflections on drivers, opportunities, and challenges to achieve it are presented.
Systems thinking (ST) skills are often the foundation of sustainability science curricula. Though ST skill sets are used as a basic approach to reasoning about complex environmental problems, there are gaps in our understanding regarding the best ways to promote and assess ST learning in classrooms. Since ST learning provides Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students’ important skills and awareness to participate in environmental problem-solving, addressing these gaps is an important STEM learning contribution. We have created guidelines for teaching and measuring ST skills derived from a hybrid of a literature review and through case study data collection. Our approach is based on semi-quantitative cognitive mapping techniques meant to support deep reasoning about the complexities of social–ecological issues. We begin by arguing that ST should be evaluated on a continuum of understanding rather than a binary of correct/incorrect or present/absent. We then suggest four fundamental dimensions of teaching and evaluating ST which include: (1) system structure, (2) system function, (3) identification of leverage points for change, and (4) trade-off analysis. Finally, we use a case study to show how these ideas can be assessed through cognitive maps to help students develop deep system understanding and the capacity to propose innovative solutions to sustainability problems.
Sustainability challenges such as degradation of ecosystem, loss in biodiversity, depletion and destruction of natural resources, numerous instances of pollution, and the extreme poverty of millions of human beings all originated from how people think. In an effort to improve the situation, the UN declared the years 2005-2014 as Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), calling for a thorough integration of competencies in sustainability issues at all levels of education. In line with this, addressing numerous sustainability-related problems requires an urgent need to reorient the school curricula, so that appropriate sustainability competencies are injected. Since the contents of HEIs curricula revolve around knowledge-based goals, skill-based goals and affective goals, this study investigated competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes) in the environmental sustainability suitable for incorporation into Higher National Diploma (HND) electrical/electronic engineering curriculum in Nigeria. The study employed qualitative approach through document analysis and semi-structured interview with the participants. The documents analyzed were twelve Journal Articles and five Skill Standards. The researchers also conducted interviews with electrical/electronic personnel in the academia and industry. The empirical findings of the semi-structured interviews corroborated the theoretical findings in the documents analyses. The study discovered several competencies in the document analysis as well as interviews, which were ultimately analyzed thematically. The themes include: Climate change, Ecology, Environmental Resource Management, System Thinking, Sustainable urbanization, Recycling/Re-use, and Empathy and Ethics. The researchers analyzed only 17 documents and conduct 10 interviews, thus, conclusions derived from these sources rely on the genuineness of the information provided by the participants. The findings provide the researchers, accreditation body as well as curriculum developers with competencies in environmental sustainability in the events of curriculum upgrade or renewal to integrate sustainability. The findings are the results of triangulated data elicited theoretically and empirically.
Environmental education and education for the environment today play an important role toward sustainability. Environmental education provided by higher education institutions has an important impact on training and preparing the future generation for a green society. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among perception, attitude, and environmental behavior of the university students enrolled in different specialization fields (engineering electrical, mechanical, and economic). A total of 358 students participated in this survey conducted at the North Center University of Baia Mare. To collect data to measure students’ environmental education, perception, students’ attitudes, and behavior a Likert scale was used. In this study, it was revealed that students receiving academic education are involved in activities regarding environmental protection (volunteer, warning, participation, recycling of materials) using the new product and “greener” alternative energy. As a result of the t-test performed, it was put forward that there was no difference in their level of perception regarding the importance of environmental education. As a result of the correlation analysis, a positive relation was identified between the perception, attitude, and behavior variables.
Sustainability has become an undeniable aspect of corporate dealings this day and age. The advent of Corporate Social Responsibility as a morally sound issue has been caught up by market-oriented, profit-driven motivations for ‘greening’ the business. Also, new generations of professionals are growing up more environmentally aware than ever and eager to put their beliefs and attitudes into practice. This study explores the role of individual sustainability competences in eco-design building projects of small- and medium sized enterprises in the Netherlands. Building projects of multiple case companies have been investigated, in search of sustainability competences needed to deal with issues and problems during the process. A total number of 39 incidents were analyzed for the role of individual sustainability competences. Individual sustainability competences played a specific role in different phases and characteristic aspects of the building projects: the initial inspiration for eco-design; project development; and the involvement of stakeholders. However, not all individual sustainability competences appeared during the process. The most apparent competences were related to strategic management and action, diversity, interdisciplinarity, and interpersonal aspects. Systems thinking competence and foresighted thinking competence occurred considerably less in the incidents, while normative competence was only mentioned once. Respondents choose to merge normative dimensions of their behavior with the strategic and action-oriented dimensions. These findings confirm earlier theoretical conceptualizations of a virtuous competence for sustainability, and leads to further questions about the specific role and definition of normative competence in business and (higher) education settings.
This article analyzes the problems associated with the ecologization of engineering education. Ecological competence is considered as an integral feature of ecological-oriented personality with ecological focused consciousness. According to the author, prospects for the development of ecological component in engineering education related with the introduction of an integrative approach. Singles out the main levels and directions of integration of professional and ecological education in the engineering institute. This article gives the data of empirical research of ecological consciousness of students - the future engineers. It gives the conclusion about the need of special educational activities for the formation of ecocentric environmental consciousness of students, taking into account the specifics of professional education.
European Journal of Engineering Education Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. This paper presents data from a project that aims to determine the level of knowledge and understanding of engineering students about sustainable development (SD). The data derive from a survey completed by final year engineering students in three Irish Higher Education Institutions. This paper is part of a larger study that examines the relationship between students' and teachers' understanding of SD. The results from the survey show that final year engineering students' knowledge is deficient. The majority of the participants fail to acknowledge the complexity of the concept and focus on environmental protection. Their knowledge of legislation relevant to SD and the social aspect of sustainability is particularly deficient.
Encouraging the adoption of a pro-environmental behavior is critical in order to reduce the environmental impacts and to move toward a more sustainable future. Higher education plays an important role in training professionals who have an important role in protecting the environment in the future. The aim of this study is to identify whether there are significant differences between college students depending on their diploma of specialization, related to the environment or not, the year in which they are studying and gender. The sample consisted of 383 engineering students in first, third and sixth year, with two instruments designed to measure environmental attitudes and behaviors. Significant differences were found between students pursuing diplomas related to the environment and those who are not. Otherwise, no significant differences were observed between students enrolled in different levels. Perceived effort, positive environmental attitude or perceived positive consequents predict the frequency of pro-environmental behaviors in students, the former (perceived effort, negative) being the most influential variable.
Environmental awareness and ethical moral reasoning are important aspects of the engineering profession. Yet, engineering programmes have been struggling to teach these topics and measure the effectiveness of these educational interventions. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of two independent measures of environmental awareness and moral reasoning. We conducted pre-and post-test in two groups (experimental and control). Our sample was 84 students in the control group and 152 students in the experimental group. Data were collected with a survey. Results suggest the instruments were effective in measuring changes in scores, although they presented some limitations. Based on our results, we discuss implications for education practice and policy.
Creative transformations in the world via engineering and technologies make the following research a burning issue. The aforementioned process can bring modern human society to the environmental catastrophe, and cause the sharp decrease of quality of life. Therefore, under present circumstances it is particularly important to develop the ecological component of professional activity of the engineer. This may sound strange, but it is arrangement of conditions for facilitating the creative potential that improves quality of human life, as well as favors the formation of ecological world outlook. The paper provides deep insight into the importance of the connection of special engineering disciplines and humanities taught at a technical institution of higher education; that activates creative work of students and promotes understanding cultural significance of a cognitive field. Moreover, actualization of cross-curricular connections furthers the development of success model of technical graduates, because it doesn’t appeal to importance of knowledge itself, but to the process of cognition. This fact is of significant relevance for contemporary state of mass higher education, when a diploma isn’t assured by the right to be employed in the sphere designated in it. However, a creative individual can always support own prosperity and quality of life, which can be considered as a special ecological condition.
This paper addresses the issue of engineering education for sustainable development. In an attempt to facilitate a better integration of sustainability teaching into the engineering curriculum, it seeks to provide answers to the following fundamental questions: (1) How much do engineering students know about sustainable development? (2) What are the knowledge gaps? (3) What could be the best approach to educating engineering students for sustainable development? Some answers to the first two questions have been provided by carrying out a world-wide survey of engineering students on their level of knowledge and understanding of sustainable development. The survey results suggest that, overall, the level of knowledge is not satisfactory and that significant knowledge gaps exist. However, an encouraging result is that students believe that sustainable development is important for engineers, although they often have difficulties in making a direct link between the theory of sustainable development and engineering practice. To address the third question, the paper then discusses the implications of these findings for the engineering curriculum. It also illustrates an approach to teaching sustainability that could help to stimulate students' interest in this subject during their studies and to ensure their commitment to practising sustainable engineering later as professionals.
10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2007)133:3(188) The need arises to equip engineering students with a wider horizon of concepts in terms of environmental, economic, and social attributes, for decision making of sensitive to sustainability issues. Pedagogic frameworks have to address a multidisciplinary analysis of sustainability. This paper addresses the rationale behind the recent integration of sustainability concepts into an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum in Hong Kong. Incentives and barriers for implementation of the curriculum are addressed. A team-based design project with a problem-based learning approach is highlighted. The initial results of stakeholder evaluations suggested that multidisciplinary skills developed during the learning process might contribute significantly to pertinent knowledge on sustainability. Author name used in this publication: K. W. Chau
KeyWords: EDUCATION; sustainability concepts; civil engineering curriculum; Incorporation
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Received: May 07, 2021
Accepted: July 27, 2021