Meet our Special Interest Groups at SEFI 2023

List of SEFI SIGs and their meetings at the Annual Conference

11-14 September 2023, TU Dublin

The year-round SEFI activities take place mainly in our Special Interest Groups. Here is an overview as well as opportunities to meet our groups at the SEFI Annual Conference in Dublin.

Attractiveness:

Chair: Hanne Deprez (KU Leuven)

The Attractiveness SIG aims to provide a forum open to students, practitioners, researchers, industry, and other interested parties to understand how prospective students perceive the attractiveness of engineering (education) and to recommend ways of improving it.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16 hrs.

Sustainability:

Chair: Aida Guerra (Aalborg University)

Sustainability principles have become an important aspect of the engineering curriculum. The group investigates the field of sustainability with respect to its impact on engineering education.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Mathematics:

Chair: Deolinda Rasteiro (UP Coimbra)

SEFI Mathematics Special Interest Group (MSIG) is primarily focused on finding answers to many questions arising in connection to the challenges of teaching effective courses in mathematics for all engineering students developing their mathematical competencies and skills.

• SIG Workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15 pm
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Physics:

Chair: Arjan Lock (The Hague University of Applied Sciences)

The Physics Group is a network of physics teachers and people who are interested in how to teach and learn physics in engineering education. The group discusses challenges and shares solutions, and every two years, the Physics Teaching in Engineering Education (PTEE) conference is organized.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16 hrs

Engineering Education Research:

Chair: Tinne De Laet (KU Leuven)

This group forms a European community of engineering education researchers to contribute with research evidence to the advancement of engineering education in Europe and in the world.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

Co-Chairs: Natalie Wint, Fiona Truscott (UCL London)

The group aims to: make SEFI accessible and welcoming; bring the issues associated with the lack of diversity within engineering to the attention of the wider community; amplify practices that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion across engineering education contexts; promote research on diversity, equity and inclusion in engineering education; and create opportunities to share insights and build community.

• SIG event: The Birds of a (Different) Feathers on Sunday, 10/09/2023, at 18hrs at the Stags Head in the Snug. Address: 1 Dame Ct, Dublin, D02 TW84, stagshead.ie
• SIG Workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15 pm
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Ethics:

Co-Chairs: Helena Kovacs (EPFL), Diana Martin (TU Eindhoven)

The group aims to build a global community of friends in engineering ethics education. Our projects address policy, research, and education themes related to the ethical and socio-economic dimensions of engineering. We aim to put forward examples of best practices in the teaching of engineering ethics and support research collaborations on societal themes.

• SIG workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16:00

Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning:

Co-Chairs: Chris Smith

The Group focuses on researching, evaluating, and advancing frameworks, policies, and practices around Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning that respond to the needs of society and industry. In particular, consideration of why and how innovative educational offerings, such as short courses, micro-credentials, work-based and work-integrated learning, and flexible pathways of learning and development nurture and develop individuals and grow organizational capability.

• SIG workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16:00

Capacity Building:

Chair: Jennifer Griffiths (UCL London)

This SIG aims to empower the pedagogical development of educators in engineering Higher Education through building a community of practitioners and researchers in education development.

• SIG workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16:00.

Engineering Skills:

Chair: Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham)

The SIG’s purpose is to inform educators on emerging engineering skills through discussing, developing, and sharing best practices.

• SIG Workshop: Monday 11/09 at 12:15 pm
• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Open and Online Education:

Chair: Calvin Rans (TU Delft)

How can we help educators navigate the spectrum of what Open & Online Education is? This year, the Open & Online education working group will work towards building a community dialogue on defining this spectrum.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 17 hrs.

Curriculum Development:

Chair: Gareth Thomson (Aston University)

This group focuses on learning about curriculum innovation in EE in different educational environments, as well as becoming aware of the interests of students from different countries and those of a dynamic society and university/business interaction.

• SIG meeting: Monday 11/09 at 16 hrs.