Siemens and Sony are challenging students worldwide to imagine sustainable design with immersive engineering What…
Xiaoqi Feng, Julia Sundman, Hanna Aarnio (Aalto University, Finland)
As technological advancements, such as the proliferation of AI, intersect with escalating socio-environmental challenges, they present both opportunities and dilemmas for engineers. Self-driving cars, for instance, promise reduced emissions and improved efficiency, yet pose new environmental and ethical dilemmas. Engineers thus face the dual responsibility of leveraging innovations while simultaneously addressing the new challenges they introduce, which highlights the urgent need to rethink the education of future engineers.
The idea of broadening engineers’ competences beyond traditional silos to cross disciplinary boundaries is not new, but its significance in reshaping engineering education is more critical than ever. We have seen several pioneering examples of interdisciplinary education globally, including MIT’s NEET program, Chalmers’ Tracks initiative, Aalborg’s PBL curriculum, and Aalto’s Sustainable Global Technologies Programme. Yet, the conundrum lies in effectively operationalizing interdisciplinary education: what do we mean by it, and what opportunities and challenges emerge when aligning its teaching, learning, and assessment?
There are various interpretations of interdisciplinary education from both teachers and students. Despite the nuances, there is a general consensus that interdisciplinary education integrates knowledge, methods, and modes of thinking from different disciplines. It is also often implemented simultaneously with problem- and project-based learning (PBL), empowering students to think creatively, and approach problems collaboratively from diverse perspectives – exactly the competencies that 21st century engineers are expected to master. But what happens when students with divergent epistemologies and worldviews gather to solve a problem?
Interdisciplinary PBL provides a space for dialogue and creativity but can also evoke discomfort. In our recent work on this topic, we examined learning challenges through the lens of disorienting dilemmas – situations that profoundly challenge students’ views. We identified several key dilemmas, related to reconciling evolving personal and professional identities, the complexity of problem-solving, differing collaborative approaches, and diverse disciplinary perspectives.
Despite these dilemmas, there are silver linings: we found that students respond to them with a wide range of coping strategies: some more proactive and constructive, and others reactive and passive. We argue that creating learning environments that encourage students to engage constructively with these dilemmas while critically reflecting on their assumptions can lead to profound personal and professional growth.
The key question remains: how can we better scaffold students’ learning in these messy, yet rich, experiences? As an answer, we encourage education researchers and practitioners in interdisciplinary PBL to explore:
WHAT
- … specific interventions do teachers apply to address interdisciplinary learning challenges?
- … practices foster genuine interdisciplinary teacher collaboration?
- … impact does the problem (ill-)structuredness have on students’ learning outcomes?
- … professional development training encourages educators to reflect on their identities as interdisciplinary education practitioners?
HOW TO
- … provide problems with sufficient disciplinary breadth and depth to engage multidisciplinary students?
- … balance autonomy and structure to provide sufficient guidance while ensuring self-directed learning?
- … integrate interdisciplinarity into core engineering curricula without compromising the depth of domain knowledge?
- … combine formative and summative assessments to effectively track individual students’ learning outcomes?
Moving forward, we need a more holistic and collaborative research approach to enhance our current understanding of interdisciplinary PBL. Researchers should apply an interdisciplinary approach incorporating insights from STEM, learning sciences, psychology, design, and sociology. Equally important is building stronger partnerships among researchers, educators, students, and industry partners to co-create transformative learning experiences. While interdisciplinary PBL is increasingly practiced, we need greater global awareness and expansion. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) could scale up online engineering education, and AI-driven tools like automated assessments can support the design of accessible courses.
By leveraging best practices and fostering partnerships, we can transform engineering education into an innovative space where students drive the changes of our time.
You can read more in the recent article published in the European Journal of Engineering Education by Xiaoqi Feng, Julia Sundman, Hanna Aaarnio, Maija Taka, Marko Keskinen, and Olli Varis Towards transformative learning: students’ disorienting dilemmas and coping strategies in interdisciplinary problem-based learning