SEFI@work: Educating uncertainty in times of sustainable transition

SEFI@work: Educating uncertainty in times of sustainable transition

The (un)certainty (dis)comfort series from the SEFI Ethics SIG

17 February 2025, 15:30-16:30 (CET)

Transdisciplinary courses are increasingly prevalent in engineering education curricula. These courses involve partnering with real-world actors to tackle real-world problems, perhaps most notably the contemporary sustainability challenge. How to balance environmental sustainability with social and economic goals is a contested issue, with varying perspectives on the problems and solutions, even among experts. Furthermore, sustainability education is shaped amidst an unpredictable political landscape and yet unknown technological advancements. This diversity of viewpoints, unpredictability, and a lack of knowledge makes uncertainty an inescapable part of the future of engineering education.

In this workshop, we will explore uncertainty on a conceptual level and reflect on your personal experiences with uncertainty. Then, we will collaboratively develop scaffolding strategies to support students in learning to deal with uncertainty. The workshop is based on Nina Bohm’s PhD thesis and she will translate her work to some concrete questions for engineering educators.

This workshop is for you if:

• You want ideas on how to scaffold uncertainty in a (transdisciplinary) learning environment.
• You want to understand uncertainty both on a personal and a conceptual level.
• You want to connect with other researchers and teachers interested in supporting engineering students to constructively engage with uncertainty.

Speaker: Dr. Ir. Nina Bohm, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Target Audience: Engineering Educators, Engineering Education PhD Researchers, Early-career researchers, senior administrators, or anyone who is interested in working with uncertainty in educational practice.

The (un)certainty (dis)comfort workshop series is a SEFI SIG Ethics project organised by Siara Isaac (EPFL).