2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Evident in calls such as the National Academies of Engineering Grand Challenges and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, engineering problems are fundamentally sociotechnical. These problems both shape and are shaped by social, cultural, political, environmental, and other contextual elements. Sociotechnical design theories (e.g., Design Justice, Value-Sensitive Design, Engineering for Social Justice, and Feminist Design) offer insight into the expert-like practices engineers might engage in to address challenges, but how and where engineers develop the ability to engage in sociotechnical thinking throughout their careers is currently unclear. Sociotechnical thinking is inherently complex, and while many engineering educators regard it as a critical skill, relatively little is understood about the learning experiences and processes needed to promote sociotechnical thinking. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature on cognitive development and sociotechnical design theories and to envision a research area related to students and professional development of sociotechnical thinking in engineering design. In cognitive development, I highlight literature related to college students and early career individuals’ epistemological development. For sociotechnical design, I offer a brief overview of predominant theories and practices that are applicable within engineering design settings. I also highlight existing work in sociotechnical thinking in engineering education. By weaving together these strands of scholarship, I hope to make space for an emerging and critical area of engineering education research that can illuminate issues surrounding the development of vital engineering skills and ways of thinking. In this paper, I put forth a few questions and discuss potential opportunities to explore student and professional development in sociotechnical design. For instance, How does Sociotechnical Thinking develop and change over time for engineering students and professionals? Can sociotechnical thinking be validly, reliably, and expediently measured, and what patterns and differences emerge across different engineering populations (e.g., by career stage, type of experience, identity-based characteristics, nature of work, etc.)? What kinds of experiences promote growth in engineers’ ability to engage in sociotechnical thinking in design? I hope these questions and others can encourage new conversations in ways that enhance engineering educators’ language and, thus, the ability to discuss and engage with critical issues related to sociotechnical thinking and its role in engineering design.