2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work in progress paper details the creation of a new module (course) that was designed to foster macroethical and affective development and support students’ engineering identity development. The module is part of a Foundation year for international students wanting to progress into a bachelor’s degree in the UK. The creation of a new required module for engineering students presented the opportunity to imagine a year-long introduction to what engineering is and what it means to be an engineer. The module integrates the Inner Development Goals (IDG), which is a framework of skills and qualities needed to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The IDG were developed from a perspective that technical knowledge is not the limiting factor in addressing the climate crisis and related societal challenges, but rather, it is the emotional and cognitive skills of individuals and organizations to fulfil the vision of the SDG. Learning activities throughout the year were designed to support students’ engineering identity, including the trajectory of their conceptualization and the role, if any, that affective and macroethical considerations play. This work aligns with the LEES conference theme pertaining to personal experiences with integrating liberal arts and engineering to overcome the artificial boundary between social and technical. Although the need for sociotechnical integration and frameworks for related skills are established in the LEES community, IDG provides a novel conceptualization, link to sustainability and other macroethical responsibilities, and affective component that can contribute to a holistic understanding of what is means to be an engineer.