2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A new technical interdisciplinary course entitled “The Intersection of Society and Design” was developed collaboratively and implemented by three departments at three separate universities. It is a team-based, project-based course that is team-taught by a faculty member from engineering, from health science, and from psychology. The overarching goal of the course was to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the necessary balance between the needs of society, and engineering design.

This course is supportive of the Engineering One Planet (EOP) program of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) [1]. The course objectives (CO) map onto the eight EOP core outcomes. In addition, “The Intersection of Society and Design” explicitly addresses four societal impact outcomes in ABET Criterion 3: Student Outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5, which emphasize the public health and safety impacts of design, ethical decision-making, collaborative productivity as a team member, and effective communication with diverse audiences [2]. The importance of making design decisions in economic, environmental, and societal contexts is emphasized from the perspectives of engineering and physical and mental health.

The course was structured with initial weeks spent introducing students to the other disciplines, the Restorative Cities model established by Roe and McCay [3], and then equipping them with tools for team collaboration. Additional course elements which prepared students for team-based problem-solving included class activities, guest speakers, formative assessment, and discussion to support foundational concepts, e.g. participatory design, sustainability, and safety. Course instructors then transitioned students to team projects, which entailed designing a new rapid rail route connecting three urban areas, each with unique cultures, public health needs, and established infrastructure to consider. Team composition was intentionally interdisciplinary, with each group having representatives from health science and psychology. Engineering students assumed the role of consultant requiring them to provide technical knowledge and support for sharing of ideas, determining engineering effectiveness and feasibility to lead to successful project completion.

The authors are grateful for the grant from ASEE to help support development of this course, and the support provided by [University Name] to underwrite faculty salary for the first offering.

References
[1] ASEE, "Engineering One Planet," 2024. [Online]. Available: https://engineeringforoneplanet.org/. [Accessed September 2024].
[2] ABET, "Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2024-2025," 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.abet.org/accreditation/accreditation-criteria/criteria-for-accrediting-engineering-programs-2024-2025/. [Accessed September 2024].
[3] J. Roe and L. McCay, Restorative Cities: Urban Design for Mental Health and Wellbeing, London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2021.