2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Building Sustainability Competencies through Micro-Credentialing: A Transdisciplinary Life-Cycle Design Thinking Approach

Presented at The "Bigger Picture" In Environmental Engineering and Sustainability- ENVIRON Division

Overview: This study presents the design and early evaluation of a transdisciplinary micro-credential, Sustainability: Life-Cycle Design Thinking, developed to apply the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework and build sustainability competencies across disciplines. Developed by faculty affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE), the course is open to all departments and levels, ensuring broad access. The micro-credential provides an evidence-based introduction to core sustainability concepts, preparing students for advanced coursework, internships, and team-based design challenges. It translates EOP outcomes into portable learning artifacts that signal emerging, job-relevant skills; align with ABET outcomes such as design thinking, ethics, teamwork, and data analysis; and can be updated as standards and tools evolve.

Design and Structure: The micro-credential comprises three concise, stackable modules that pair short video primers with hands-on assignments, culminating in rubric-scored deliverables.
1. "Introduction to Life-Cycle Thinking" introduces the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework and tools for tracing material and energy flows across cradle-to-cradle stages.
2. "Supply-Chain Management" applies LCA concepts to sourcing, logistics, and end-of-life strategies, examining circular pathways such as repair, remanufacture, and reuse through scenario analysis.
3. "Sustainable Design Assessment" integrates prior modules into a design decision brief where students quantify trade-offs, document assumptions, and justify design choices.
Upon completion, students earn a digital badge whose metadata maps directly to EOP competencies and ABET-aligned skills. The badge is portable (i.e. shareable via LinkedIn, e-portfolios, and résumés) and serves as a verified indicator of sustainability proficiency to both faculty and employers.

Implementation and Early Results: The pilot study engaged upper-division undergraduates and graduate students in the College of Engineering, School of Business, and School of Arts at VCU (n = 175 students). In the engineering discipline, students working on senior design projects are encouraged to frame their design problems with tools introduced to them in the microcredential course (explicit system boundaries and functional units; compared materials/process routes using embodied vs. operational impacts; embedded circularity checkpoints; analyzed supply-chain risks with mitigation plans; quantified trade-offs via sensitivity analyses; and documented decisions in rubric-scored Sustainability Design Canvas briefs for e-portfolios) While students reported high relevance and valued the modular format and portable artifacts, faculty noted smooth integration with minimal time costs due to clear rubrics, concise primers, and short assessments.

Next Steps: Building on these preliminary findings, current efforts aim to expand the curriculum to include data-centric sustainability design and integrate badge metadata into ABET and employer-recognized competency frameworks. Industry partners will provide structured feedback on the credential’s usefulness for workforce readiness. The modular, stackable structure is expected to lower adoption barriers for faculty, fit within existing degree requirements, and broaden access to sustainability education for diverse learners at all levels.

Authors

Dr. Radhika Barua Virginia Commonwealth University [biography]

Dr. Radhika Barua is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE). She leads the Advanced Magnetic Materials Processing (AM²P) Laboratory, where her research integrates advanced manufacturing, materials sustainability, and systems-level life-cycle thinking. Dr. Barua’s teaching and outreach efforts emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to engineering education that connect sustainability, ethics, and design thinking.

She is a co-developer of the micro-credential course “Sustainability: Transdisciplinary Life-Cycle Design Thinking,” which operationalizes the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework through experiential learning and modular credentialing. Her broader educational mission focuses on embedding sustainability competencies into engineering curricula without increasing credit loads, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and preparing students with industry-relevant, data-driven design and life-cycle assessment (LCA) skills.
Dr. Bradley Ray Nichols Virginia Commonwealth University [biography]

Dr. Bradley Ray Nichols is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and serves as Director of the College of Engineering’s Capstone Design Program. His expertise spans engineering design, rotordynamics, turbomachinery, and engineering education, with a strong focus on hands-on, multidisciplinary student design experiences. In his leadership role, he oversees senior capstone projects that connect students with industry, healthcare, and community partners to develop practical engineering solutions.
Dr. Jeff Shockley Virginia Commonwealth University [biography]

Jeff Shockley is Professor of Supply Chain Management and Analytics in the VCU School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate coursework in the areas of operations management, quantitative analysis, global logistics and transportation, and supply chain management. Dr. Shockley’s current work examines supply chain innovation and operational design effectiveness, particularly in retailing, healthcare, and other service-related industries. His papers have appeared in a number of prestigious business journals, including the Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Production and Operations Management, and Decision Sciences, among others. Prior to academic work, he held several corporate management positions in the retailing and healthcare industries. Dr. Shockley is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Operations Management and on the editorial review boards of Production and Operations Management and Decision Sciences Journal. He also serves as Executive Officer and Treasurer for the Industry Studies Association. Dr. Shockley is an active member of the Production and Operations Management Society, the Decision Sciences Institute, and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
Emily Smith Virginia Commonwealth University [biography]

Emily Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interior Design at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. Her work focuses on interdisciplinary and community-engaged design, sustainable and place-based design research, and material studies. She co-leads collaborative initiatives such as the “middle Of broad studio,” which connects VCU students with Richmond community partners to address real-world design challenges. Her research also explores patterns in the built environment, climate resilience, and experiential learning through programs on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and in Sicily. Professionally, she has worked with design firms across the United States and contributed to LEED-certified projects through the U.S. Green Building Council.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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