USING A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER SCENARIO TO IMPROVE THE INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABILITY INTO AN ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE

Integration of sustainability into engineering design courses provides an opportunity for students to put their knowledge of sustainability into application and prepares them for responsible and ethical engineering practices in the future. There are, however, challenges associated with such integration. Convincing students of the value of sustainability considerations in engineering design and transitioning from the usual one-dimensional decision-making to an inclusive approach is not a trivial task. The trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in sustainable design may also create additional complexities. This work was aimed at overcoming some of these challenges by incorporating a multi-stakeholder scenario that mimicked the dynamics of a real-life project. The goal was to facilitate students' implementation of a holistic approach to decision-making by providing a real-world context to the project. This paper will describe the details of this approach and the adjustments made to course deliverables and the assessment process. The results and improvements to students' experience will be discussed and future directions and plans for further developments will be presented.