Education for Sustainability Using PBL on an Engineering Course at the National University of Colombia
This article describes the implementation experience
of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in an engineering course of the
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, with the aim of strengthening
student skills necessary for the exercise of their profession under
a sustainability framework. Firstly, we present a literature review
on the education for sustainability field, emphasizing the skills
and knowledge areas required for its development, as well as
the commitment of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad
Nacional de Colombia, and other engineering faculties of the country,
regarding education for sustainability. This article covers the general
aspects of the course, describes how students team were formed, and
how their experience was during the first semester of 2017. During
this period two groups of students decided to develop their course
project aiming to solve a problem regarding a Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO) that works with head-of-household mothers in
a low-income neighborhood in Bogota (Colombia). Subsequently, we
show how sustainability is involved in the course, how tools are
provided to students, and how activities are developed as to strengthen
their abilities, which allows them to incorporate sustainability in their
projects while also working on the methodology used to develop said
projects. Finally, we introduce the results obtained by the students
who sent the prototypes of their projects to the community they were
working on and the conclusions reached by them regarding the course
experience.
[1] P. Vega and P. A´ lvarez, “Formacio´n de profesorado en Espan˜a
orientada a la sostenibilidad: implementaci´on y an´alisis de
una ’ecometodolog´ıa’,” European Journal of Teacher Education,
vol. 35, no. April 2013, pp. 37–41, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02619768.2011.643400
[2] J. Guti´errez-P´erez and F. J. Perales-Palacios, “Greening curriculum &
sustainability: New opportunities in the teachers professionalization.
Leading article (Ambientalizaci´on curricular y sostenibilidad. Nuevos
retos de profesionalizaci´on docente. Editorial),” Profesorado, vol. 16,
no. 2, pp. 5–14, 2012.
[3] P. Azc´arate, A. N. Salvador, E. Garc´ıa, A. Navarrete, E. Garc´ıa, A. N.
Salvador, E. Garc´ıa, A. Navarrete, and E. Garc´ıa, “Aproximaci´on al
nivel de inclusi´on de la sostenibilidad en los curricula universitarios,”
Profesorado, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 105–119, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4095356
[4] a. Vilches and D. P´erez, “La educaci´on para la sostenibilidad
en la Universidad: el reto de la formaci´on del profesorado,”
Profesorado, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 25–43, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.doredin.mec.es/documentos/00820123017470.pdf
[5] M. Svanstr¨om, U. Palme, M. K. Wedel, O. Carlson, T. Nystr¨om, and
M. Ed´en, “Embedding of ESD in engineering education: Experiences
from Chalmers University of Technology,” International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 279–292, 2012.
[6] K. Shephard, “Higher education for sustainability: seeking affective
learning outcomes,” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 87–98, 2008.
[7] P. Glaviˇc, “Sustainability engineering education,” Clean Technologies
and Environmental Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 24–30, 2006. (Online).
Available: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0025-4
[8] L. Velazquez, N. Munguia, A. Platt, and J. Taddei, “Sustainable
university: what can be the matter?” Journal of Cleaner Production,
vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 810–819, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000199
[9] E. Karol, “Using campus concerns about sustainability as an educational
opportunity: a case study in architectural design,” Journal of Cleaner
Production, vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 780–786, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000163
[10] M. Ju´arez-N´ajera, H. Dieleman, and S. Turpin-Marion, “Sustainability
in Mexican Higher Education: towards a new academic
and professional culture,” Journal of Cleaner Production,
vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 1028–1038, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000424
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652606000424
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-33748258697&
partnerID=40&md5=31817bf3f29ff70c47eb5530bebc8ce7
[11] B. Karatzoglou, “An in-depth literature review of the evolving roles and
contributions of universities to Education for Sustainable Development,”
Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 49, pp. 44–53, 2013. (Online).
Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.07.043
[12] G. Zilahy, “Toward sustainability: The role of higher
education,” Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy,
vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1–2, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0023-6
[13] A. a. Martins, T. M. Mata, and C. a. V. Costa, “Education
for sustainability: Challenges and trends,” Clean Technologies and
Environmental Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 31–37, 2006. (Online).
Available: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0026-3
[14] D. Huisingh, “New challenges in education for sustainable
development,” Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy,
vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 3–8, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-006-0034-y
[15] D. Niu, D. Jiang, and F. Li, “Higher education for sustainable
development in China,” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 153–162, 2010. (Online). Available:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14676371011031874
[16] R. Mckeown, C. A. Hopkins, R. Rizzi, and M. Chrystallbridge, “Manual
de Educaci´on para el Desarrollo Sostenible,” no. 865, p. 178, 2002.
[17] D. Tilbury, “Rising to the Challenge: Education for Sustainability
in Australia,” Australian Journal of Environmental Education,
vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 103–114, 2004. (Online). Available:
http://www.aaee.org.au/docs/AJEE/Tilbury.pdf
[18] Q. Zhang, L. Vanasupa, J. R. Mihelcic, J. B. Zimmerman, and
S. Platukyte, “Challenges for integration of sustainability into
engineering education,” 2012 ASEE Annual Conference, pp. 1–10, 2012.
[19] F. S. Crofton, “Educating for sustainability: opportunities
in undergraduate engineering,” Journal of Cleaner
Production, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 397–405, 2000.
(Online). Available: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?
eid=2-s2.0-0033666076&partnerID=tZOtx3y1
[20] O. Vargas, “Responsabilidad social y derechos humanos,” 2007.
[21] A. Hanning, A. P. Abelsson, U. Lundqvist, and M. Svanstr¨om,
“Are we educating engineers for sustainability?: Comparison
between obtained competences and Swedish industry’s needs,”
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education,
vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 305–320, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14676371211242607
[22] K. Mulder, “Engineering education in sustainable development:
Sustainability as a tool to open up the windows of
engineering institutions,” Business Strategy and the Environment,
vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 275–285, 2004. (Online). Available:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.407/full
[23] J. Staniˇskis and V. Arbaciauskas, “Industrial ecology in university
curriculum: new M.Sc. Programme in Environmental Management
and Cleaner Production,” Clean Technologies and Environmental
Policy, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92–94, 2003. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-003-0183-1
[24] G. Thompson, “Status and Prospects of Sustainable Engineering
Education in Some American Universities,” Engineering Education in
Sustainable Development, no. 127, pp. 1–8, 2002.
[25] H. G. Cort´es-Mora and J. I. Pe˜na-Reyes, “De la sostenibilidad
a la sustentabilidad. Modelo de desarrollo sustentable para su
implementaci´on en pol´ıticas y proyectos,” EAN-Revista Escuela de
Administraci´on de Negocios, vol. 78, no. enero-junio, pp. 40–54, 2015.
[26] H. G. Cortes Mora and J. I. Pe˜na-Reyes, “Introduciendo la Educaci´on
para el Desarrollo Sustentable en el curso Taller de Proyectos
Interdisciplinarios de la Facultad de Ingenier´ıa de la Universidad
Nacional de Colombia.” in Encuentro Internacional de Educaci´on en
Ingenier´ıa, 2015, pp. 1–8.
[1] P. Vega and P. A´ lvarez, “Formacio´n de profesorado en Espan˜a
orientada a la sostenibilidad: implementaci´on y an´alisis de
una ’ecometodolog´ıa’,” European Journal of Teacher Education,
vol. 35, no. April 2013, pp. 37–41, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02619768.2011.643400
[2] J. Guti´errez-P´erez and F. J. Perales-Palacios, “Greening curriculum &
sustainability: New opportunities in the teachers professionalization.
Leading article (Ambientalizaci´on curricular y sostenibilidad. Nuevos
retos de profesionalizaci´on docente. Editorial),” Profesorado, vol. 16,
no. 2, pp. 5–14, 2012.
[3] P. Azc´arate, A. N. Salvador, E. Garc´ıa, A. Navarrete, E. Garc´ıa, A. N.
Salvador, E. Garc´ıa, A. Navarrete, and E. Garc´ıa, “Aproximaci´on al
nivel de inclusi´on de la sostenibilidad en los curricula universitarios,”
Profesorado, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 105–119, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4095356
[4] a. Vilches and D. P´erez, “La educaci´on para la sostenibilidad
en la Universidad: el reto de la formaci´on del profesorado,”
Profesorado, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 25–43, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.doredin.mec.es/documentos/00820123017470.pdf
[5] M. Svanstr¨om, U. Palme, M. K. Wedel, O. Carlson, T. Nystr¨om, and
M. Ed´en, “Embedding of ESD in engineering education: Experiences
from Chalmers University of Technology,” International Journal of
Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 279–292, 2012.
[6] K. Shephard, “Higher education for sustainability: seeking affective
learning outcomes,” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 87–98, 2008.
[7] P. Glaviˇc, “Sustainability engineering education,” Clean Technologies
and Environmental Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 24–30, 2006. (Online).
Available: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0025-4
[8] L. Velazquez, N. Munguia, A. Platt, and J. Taddei, “Sustainable
university: what can be the matter?” Journal of Cleaner Production,
vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 810–819, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000199
[9] E. Karol, “Using campus concerns about sustainability as an educational
opportunity: a case study in architectural design,” Journal of Cleaner
Production, vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 780–786, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000163
[10] M. Ju´arez-N´ajera, H. Dieleman, and S. Turpin-Marion, “Sustainability
in Mexican Higher Education: towards a new academic
and professional culture,” Journal of Cleaner Production,
vol. 14, no. 9-11, pp. 1028–1038, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652606000424
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652606000424
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-33748258697&
partnerID=40&md5=31817bf3f29ff70c47eb5530bebc8ce7
[11] B. Karatzoglou, “An in-depth literature review of the evolving roles and
contributions of universities to Education for Sustainable Development,”
Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 49, pp. 44–53, 2013. (Online).
Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.07.043
[12] G. Zilahy, “Toward sustainability: The role of higher
education,” Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy,
vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1–2, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0023-6
[13] A. a. Martins, T. M. Mata, and C. a. V. Costa, “Education
for sustainability: Challenges and trends,” Clean Technologies and
Environmental Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 31–37, 2006. (Online).
Available: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-005-0026-3
[14] D. Huisingh, “New challenges in education for sustainable
development,” Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy,
vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 3–8, 2006. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-006-0034-y
[15] D. Niu, D. Jiang, and F. Li, “Higher education for sustainable
development in China,” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher
Education, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 153–162, 2010. (Online). Available:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14676371011031874
[16] R. Mckeown, C. A. Hopkins, R. Rizzi, and M. Chrystallbridge, “Manual
de Educaci´on para el Desarrollo Sostenible,” no. 865, p. 178, 2002.
[17] D. Tilbury, “Rising to the Challenge: Education for Sustainability
in Australia,” Australian Journal of Environmental Education,
vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 103–114, 2004. (Online). Available:
http://www.aaee.org.au/docs/AJEE/Tilbury.pdf
[18] Q. Zhang, L. Vanasupa, J. R. Mihelcic, J. B. Zimmerman, and
S. Platukyte, “Challenges for integration of sustainability into
engineering education,” 2012 ASEE Annual Conference, pp. 1–10, 2012.
[19] F. S. Crofton, “Educating for sustainability: opportunities
in undergraduate engineering,” Journal of Cleaner
Production, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 397–405, 2000.
(Online). Available: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?
eid=2-s2.0-0033666076&partnerID=tZOtx3y1
[20] O. Vargas, “Responsabilidad social y derechos humanos,” 2007.
[21] A. Hanning, A. P. Abelsson, U. Lundqvist, and M. Svanstr¨om,
“Are we educating engineers for sustainability?: Comparison
between obtained competences and Swedish industry’s needs,”
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education,
vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 305–320, 2012. (Online). Available:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14676371211242607
[22] K. Mulder, “Engineering education in sustainable development:
Sustainability as a tool to open up the windows of
engineering institutions,” Business Strategy and the Environment,
vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 275–285, 2004. (Online). Available:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.407/full
[23] J. Staniˇskis and V. Arbaciauskas, “Industrial ecology in university
curriculum: new M.Sc. Programme in Environmental Management
and Cleaner Production,” Clean Technologies and Environmental
Policy, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 92–94, 2003. (Online). Available:
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10098-003-0183-1
[24] G. Thompson, “Status and Prospects of Sustainable Engineering
Education in Some American Universities,” Engineering Education in
Sustainable Development, no. 127, pp. 1–8, 2002.
[25] H. G. Cort´es-Mora and J. I. Pe˜na-Reyes, “De la sostenibilidad
a la sustentabilidad. Modelo de desarrollo sustentable para su
implementaci´on en pol´ıticas y proyectos,” EAN-Revista Escuela de
Administraci´on de Negocios, vol. 78, no. enero-junio, pp. 40–54, 2015.
[26] H. G. Cortes Mora and J. I. Pe˜na-Reyes, “Introduciendo la Educaci´on
para el Desarrollo Sustentable en el curso Taller de Proyectos
Interdisciplinarios de la Facultad de Ingenier´ıa de la Universidad
Nacional de Colombia.” in Encuentro Internacional de Educaci´on en
Ingenier´ıa, 2015, pp. 1–8.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:76791", author = "Hernán G. Cortés-Mora and José I. Péna-Reyes and Alfonso Herrera-Jiménez", title = "Education for Sustainability Using PBL on an Engineering Course at the National University of Colombia", abstract = "This article describes the implementation experience
of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in an engineering course of the
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, with the aim of strengthening
student skills necessary for the exercise of their profession under
a sustainability framework. Firstly, we present a literature review
on the education for sustainability field, emphasizing the skills
and knowledge areas required for its development, as well as
the commitment of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad
Nacional de Colombia, and other engineering faculties of the country,
regarding education for sustainability. This article covers the general
aspects of the course, describes how students team were formed, and
how their experience was during the first semester of 2017. During
this period two groups of students decided to develop their course
project aiming to solve a problem regarding a Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO) that works with head-of-household mothers in
a low-income neighborhood in Bogota (Colombia). Subsequently, we
show how sustainability is involved in the course, how tools are
provided to students, and how activities are developed as to strengthen
their abilities, which allows them to incorporate sustainability in their
projects while also working on the methodology used to develop said
projects. Finally, we introduce the results obtained by the students
who sent the prototypes of their projects to the community they were
working on and the conclusions reached by them regarding the course
experience.", keywords = "Sustainability, project based learning, engineering
education, higher education for sustainability.", volume = "11", number = "12", pages = "2799-8", }
