INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY IN ACADEMIC CDIO SUBJECTS: A REVIEW AFTER THREE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Abstract

We present in this study the results and reflections about the implementation of a specific teaching-learning methodology that has been designed to incorporate sustainability aspects in “INGENIA” projects. These 12 ECTS-compulsory subjects are taught following the CDIO standards, according to which the students must develop a somehow innovative product or service from the conception and design to the implementation and operation. After three academic periods, the study discusses how our strategy has been quite satisfactory for students to strengthen their competences related to sustainability. Results firstly show that the students value positively the experience, having gained a greater awareness on sustainability issues and expanded its vision on the complexity of engineering activity. Secondly, from the point of view of the instructors, the designed methodology successfully meets the objectives previously defined. Thirdly, some difficulties encountered during the action-research period have led to the implementation to some modifications in the methodology, mainly oriented to a better adaptation to very different and heterogeneous projects. In conclusion, it is highlighted that the integration of sustainability in CDIO subjects is a complex task, which needs to overcome some difficulties, those specifically related to the intrinsic particularities of the development of each project and the coordination of multidisciplinary teams of professors.