An Integrated Approach to Sustainability-focused Instruction in Undergraduate Engineering Curricula

In this paper, an integrated approach to sustainability-focused instruction in undergraduate engineering curricula has been presented. Teaching sustainability-focused contents currently stands as a demand for the present world. Therefore, the field of engineering education needs to address this for the betterment of future generations of humankind. Several sustainability-focused instruction models that could potentially be incorporated within engineering curricula have been discussed in this paper. Case studies from the current undergraduate engineering curricula, particularly in the general education (Gen Ed), electrical engineering (EE) and electrical engineering technology (EET) programs at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Green Bay, USA, have been presented. The paper also includes an overview of opportunities and challenges of including sustainability-focused instruction in undergraduate engineering curricula. While it is acknowledged that the concept of sustainability is quite broad, interdisciplinary, and, therefore, may have discipline-specific scenarios and requirements, it is strongly believed that the instructional approaches presented in this paper should be helpful in designing similar sustainability-focused learning materials at other academic institutions within and beyond undergraduate engineering curricula.