Humanitarian Engineering Design for Health Challenges: An Inter-faculty Service Based Learning Model

Abstract

The study introduces and evaluates a unique inter-faculty service learning course as a pedagogical model that enhances students’ learning and knowledge of health problems and associated engineering intervention design for populations affected by protracted crises. Background: With an increase in humanitarian protracted crises around the world, due to conflict and natural disasters, we are in dire need to reinvent how we educate, train, and conduct research in these environments. Engineering and Health Sciences disciplines, individually and collectively, have been working to fill the gaps and address pressing public health issues. However, courses merging those disciplines and focusing on emerging humanitarian challenges have been limited. To meet this need, and to expose the complexity of refugee health and well-being, the Humanitarian Engineering course “Design of Engineering Solutions for Health Challenges in Crisis” was launched in July 2017. Intended outcomes: The contribution is a set of elements that can serve as a foundation for developing an inter-faculty service learning course model through which students acquire skills in design thinking, interdisciplinary approaches, and contextualized innovation. Application design: Through a literature review and iterative course development process, the different components of the course model were developed and assessed to ensure students accomplished learning outcomes and professional skills. Findings: The study recommends a set of five elements that could be used as a foundation for developing an inter-faculty service learning model. Those include: modular learning, intermittent session types, participatory active learning, intensive learning, and teamwork.