Intercultural engineering online: Getting humanitarian engineering on the agenda

Abstract

Engineers and technologists are essential to solving many of the planet's most pressing problems; among them: clean water, sanitation, access to energy, carbon reduction, built infrastructure, disaster relief, transportation, and sustainable agriculture. These issues are headlines in the domain referred to as “humanitarian engineering”. Yet, despite the urgency, the majority of engineers do not spend their careers solving the problems where need is greatest. In what ways can young engineers be drawn towards working on the critical challenges being faced by so many people worldwide? By what means can a feeling of professional responsibility or duty be inculcated? How can the goals of humanitarian engineering be linked to young engineers' views of their own careers? This paper reviews one effort to address these questions by way of an online course linking questions of cultural dimensions, multicultural teams, and intercultural communication to humanitarian engineering, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and engineers' social responsibility. Pre- and post-assessments reveal several statistically significant trends that suggest the online course, entitled “Intercultural Engineering,” has some efficacy in shifting students' perspectives. As such, it appears to be a useful tool in supporting SDG 17, which seeks to revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development through shared values, visions, and goals.