The Sustainability as Stewardship Framework: A Revision of the Engineering for One Planet Framework for an Existing Civil Engineering Program at a Christian Institution

David Brian Dittenber; Mackenzie Booth

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON) Technical Session 2 - Engineering for One Planet (EOP)
Tagged Division: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/48141

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Paper Authors

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David Brian Dittenber P.E. Cedarville University

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David Dittenber is an associate professor of civil engineering at Cedarville University, where he has served since 2020. Prior to joining the faculty at Cedarville, David taught at his alma mater, LeTourneau University, for seven years, serving as an associate professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering. He completed his master’s and doctoral graduate studies in civil engineering at West Virginia University. David believes that being a Christian and a civil engineer is an exciting pairing, as civil engineers get an opportunity to participate in God’s redemptive work on the earth and serve people by helping provide them with safe solutions to their most fundamental needs.

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biography

Mackenzie Booth Cedarville University

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Mackenzie Booth is an assistant professor of civil engineering at Cedarville University, where she has served since 2020. Prior to joining the faculty at Cedarville, Mackenzie completed a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering at Purdue University. She completed her undergraduate studies at LeTourneau University. Mackenzie believes environmental engineers are tasked with stewarding the world’s natural resources in sustainable ways, glorifying God, and advancing human and ecosystem health. She considers civil and environmental engineering as a space for Christians to meet the physical needs of our neighbors while showing Christ to the world.

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Abstract

The Sustainability as Stewardship (SaS) Framework has been developed as a heavy adaptation of the Engineering One Planet (EOP) Framework. The most significant adaptation is the restructuring of the framework around the core principle of “Sustainability as Stewardship,” aimed at better contextualizing the concepts of sustainable design for instruction at a religious institution, such as the one at which the authors teach. Additional adaptations also include simplifications of the categories and topics as well as a reduction in the number of targeted outcomes in order to better accommodate both ABET expectations and the incorporation of the framework into an existing engineering curriculum. In addition to adapting the SaS framework, the authors also developed a series of fourteen curriculum modules in order to integrate the framework throughout a civil engineering program’s curriculum, with each module consisting of a single class lecture and follow-up assignments. These modules are not intended to be the entirety of a sustainability-related education, but instead to provide instructors with a framework that can help relate, structure, and formalize all additional sustainability-related learning experiences students receive during the completion of their degree programs. The core principle and first module of the SaS framework is that producing sustainable engineering and technology solutions is a faithful application of the concept of stewarding well the resources God has given us as human beings and designers. Producing sustainable designs ultimately requires an understanding of how design decisions are interrelated with environmental, economic, and societal contexts as well as their impacts on all of society through the global context (modules 2-5, respectively). All of the first five curriculum modules are intended to be generally applicable to students from any engineering, computer science, or other technology design majors, and the design contexts defined in the framework align directly with the contexts described in the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission’s student outcomes 2 and 4. In addition to the general understanding of sustainability developed through these introductory modules, it is also critical that students learn to apply these concepts within their intended fields. Through the SaS Framework, students are introduced to the topics of systems thinking (implications of design), design (applications of design), and communication & teamwork (implementation of design) that are specific and relevant to their field of study. Several modules were developed for each of these topics relevant to the field of civil engineering as a part of this first application of the SaS framework. The framework and the curriculum modules have been completed and are being offered for the first time during the 2023-24 school year. At this point no formal assessment methods have been undertaken, so this paper will focus more on the development and structure of the framework and curriculum modules, in addition to including any anecdotal evidence collected from students and instructors during its initial implementation.

Citation
Format

Dittenber, D. B., & Booth, M. (2024, June), The Sustainability as Stewardship Framework: A Revision of the Engineering for One Planet Framework for an Existing Civil Engineering Program at a Christian Institution Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48141

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The Sustainability as Stewardship (SaS) Framework has been developed as a heavy adaptation of the Engineering One Planet (EOP) Framework. The most significant adaptation is the restructuring of the framework around the core principle of “Sustainability as Stewardship,” aimed at better contextualizing the concepts of sustainable design for instruction at a religious institution, such as the one at which the authors teach. Additional adaptations also include simplifications of the categories and topics as well as a reduction in the number of targeted outcomes in order to better accommodate both ABET expectations and the incorporation of the framework into an existing engineering curriculum. In addition to adapting the SaS framework, the authors also developed a series of fourteen curriculum modules in order to integrate the framework throughout a civil engineering program’s curriculum, with each module consisting of a single class lecture and follow-up assignments. These modules are not intended to be the entirety of a sustainability-related education, but instead to provide instructors with a framework that can help relate, structure, and formalize all additional sustainability-related learning experiences students receive during the completion of their degree programs.
The core principle and first module of the SaS framework is that producing sustainable engineering and technology solutions is a faithful application of the concept of stewarding well the resources God has given us as human beings and designers. Producing sustainable designs ultimately requires an understanding of how design decisions are interrelated with environmental, economic, and societal contexts as well as their impacts on all of society through the global context (modules 2-5, respectively). All of the first five curriculum modules are intended to be generally applicable to students from any engineering, computer science, or other technology design majors, and the design contexts defined in the framework align directly with the contexts described in the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission’s student outcomes 2 and 4. In addition to the general understanding of sustainability developed through these introductory modules, it is also critical that students learn to apply these concepts within their intended fields. Through the SaS Framework, students are introduced to the topics of systems thinking (implications of design), design (applications of design), and communication &amp;amp; teamwork (implementation of design) that are specific and relevant to their field of study. Several modules were developed for each of these topics relevant to the field of civil engineering as a part of this first application of the SaS framework.
The framework and the curriculum modules have been completed and are being offered for the first time during the 2023-24 school year. At this point no formal assessment methods have been undertaken, so this paper will focus more on the development and structure of the framework and curriculum modules, in addition to including any anecdotal evidence collected from students and instructors during its initial implementation.
AU  - David Brian Dittenber P.E.
AU  - Mackenzie Booth
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Sustainability as Stewardship Framework: A Revision of the Engineering for One Planet Framework for an Existing Civil Engineering Program at a Christian Institution
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/48141
ER  -