Towards a five stage framework for
embedding the global dimension
Course and faculty leaders who are convinced of the case to
embed the global dimension within the curriculum are
advised to
Stage 1: Develop their own understanding of the global
dimension of engineering by mapping the issues and skills
which have a global dimension (see table below) and which
are relevant to their courses and to map how these issues
and skills are currently address within the curriculum.
Stage 2: Understand how, by addressing these issues and
skills, many of the Engineering Council’s UK SPEC learning
outcomes are also addressed
Stage 3: Identify and prioritise opportunities to embed these
issues and skills within the curriculum as well as extra-curric-
ular activities. Develop and pilot new course material,
methodologies and approaches
Stage 4: Seek opportunities to link course components
together so that learning builds upon prior learning and so
that cross cutting themes such as ethics, business responsi-
bility and sustainability become integrated throughout.
Stage 5: Pilot, monitor and evaluate the course innovations
introduced and measure their effectiveness against course
learning outcomes. Ensure staff have adequate time to
monitor and evaluate course innovations and to reflect on
and share this learning with colleagues as well as investing
in additional professional development of teaching staff and
in course assessment and development if appropriate.
Stage 1: Mapping the key issues and skills which define the global dimension of engineering
Social
■ Poverty reduction
Enterprise solutions to poverty
Emerging business opportunities in developing
countries
Challenges of working in developing countries
Working in fragile, conflict and crisis prone
regions
Engaging marginalized and disadvantaged
groups
Engineering and humanitarian relief
■ Stakeholder analysis and dialogue and public engage-
ment
■ International politics and political analysis
■ Science and engineering in society and social impacts
of engineering
Environmental
■ Sustainable development
■ Climate change
■ Soilandwatermanagement
■ Flooding
■ Bio-diversity
■ Energy security and‘peak oil’
■ Barriers to sustainable development
■ Operation and maintenance
■ Recycling, waste management and resource optimisa-
tion
Professional and management skills
■ Contextual analysis (STEEP: social, technical, eco-
nomic, environment and political)
■ Needs assessment and feasibility studies
■ Design and project management skills
■ Systems thinking and systems engineering
■ Full life-cycle analysis
■ Communication skills
■ Team working skills
■ Critical thinking skills
■ Creativity and conception skills
■ Cultural sensitivity and adaptability
Business and enterprise skills
■ Business ethics: governance, human rights, trans-
parency, accountability and corruption
■ Corporate responsibility: social and environmental
impacts of business, impacts and trends of globaliza-
tion, ‘socially responsible investment’, fair and ethical
trade
■ Aligning shareholder and social value
■ Conflict sensitive business practice
■ Innovation and enterprise: emerging technologies
and their application to global challenges
■ Emerging ethical issues arising from emerging tech-
nologies
■ Emerging markets in low-carbon economy and
growth in developing country investment
Page 16 The Global Engineer