Engineering Skills and Global Issues: Engaging in engineering develops problem-solving abilities, adaptable to addressing global challenges by analyzing diverse perspectives and creating inventive solutions.
Sustainability and Environmental Awareness: Learning about eco-friendly design aligns with global citizenship's focus on the environment. Understanding worldwide issues like climate change fosters a sense of responsibility.
Ethical Considerations: Engineering can encourage discussions surrounding ethics in design. Through these class discussions, students can explore fairness, justice, and human rights disparities on a global scale.
Communication and Collaboration: Engineering teamwork reflects global collaboration's importance.
Cultural Awareness and Diversity: Engineering exposes students to various cultures and design knowledge, supporting global citizenship's value of understanding and respecting diversity.
Social Impact and Responsibility: Engineering's real-world effects on society prepare students to responsibly tackle global challenges, contributing positively to the world.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Creative engineering aligns with global citizenship's call for innovative solutions, promoting proactive engagement and entrepreneurship.
Connecting these Junior Cycle Engineering outcomes to Global Citizenship Education fosters students' holistic understanding of their role in a globally interconnected society, encouraging critical, empathetic, and responsible contributions.
Sustainability and Ethics:
- Identify and analyze the environmental impact of engineering design decisions.
- Apply sustainable design principles to create solutions that minimize negative effects on the environment.
Global Context and Diversity:
- Explore how engineering solutions can vary based on cultural, geographic, and social contexts.
- Recognize the contributions of diverse cultures to engineering and technology.
Innovation and Problem Solving:
- Collaborate with peers to address complex challenges, considering multiple viewpoints.
- Analyze and iterate on design solutions based on feedback and real-world constraints.
Communication and Collaboration:
- Communicate engineering ideas effectively through presentations, reports, and discussions.
- Collaborate in team settings to achieve common engineering goals.
Social Responsibility and Impact:
- Evaluate the social impact of engineering projects on local and global communities.
- Reflect on personal responsibility in contributing to a more equitable and just world.
Critical Thinking and Decision Making:
- Assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of different engineering solutions.
- Make informed decisions that consider short-term and long-term consequences.
Civic Engagement and Action:
- Identify global challenges that can be addressed through engineering and technology.
- Participate in projects that have a positive impact on local and global communities.
In this strand:
Students apply their knowledge of materials and processes to manufacture and design products.
Students develop an engineering mind-set and are encouraged to appreciate engineering principles and processes.
These elements lead students to be creative and efficient in designing engineering solutions to a high quality and finish.
GCE: By applying their knowledge of materials and processes to manufacture and design products, students can develop problem-solving skills that can be applied to real-world challenges. This can involve factors such as resource efficiency and the impact of engineering solutions on different communities.
In this strand:
Students learn about the importance of knowing the economic and social impact of the products that they manufacture have on todays world.
Students discover how an informed choice of materials and the use of correct manufacturing processes produces a solution that is efficient and environmentally conscious.
GCE: Understanding the economic and social impact of the products students manufacture is essential for global citizenship education. In this strand, students develop an environmentally conscious mindset as they learn the importance of sustainable design, responsible consumption, and the social implications of their engineering decisions.
In this strand:
Students develop an appreciation of how control systems operate on a large scale, and how considerate design of control systems can impact positively on the environment and sustainability.
They appreciate the role that engineers have in employing 'system thinking' to design products and services that contribute to a better future.
GCE: Students explore how mechatronics can contribute to sustainable development and environmental conservation. By appreciating the role of engineers in employing systems thinking, students can learn how to design products and services that address global challenges such as climate change, energy efficiency, and the protection of natural resources.
Two Classroom-Based Assessments:
Engineering in Action CBA1
Research and Development CBA2
Both of these assessment methods encourage students to:
Communicate clearly and effectively
Collaborate with others on tasks
Actively engage in a practical and authentic learning experience that allows them to, individually or collaboratively, explore the applications of engineering in the world around them.
CGE: The idea of learning alongside practical experiences.