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Capacity building is a corner stone for having well prepared and effective teaching staff in engineering education. Despite the importance of capacity building in engineering education, there is relatively little research on this topic. In this paper, we address this gap by reporting on an international comparative study on capacity building practices in university-level engineering education. We examine how capacity building is organised in seven European institutions (in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, UK) and Australia, based on institutional education policies and practices. We compare the preparation of teaching staff, their initial training, and continuing capacity building activities throughout their careers. To do this, we applied a qualitative approach, collecting data through (1) a structured questionnaire answered by the members of the SEFI SIG on Capacity building and (2) written notes produced during an international workshop on capacity building at the 2021 SEFI conference. We then conducted a comparative case study, exploring similarities and differences between incentives for permanent academic staff to engage in capacity building, how capacity building is organised, and at what point in their careers staff engage in it. Our findings indicate very diverse approaches, rules and practices as well as different obstacles and challenges for engineering education. The outcomes of our study can be used by policy makers to inform capacity building practices and engineering education in HEIs (Higher Education Institutions), and our questionnaire provides a tool for monitoring and reporting practices throughout the sector.

Secondary schools need to develop students’ digital competence. In Sweden this requirement is included in governing documents for school subjects such as civic and history. However, the governing documents for science education in Sweden lack these requirements. This study aims to explore students’ reasoning about digital information retrieval in biology education. The research question is: How do secondary school students’ reason about filter bubbles and their use of search engines when searching for scientific knowledge online? The study employs mixed methods, including (1) a questionnaire with open-ended and multiple-choice questions, (2) written reflections (3) focus group discussions. Altogether 68 students participated in the data collection. The data collection methods were informed by Ribble's framework for digital citizenship and guided the abductive thematic data analysis. Theme 1: search results and science concepts. Students’ responses indicate a belief that search results are primarily influenced by the keywords used and the search history. Students argued that more serious, credible, and precise search results can be obtained if one uses correctly spelled keywords, appropriate science concepts and synonyms. Theme 2: filter bubbles and information overload. Students demonstrated a low level of awareness about how filter bubbles can influence search results and what consequences this may have for social life; rather than problematizing filter bubbles. These preliminary results indicate that the participating students demonstrate insufficient digital competence and under-developed online search practices when searching for biology-related knowledge online. More research is needed on how science teachers can help students develop the skills and attitudes they need to engage critically and constructively with the ever-increasing amount of science-related information online.

This special session aims to explore, discuss, and deconstruct different dualisms in engineering and engineering education. A broad range of dualisms, such as the rational/emotional, technical/social, and theoretical/practical have strongly influenced engineering education and practice since the 17th century. Engineering education researchers have for a long time raised concerns that these dualisms may deter engineers from taking environmental and social concerns into account when designing new technology, and that they may contribute to excluding certain groups of students from striving to become engineers. Still, the dualisms persist and continue to frustrate engineering educators' efforts to teach subjects such as human-centered design, holistic problem solving, and sustainability thinking. In this session, we will explore how these dualisms manifest in participants' classrooms and how they could be challenged. Specifically, participants will engage in collaborative discussions to explore the impacts of dualisms in engineering classrooms. The session will be of particular interest to engineering educators who wish to create more inclusive learning environments where students engage with holistic approaches to engineering.

Humour is a complex form of communication and engineering educators need to use it with care. This special session aims to explore, discuss, and deconstruct jokes, humour and laughter in engineering education, since humour can have both good and bad side effects in all forms of interaction. The goal of this session is to collectively reflect on positive and negative aspects of humour and how humour can work as an including element for some participants in the room, and excluding for others. We want to create thought-provoking discussions where we together consider areas for improvements on engineering education to make every student feel welcome.

Capacity building is a corner stone for having well prepared and effective teaching staff in engineering education. Despite the importance of capacity building in engineering education, there is relatively little research on this topic. In this paper, we address this gap by reporting on an international comparative study on capacity building practices in university-level engineering education. We examine how capacity building is organised in seven European institutions (in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, UK) and Australia, based on institutional education policies and practices. We compare the preparation of teaching staff, their initial training, and continuing capacity building activities throughout their careers. To do this, we applied a qualitative approach, collecting data through (1) a structured questionnaire answered by the members of the SEFI SIG on Capacity building and (2) written notes produced during an international workshop on capacity building at the 2021 SEFI conference. We then conducted a comparative case study, exploring similarities and differences between incentives for permanent academic staff to engage in capacity building, how capacity building is organised, and at what point in their careers staff engage in it. Our findings indicate very diverse approaches, rules and practices as well as different obstacles and challenges for engineering education. The outcomes of our study can be used by policy makers to inform capacity building practices and engineering education in HEIs (Higher Education Institutions), and our questionnaire provides a tool for monitoring and reporting practices throughout the sector.

The term ‘wicked problems’ is today widely used in the sustainability literature, but there is no consensus on its theoretical underpinnings or its utility for research. This paper reports on a mapping review of the wicked problems literature for which we analyzed a sample of 55 papers regarding 1. whether and how the term ‘wicked problems’ is used as a theoretical concept, 2. what meanings are associated with the concept, 3. what epistemological assumptions are stated, and 4. what rhetorical functions the concept performs. The results indicate that the concept is not always consistently applied as a theoretical concept; that authors ascribe many different meanings to the concept; that authors use diverse epistemological assumptions that are not always made explicit; and that the concept performs a wide range of rhetorical functions. The results provide a vocabulary that enables sustainability researchers to more clearly position their work in the dispersed wicked problems literature.

Högre utbildning ska integrera hållbarhetsperspektiv, men många lärare upplever att de inte har tillräcklig kompetens eller tillgång till lämpliga pedagogiska verktyg. Ett mycket användbart pedagogiskt verktyg för lärande för hållbar utveckling är så kallade wicked problems, problem som saknar ”rätta” lösningar och som karakteriseras av stor komplexitet, osäkerhet och värdekonflikter. Men för att kunna arbeta med wicked problems behöver lärare först ta fram lämpliga exempel och beskriva dessa för studenterna så att studenterna vet vad de ska arbeta med. För att underlätta för lärare att ta fram beskrivningar av wicked problems presenterar jag här åtta forskningsbaserade designprinciper och illustrerar dem med hjälp aven beskrivning av ett aktuellt problem: coronaviruspandemin. Med hjälp av dessa principer och konkreta exempel hoppas jag att fler lärare vågar ta fram egna problembeskrivningar och använda dem i sin undervisning för att på så sätt integrera hållbarhet i fler program och kurser i högre utbildning.

WORKSHOP AIMS: The aim of this workshop was three-fold: (1) to introduce participants to educational emotion research and the notion of “emotional scaffolding”, (2) to provide examples of emotional scaffolding, with a special focus on engineering education for sustainable development, and (3) to let participants collaboratively develop strategies for emotional scaffolding they can use in their own teaching.

In the recently started special interest group (SIG) on Capacity Building, we noticedthat teacher qualification requirements differ between countries and, sometimes,even between universities in the same country. Based on this observation, wearranged a workshop during the annual SEFI meeting in September 2021, askingparticipants for up-to-date information about requirements in their diverse nationaland institutional contexts and could learn about best practises from each other. Mostof participants were from Europe (11), but Australia (1) and the United States (1)were also represented.

Introduksjon, mål og problemstilling(er): Känslor spelar en viktig roll i lärande för hållbar utveckling och forskning i ämnet expanderar fort. Det mesta av forskningen har hittills studerat känslor ur ett individuellt och kognitivt perspektiv, som något individer upplever, kontrollerar och uttrycker. Men känslor uppstår inte bara i individers huvuden utan även i social interaktion. Känslor konstrueras, ges mening och värderas i samspel mellan människor. Känslor konstrueras också alltid i relation till normer och värderingar som råder i, till exempel, undervisningskontexten eller det omgivande samhället. Det här bidraget beskriver ett analytiskt ramverk, baserat på positionsteori, för att studera känslor i interaktion. Ramverket illustreras med resultat från en pilotstudie om hur ingenjörsstudenters diskuterar känslors roll i hanteringen av ett komplext hållbarhetsproblem. Teoretiske og metodologiske utgangspunkter: Positionsteori bygger på ett antagande om att människor, i interaktion, förhandlar om sina egna och andras rättigheter och skyldigheter i relation till varandra och till samhället. På det viset kombineras ett mikrofokus på social interaktion med ett makrofokus på normer och värderingar i organisationer eller samhället. En uppsättning rättigheter och skyldigheter benämns ”position” och människor positionerar både sig själva och varandra. Positioner utgör en av tre analysenheter i positionsteori. Den andra analysenheten utgörs av människors användning av språk och icke-verbal kommunikation i interaktionen (”communication acts”) samt kulturella narrativ som ger mening åt interaktionen (”storylines”). I utbildningsvetenskap kan positionsteori till exempel användas för att studera hur studenter och lärare tillskrivs möjligheter och skyldigheter att delta i lärandeaktiviteter eller hur de får använda och skapa olika former av kunskap. I det här bidraget fokuserar vi på hur ingenjörsstudenter tillskriver sig själva rättigheter och skyldigheter att ta hänsyn til

Emotions and power are closely intertwined. Critical and feminist scholars, such as Paulo Freire and Megan Boler, have convincingly argued that emotions are both a site of social control and a driving force for resistance against social injustice. On the one hand, these scholars have argued that liberal Western theory has created a dichotomy between reason and emotion, where emotion is described as inferior and a hinder to rational thought and politics. By ascribing emotionality to certain groups, gendered, racialized and class hierarchies have been created in which some groups (e.g. women, racial minorities, working class) have been excluded from political discourse and decision making. This divide is today particularly strong in engineering, where norms of rationality and unemotionality limit discussion and expression of emotions. On the other hand, scholars have argued that emotions are a prerequisite for both dialogue (e.g. trust, love, compassion) and attempts to changing unjust structures and practices (e.g. anger, courage, hope). Therefore, the ways in which we talk about, research, and leverage emotions matters for our work towards social justice. This issue is particularly relevant for engineering education research at this point in time since there is an emerging and rapidly growing body of research on emotions in engineering education. While this body of research is not yet consolidated, there should be a window of opportunity to influence in which directions the field develops and what types of questions become central. This workshop is an invitation to explore how we could stimulate research on emotions in engineering education that supports our work for social justice in and through engineering education. To avoid imposing yet another (my) Eurocentric perspective on emotions in engineering education, the discussion will be guided by participants’ own perspectives and interests. Examples of questions that could be discussed are: What emotion norms can, The (un)emotional engineer: Emotional positioning and scaffolding in teaching and learning about wicked sustainability problems

Background: Engineering is often portrayed as a purely rational discipline, where emotions are considered irrelevant to problem solving. Also, in-depth research on emotions in engineering education is scarce, and most of the existing studies take their theoretical departure in individual and cognitivist perspectives. There is thus a need for emotion research from social interactionist perspectives—such as positioning theory. Purpose: This methodological paper aims to (1) develop an analytical framework for studying emotions through positioning theory and multimodal analysis, (2) illustrate its use in engineering education research, and (3) discuss methodological issues and offer recommendations for this type of research in engineering education. Method: To develop the analytical framework, we engaged with philosophical and empirical literature on positioning theory and emotions, as well as empirical data from a pilot study on engineering students’ emotional positioning in individual, video-recorded interviews about a wicked sustainability problem. We illustrate the application of the framework and multimodal analysis using three extracts from that data. In line with positioning theory, the analysis focuses on how emotional moral orders are activated and negotiated. Three units of analysis are used: emotion acts, emotional storylines, and emotional positions. Results: The analysis shows how a dominant storyline of engineering as purely rational can be reconstructed, but also how a competing storyline of emotions as important for engineering can be constructed, sometimes simultaneously. These findings disrupt simplified narratives about engineers as unemotional and show that there are multiple ways of engaging with emotions in engineering problem solving. Conclusions: We conclude that positioning theory holds much potential for exploring a wide range of social interactional phenomena in engineering education. More research is needed to explore additional types, levels

Background: Research has shown that emotions profoundly affect teaching and learning in all disciplines and at all levels of education. Emotions may be particularly important in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) due the seriousness and complexity of sustainability concerns and the presence of conflicting norms and values (Lönngren, Adawi, & Svanström, 2019; Ojala, 2015). For example, emotions may motivate students and teachers to engage in discussions about controversial topics (such as climate change) and guide judgment and decision-making in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity. However, they may also lead to denial of uncomfortable knowledge (Bossér & Lindahl, 2019; Ojala, 2013). Despite the importance of emotions in ESE, research on this topic is only emerging at this point. In addition, most of the existing research focuses on emotions as individual and private phenomena (Zembylas, 2007), such as hope or individual emotional regulation. However, research also suggests that expressing emotions in social contexts may play an important role in ESE. Emotions are closely related to personal values and explicating personal values is important in ESE (Ojala, 2013). An interesting theoretical concept for exploring emotions in ESE as social and relational phenomena is “emotional scaffolding” (also called affective scaffolding), which refers to pedagogical support teachers provide to influence students’ emotions in order to improve learning (Rosiek, 2003). While emotional scaffolding has been used previously (Park, 2016; van de Pol, Volman, & Beishuizen, 2010), we argue that it is conceptualized in a narrow way and remains under-theorized. Specifically, the current definition of emotional scaffolding seems to be based on a narrow empirical context or a narrow set of identified discursive practices, and it ignores recent theory and research on emotions in education. In this theoretical contribution, we draw on a nascent body of research on em

Technological advancements profoundly influence society and impact people’s lives globally. Engineering students therefore must learn how to take ethical responsibility for the societal impacts of technology. Many engineering instructors are highly engaged in, and committed to, teaching ethics in their classrooms. However, research suggests that many students still graduate with the impression that ethics is not an important part of their education and doesn’t concern them as future engineers. I wanted to understand why and how that occurs. I conducted an in-depth study in a general introductory course for first-year engineering students in Sweden. The course covered ethics as well as design methodology, group and project work, and engineering as a profession. According to the course description, the ethics instruction in the course aimed to develop the students’ ability to discuss moral and ethical concerns that may arise in their professional work. Students attended a lecture highlighting two professional codes of ethics and participated in discussions of fictitious ethics cases in small groups and from perspectives such as those of employees or customers. At the end of the lecture, they were assigned a reflective essay in which they had to identify an ethical dilemma they could expect to encounter in their future professional life, apply at least one of the professional codes, and discuss how they would act. I followed the students to most of their classes and observed group work sessions. I also conducted interviews with students and teachers and collected course documents and student work. In analyzing the data, I focused on how instructors and students talked about ethics in relation to other topics in the course, the engineering degree, and the engineering profession. For my analysis, I created a mind map of positive (aligning) and negative (distancing) relations. The results illustrate how ethics may be viewed as unimportant in the culture of engineering edu, Published in the popular science journal "PRISM", February 2021

The aim of this special session is to connect researchers interested in computing and engineering education for sustainability. We will explore the use of care and care ethics as a theoretical perspective to develop sustainability education. Theoretical discussions in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) research and feminist research will be introduced to develop an understanding of care for education. Those theories will be illustrated and motivated based on concrete examples in computing and computing education. The participants get to choose among four different topics of discussion in the session, 1) the role of education to prepare for care, 2) theoretical discussions of care as a concept to develop education and education research, 3) pedagogical methods to foster care, 4) care and responsibility in the curriculum. The outcome of this session is two-fold: The participants will gain new ways of conceiving education for human and planetary well-being and they will get to know researchers and educational developers with an interest in and experiences with sustainability education.

This Work-in-Progress research paper describes the results from a pilot study that aims to explore the role of emotions in engineering students’ discussions about a wicked sustainability problem, i.e. a problem that is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty and ambiguity and for which it is not possible to develop a perfect solution. There is strong evidence from educational research that emotions are important for learning at all levels of education and particularly in education related to sustainability and wicked problems. At the same time, dominant discourses and stereotypes in engineering and engineering education construct engineering as purely rational and unemotional. In this study, we explore how engineering students re-construct—but also challenge—this dominant discourse in interviews about a wicked problem. We use discourse analytic tools from positioning theory to analyze how the students construct and negotiate emotional subject positions for themselves and others. The results provide illustrative examples of how emotional positioning can strengthen and/or challenge the dominant discourse: examples from the dominant discourse illustrate how students position emotions as irrelevant or even detrimental for engineering work, while examples from the counter-discourse illustrate how students sometimes construct emotions as part of what it means to be an engineer and as important for engineering work.