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The WEEF and GEDC 2023 gathering was held at the Tecnologico de Monterrey Campus in Monterrey, Mexico. It comprised multiple presentations and the attendance of participants from different institutions worldwide, all from Engineering areas. This prestigious international event brings together engineering experts in education to promote dialogues on relevant industry topics, discussing current trends, challenges, and good practices.
During the three-day event, several workshops brought together deans of various engineering schools at multiple discussion tables. There, they had the opportunity to engage in intriguing conversations, share personal experiences and numerous points of view, and provide valuable knowledge for all participants.
Integrating transdisciplinarity in Engineering curricula was one of the central topics presented in one of these workshops. It emphasized the importance of students transcending their areas of study, necessary for a globalized, interconnected world. Metacognition, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking skills may seem irrelevant to engineering students; moreover, they are now imperative in their study plans to ensure their comprehensive development as professionals.
Despite being mainly associated with humanities careers, communication skills are required in all profiles. Humans are social beings who, in addition to communicating with loved ones and trusted people in their usual environments, must also learn to interact with individuals outside their social circles to correctly express their thoughts to people in different cultural contexts and areas of study. This involves effective teamwork and exchanging ideas to develop optimal solutions beneficial to society.
A transdisciplinary education benefits both academia and industry as a whole. This approach prepares students for their future reality in the professional fields because it provides a broad panorama where the limits of knowledge expand and inspire diverse perspectives. It also helps them develop communication tools to communicate with related areas or the general public, efficiently delivering their messages.
During the event, the deans listed essential skills to include in the various engineering curricula. These include:
- Social responsibility.
- Global and political comprehension and discernment.
- Cultural competencies and humility.
- Holistic well-being.
However, incorporating these subjects into the curricula can be challenging. Despite the transdisciplinary advantages for students, the participants discussed the challenges of integrating different subjects into the engineering curriculum. They pointed out that the primary disciplinary focus may be weakened as new subjects are taught, possibly diminishing the expertise of the student body by devoting less time to specialized subjects.
The saturation of new academic content can damage students’ emotional well-being, leading to fatigue and a lack of educational and personal balance. Some students may also become disinterested and unmotivated when learning topics and concepts outside their careers.
Consolidating a holistic approach isn’t easy; it requires the support of multiple specialists from different faculties to generate a strategy that incorporates the core subjects in each specialty with the various disciplines that strengthen the student experience. However, a good balance of transdisciplinary areas will enrich the training of future professionals.
Beyond engineering, training students with a transdisciplinary vision will help future professionals cultivate a broader humanistic perspective. This will enable them to confront societal challenges sustainably and creatively while strengthening their integral well-being.
We invite you to download the most recent IFE Insights report, Teaching Engineering Training in the 21st Century: Four Key Themes. This report delves into this topic and many others and recapitulates what was experienced at the WEEF GEDC 2023 Congress. Learn about emerging educational practices in engineering!
Translated by Daniel Wetta
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
