Session: DFMLC-05-01: Special Session: Design Tool Showcase & Design for Manufacturing and the Life Cycle in response to COVID-19

Paper Number: 70322

Start Time: August 19, 11:10 AM

70322 - Økoengineer: A Web-Based Game Platform for Guided Discovery-Based Sustainability Learning in Engineering Curricula 

A growing body of academic research and educational institutions are recognizing the need to incorporate sustainability learning into fundamental engineering courses. Furthermore, the recent COVID-19 global pandemic has created a sudden need to augment traditional lecture-based teaching with effective web-based learning platforms. In light of these challenges the engineering education community needs to place a greater focus on designing and testing interactive, information technology-based tools for sustainability learning. This design tool showcase will present Økoengineer: a web-based game platform that supports guided discovery-based learning of sustainability concepts in engineering curricula. Økoengineer is designed to familiarize engineering students with  sustainability concepts and provide them with an understanding of how sustainability can be considered in the engineering design process. Therefore, Økoengineer hosts a collection of  open-ended design tasks in multiple engineering disciplines. Students can solve these tasks iteratively and receive guidance through a combination of pre-recorded lectures on sustainability concepts and discussions with domain experts. Økoengineer also aims to increase students’ learning outcomes through the use of gamified elements, including high-score leaderboards, formative feedback & peer discussions, and rewarding achievements through virtual collectible badges. The Økoengineer platform is architected for scalability and allows course instructors to easily add new learning materials and design tasks.

Presenting Author: Haitham Abughaida Aarhus University

Authors:

Haitham Abughaida Aarhus University
Serena Leka Aarhus University
Kamila Kunrath Aarhus University
Rune Thostrup Aarhus University
Devarajan Ramanujan Aarhus University