Developing socially responsible engineers through engineers without borders' engineering for people design challenge

Engineers can play a significant role in addressing the current and future global challenges, but such an approach will require innovative educational approaches to nurture the required competences. The Engineering for People Design Challenge (EfPDC) from Engineers with Borders (EWB) is one such innovative approach for engineers to develop a better understanding of sustainable development and their place as an engineer to impact positively on people and planet. EWB provide an annual design brief that requires students to develop human-centred solutions to a complex, community-based challenge. Whilst some evaluation of the adoption of this programme within engineering programmes exists, currently there is limited evaluation in the UK of the EfPDC. This research aims to determine what competences are developed, using the competency frameworks of UNESCO and EWB to structure the findings. Key findings highlight that a range of skills relevant to nurturing responsible engineers are developed through the EfPDC, including greater empathy for communities (end-users), ethical decision making and collaboration. Also, the UNESCO and EWB competency frameworks help to determine what is being developed already and provide a frame for how to enhance future deliveries.