Breaking down dualisms in engineering classrooms: how emotions can support engineering problem solving

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.