Embedding human and social aspects in engineering education

Given the impact of engineering on society, it is crucial that engineering graduates have an appreciation of the social aspects of the profession and an understanding of the social implications of engineering practice. However, the socio-technical integration in engineering education has proven challenging and it is still a matter of concern. The goal of this paper is to present research evidence on the ways in which the human and social aspects of the engineering profession are understood, embedded, and evaluated in professional engineering curricula. We provide recommendations supported by a systematic review of published research, as a baseline to inform future developments and to encourage further research on pedagogical approaches for and assessment methods on human and social competencies relevant to the engineering profession. We argue also that a social ontology of engineering is needed to effectively embed societal aspects of engineering practice in higher education engineering curricula.