Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 622 de 957
Engineering as a Caring and Empathetic Discipline: Conceptualizations and
Comparisons
Johannes Strobel, Carrie Wachter Morris, Lisa Klingler, Rui (Celia) Celia Pan, Melissa
Dyehouse
jstrobel@purdue.edu , cwachter@purdue.edu , lklingle@purdue.edu , panr@purdue.edu ,
mdyehous@purdue.edu
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
United States of America
Nicole Weber
nweber@lesley.edu
Lesley University, Boston, MA
United States of America
Abstract: Community concerns and habits of mind like systems thinking,
collaboration and communication are core attributes of engineers. Two traits,
which underscore many of these ideal attributes, are empathy and care. While
engineering as a field is just recognizing these attributes, other disciplines have
mastered the integration of empathy and care into their regular curricula. The
purpose of this study was to research how empathy and care are conceptualized
in engineering and other disciplines and how it is incorporated into the
curriculum. Results demonstrate variance and provide insights for practice.
Introduction
A study of public perceptions of engineering revealed that “engineers are not perceived to
be as engaged with societal and community concerns or to play as great a role in saving
lives” (NAE, 2008, p17-18) as scientists. In psychological terms, engineering is often
perceived as object-oriented rather than people-oriented (Malcom, 2008). Many students
who are interested in careers that are related to helping people may not pursue an
engineering-related degree in the future or transfer to a program that is thought to be
more oriented towards working for a social good (Borrego, Padilla, Guili, Ohland, &
Anderson, 2005).
Recognizing the changing roles and functions of engineers, organizations such as the US
National Academy of Engineering have emphasized the need to promote engineering
“habits of mind”, which include systems thinking, creativity, optimism, collaboration,
communication, and attention to ethical considerations (NAE, 2009). Two traits that
underscore many of the attributes ideal for the “engineer of 2020” are empathy and caring
(defined in next section). Being able to understand the experience of others – a widely
accepted definition of empathy (see Berger, 1987) and helping others to grow in their
unique ways and pace (definition of care: see Mayeroff, 1965; 1971) are vital to
understanding problems, designing solutions, effective communication, multicultural
competency, and relationshipbuilding. While engineering as a field is just recognizing
these attributes, other disciplines and fields have mastered the integration of teaching of
empathy and caring into their regular curricula. Engineering as a field, and engineering
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011