Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Shaw, C. B., Go ende , S., Kloo , B., Ka assellos, L., &
Padayachee, P. (2025). Implica ions o he Socio echnical Tu n in Enginee ing
Cu icula o Tu o ing P ac ices, he Tu o Role and Tu o T aining. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631674.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE SOCIOTECHNICAL TURN IN ENGINEERING
EDUCATION FOR TUTORING PRACTICES, TUTOR IDENTITIES AND
TUTOR TRAINING
C Shaw a,1, Shanali Go ende b, B uce Kloo c, L Ka assellos d,
P Padayacheee
a Enginee ing and he Buil En i onmen , Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape
Town, Sou h A ica, 0000-0002-9868-277X
bCen e o Highe Educa ion De elopmen , Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town,
Sou h A ica, 0000-0002-9414-9476
c Enginee ing and he Buil En i onmen , Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape
Town, Sou h A ica, 0000-0001-8644-3248
d Cen e o Highe Educa ion De elopmen , Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town,
Sou h A ica, 0000-0001-9943-4391
e Cen e o Highe Educa ion De elopmen , Uni e si y o Cape Town,
Cape Town, Sou h A ica, 0000-0001-9966-8171
Con e ence Key A eas: Dialogue be ween enginee ing and socie y – e ec s on
educa ion; Building he capaci y and s eng hening he educa ional compe ences o
enginee ing educa o s.
Keywo ds: Tu o De elopmen ; Socio- echnical Enginee ing Educa ion, In e disciplina y
Lea ning, Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy.
ABSTRACT
Enginee ing educa ion has adi ionally ocused on con en mas e y, p oblem-sol ing
echniques, and applied echnical skills. In ligh o his, u o ial sessions ha e been
posi ioned as si es o concep ual and echnical consolida ion, aming u o s as
disciplina y expe s wi h u o aining ending o assume concep ual knowledge and
p oblem-sol ing skill and ocusing basic g oup managemen and adminis a i e
p ocesses. Howe e , ecen shi s in enginee ing educa ion - he socio echnical u n -
challenge hese con en ional assump ions. This pape explo es how a cou se,
‘Enginee in Socie y’, which ocuses on he poli ical, en i onmen al and social con ex
o enginee ing ac i i y, o e s a esh pe spec i e on changing u o ing p ac ices. We
es ablished a esea ch collec i e, b inging oge he pe spec i e and in e iew da a
om discipline-based lec u e s and da a om an ins i u ional u o de elopmen
p og amme (TDP) o explo e how shi s owa ds socio echnical enginee ing educa ion
ans o m u o ing p ac ices, and wha he implica ions o his a e o u o iden i ies
and de elopmen . In eg a ing a collabo a i e au oe hnog aphic app oach and collec i e
me hod app oach, we ound changes in u o ing p ac ices, including u o ec ui men ,
1 C Shaw
co inne.shaw@uc .ac.za
pedagogic p ac ices in u o ials, and u o ial assessmen s, combined wi h changing
s uden pe cep ions had implica ions o u o s’ iden i ies. Ou indings highligh he
ensions in u o iden i y and e eal gaps in con en ional u o aining in enginee ing.
The indings om his case sugges ha in esponse o he socio echnical u n in
enginee ing educa ion, u o ing p ac ices such as ec ui men mus change and u o
de elopmen mus ex end beyond echnical p o iciency o encompass pedagogical
skills, in e disciplina y communica ion, eedback li e acy, and socio-emo ional suppo .
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The socio echnical u n in enginee ing cu icula and cou ses
Ma in and Polmea (2023) desc ibe enginee ing cul u e as "buil on depoli iciza ion
and echnical p io i iza ion" (p.134). Ye he e is inc easing p essu e o include non-
echnical knowledge and compe encies in unde g adua e enginee ing cu icula o
be e p epa e g adua es o na iga e mul i ace ed eal-wo ld p oblems and con ibu e
o socie y. These e o s ha e e ol ed o e decades (e.g. Allie e al., 2009), d i en
la gely by acc edi a ion bodies such as he Enginee ing Council o Sou h A ica
(ECSA) and he In e na ional Enginee ing Alliance (IEA). 'Non- echnical' cu icula
con en includes ans-and in e disciplina y knowledge a eas, such as sus ainabili y,
e hics, and p o essional communica ion.
In Sou h A ica, ECSA equi es ha s uden s in acc edi ed enginee ing p og ams mee
ele en G adua e A ibu es (GAs) ocused on sol ing complex p oblems, wi h some
speci ying socio- echnical aspec s e lec ing he e ol ing demands o he enginee ing
p o ession. Fo example, GA7 e e s o he enginee and he wo ld; GA8 e e s o
indi idual and collabo a i e eamwo k; and GA10 e e s o enginee ing
p o essionalism and includes p o essional e hics. The in eg a ion o socio echnical
hinking in enginee ing educa ion encou ages s uden s o conside he in e play
be ween social and echnical ac o s as bo h enginee ing s uden s and u u e
p o essionals. This holis ic app oach is essen ial o add essing complex enginee ing
challenges wi h signi ican socie al impac s and unde s anding e hical, en i onmen al,
and economic implica ions o enginee ing decisions.
Howe e , socio echnical in eg a ion is a complex ask (Ch is ensen & E nø-Kjølhede;
And ade & Tomblin, 2018) wi h mul iple in e p e a ions in o ming aming and
applica ion wi hin cu icula (Ming, e .al., 2025). Decisions ega ding socio- echnical
enginee ing cu iculum ha e implica ions o all in ol ed in he eaching and lea ning
p ocess.
1.2 Tu o ing, u o ials and u o de elopmen : A ocus on u o ing in
enginee ing
In ela ion o Sou h A ican highe educa ion, u o ing is o en esea ched in ela ion o
he impe a i e o widen access o educa ion, o suppo equi able access o and
ou comes om highe educa ion o a di e se coho o s uden s. The u o ial sys em is
posi ioned as a esponse o la ge class sizes in esou ce-cons ained en i onmen s,
concomi an ly high s uden -s a a ios, and he challenge o esponsi e lea ning
demands (Ayaya, 2015; Pa he e al., 2020; Hassan, 2022). Tu o s’ oles ha e
ypically included a knowledge ole, a social ole and an o ganisa ional ole (Be ge,
1995).
In con as , enginee ing educa ion has adi ionally emphasized con en mas e y,
p oblem- sol ing echniques, and applied echnical skills, wi h u o ial sessions se ing
p ima ily as spaces o echnical consolida ion led by u o s as con en guides.
Consequen ly, u o aining has ocused on enhancing subjec knowledge, basic
acili a ion, and p oblem-sol ing echniques a he han os e ing b oade lea ning
acili a ion. Howe e , ecen shi s in enginee ing educa ion—d i en by an inc eased
emphasis on in e disciplina y, collabo a i e, and e lec i e lea ning— challenge hese
con en ional assump ions.
In addi ion, as access o highe educa ion has g own and unding becomes mo e
limi ed, u o s ha e inc easingly been used o suppo s uden lea ning and h oughpu
(Cla ence, 2016). Mo e ecen esea ch a gues ha u o oles may include acili a ing
s uden lea ning (Ve s eld e al, 2025), con eying echnical expe ise o disciplina y
knowledge (Balles e os e al, 2021), o e ing psychosocial suppo (Chadha e al,
2021) and modelling posi i e s uden ou comes (Da Re e al, 2023; B own & Poo ,
2010).
1.3 Resea ch ocus
This pape explo es how a cou se, ‘Enginee in Socie y’, o e s a si e o he
explo a ion o how shi ing u o ing p ac ices in luence u o iden i ies and, he
implica ions o his o u o aining and de elopmen . To achie e his, we b ough
oge he wo g oups o s a – disciplina y lec u e s and s a om an ins i u ional u o
de elopmen p og amme (TDP) o e lec on u o ing p ac ices and u o oles and
iden i ies. Inspi ed by collabo a i e au oe hnog aphic and collec i e me hod
app oaches, we explo e changing u o ing p ac ices by compa ing u o ing p ac ices in
he cou se o u o p ac ices and expe iences in he b oade acul y con ex . This s udy
asks he ollowing esea ch ques ion:
How do shi s owa ds socio echnical enginee ing educa ion in luence
u o ing p ac ice, and wha a e he implica ions o his o u o iden i ies
and u o aining and de elopmen ?
This wo k con ibu es o ongoing discussions on he ole o u o ing and he
de elopmen o u o s wi hin enginee ing educa ion and he b oade highe educa ion
landscape.
1.4 Desc ip ion o he cou se
‘Enginee in Socie y’ is a whole-yea co e cou se o e ed a hi d-yea le el in he
Depa men o Mechanical Enginee ing. The con en o he cou se is designa ed as
‘complemen a y s udies’ acco ding o he ECSA amewo k. The name o he cou se is
aken om a seminal book on he opic (Mills, 1948) and is based on he idea o he
enginee ‘looking ou wa d’ o socie y o conside ou in e linked ace s: human
socie y, he biophysical en i onmen , economic sys ems, and poli ical s uc u es.
Al hough he cou se deals wi h hese ou ace s sequen ially, i con inuously
emphasises he ela ionships be ween hem, and ele ance o enginee ing.
In o de o s imula e s uden e lec ion on he deepe signi icance o he ole o
enginee ing in ela ion o he a ious ace s o socie y, some loaded and p o oca i e
opics a e chosen. The in en ion is o highligh he messiness o social knowledge and
o ensu e ha s uden s ealise ha he e a e di e en pe spec i es on he complex
opics aised – ha he e is no single ‘ igh answe ’, as s uden s o en expec in
echnical subjec s. Fo example, s uden s a e shown some o he g ea es enginee ing
achie emen s unde apa heid (SAIMechE, 1993) and in he ollowing lec u e how
some o hese achie emen s suppo ed he apa heid s a e. S uden s a e hen asked
whe he hey hink enginee s in Sou h A ica ha e ‘blood on hei hands’ o hei ole
unde apa heid (see Shaw & Kloo , 2024). Ano he example is he opic o clima e
change which is app oached using he amewo k o Hulme’s (2009) book ‘Why we
disag ee abou Clima e Change’. In aking his app oach, he cou se p o ides coun e
na a i es o dominan mains eam pe spec i es and d aws on sophis ica ed, c i ical
s uden pe spec i es (Shaw & Kloo , 2023). A hi d example is a opic ha , a he ime
o w i ing, is being p epa ed and will be p esen ed by one o he u o s. En i led
‘Technopoli ics and he nuclea age’, i conside s how he enginee ing behind nuclea
ene gy and nuclea weapons in e sec s wi h poli ical s uc u es in he pos -Cold Wa
e a.
I can be challenging o s uden s o g asp wha is being equi ed in he cou se, gi en
ha hey a e accus omed o sol ing p oblems om a gi en se o equa ions,
o mula ing a echnical designs and/o memo ising con en o ecall. The u o s
p o ide impo an suppo o s uden s as hey g apple wi h new ways o hinking,
cons uc ing a gumen s and app ecia ing di e en pe spec i es, including hose wi h
which hey migh disag ee. As desc ibed below, his o en akes shape as s uden s
w i e essays and ecei e, p ocess and in eg a e c i ical (in bo h senses) eedback
p o ided by he u o s.
2 METHODOLOGY
This pape d aws on he p ac ices o collec i e esea ch (Pa dee, e .al.,2018) by
cons i u ing a esea ch collec i e, b inging oge he wo ela ed by sepa a e da a se s,
and analysing hese h ough a p ocess o discussion and w i en e lec ion.
2.1 Es ablishing a esea ch collec i e
Two o he au ho s b ough he connec ion o a cou se in Mechanical Enginee ing and
a hi d au ho o e ed a connec ion o he Tu o De elopmen P ojec (TDP) a UCT,
b inging along wo colleagues om he TDP. The disciplina y lec u e s co- designed
and each on ‘Enginee in Socie y’. The TDP eam’ is wo king on a p ojec o suppo
he de elopmen o u o s, o e ing de elopmen , suppo , and esou ces o equip
u o s o hei i al ole in con ibu ing o s uden s’ lea ning expe iences.
2.2 Collec ing da a
We d ew on collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy (CAE) as a quali a i e esea ch me hod
ha combines pe sonal na a i e wi h collec i e e lec ion o explo e li ed expe iences
(Chang, Ngunji i, & He nandez, 2016). CAE in ol es mul iple esea che s engaging in
sha ed s o y elling, dialogue, and c i ical analysis o hei own expe iences in ela ion
o b oade cul u al, social, o ins i u ional con ex s. By wea ing oge he indi idual
oices and pe spec i es, CAE os e s deepe e lexi i y and challenges dominan
na a i es, making i pa icula ly use ul o examining issues o iden i y, powe , and
social change (Chang e al., 2016). Gi en he a ied pe spec i es he au ho s b ough
o he engagemen , in hei oles as cou se-designe s, lec u e s, u o aine s and
esea che s, CAE p o ided a aluable amewo k o wea e oge he ou a ied
expe iences.
Ha ing comple ed a se ies o pilo de elopmen sessions ac oss he uni e si y, he
TDP eam b ough o his inqui y a amilia i y wi h he schola ship a ound u o s and
u o ing p ac ices, and da a om u o in e iews and u o induc ion sessions, o
example, we explo ed u o s’ concep ualisa ions o he ole o he u o by p o iding six
desc ip o s o u o s o ank in o de o impo ance, using a digi al, anonymous
audience esponse sys em. One o he TDP colleagues conduc ed wo semi-
s uc u ed in e iews, one wi h each o he disciplina y collabo a o s which o med pa
o he da a.
2.3 Knowledge gene a ion h ough collec i e, i e a i e e lec ion
This pape d aws on wo well es ablished knowledge gene a ion p ac ices in educa ion
esea ch: w i ing as inqui y (Richa dson & S Pie e, 2005) and collec i e in es iga ion
(Pa dee e al, 2018). Bo h hese app oaches p ocess collec i e, i e a i e e lec ion and
collec i e w i ing as a p ocess o knowledge p oduc ion and ea w i ing no only as a
ool o eco ding knowledge bu as a gene a i e p ocess ha ac i ely shapes
knowledge and unde s anding (Richa dson & S Pie e, 2005). Roo ed in pos mode n
and eminis epis emologies, hese app oaches see knowledge gene a ion h ough
w i ing as an eme gen and i e a i e p ac ice h ough which insigh s a e cons uc ed
a he han simply epo ed. Resea che s engage in w i ing as an explo a o y ac ,
allowing meaning o e ol e h ough d a ing, e ising, and dialoguing wi h ex s and
ideas (Richa dson, 2000). These p ocesses o med he co e o ou analy ical p ocess.
In he case o his pape , while he au ho s almos all know each o he h ough ou
daily wo k, his was o some o us he i s ime we had w i en oge he . Seeing he
w i ing as a “making sense oge he ” p ocess om a ied pe spec i es allowed us o
look a a sha ed a ea o in e es o disco e h ough spoken dialogue and w i en ex ,
implica ions o u o ing de elopmen in he UCT con ex .
3 FINDINGS
This sec ion desc ibes ou signi ican hemes ha eme ged in ela ion o he cu en
u o ing p ac ices in he cou se, poin ing o shi s ha esul om he socio echnical
na u e o his cou se’s cu iculum. We hen connec ed hese o da a collec ed du ing
pilo acul y-wide aining sessions and he e lec ions o he TDP eam on hese
sessions.
3.1 Tu o ing p ac ices in he cou se
Rec ui ing u o s in he cou se
The in e disciplina y na u e o he cou se equi ed a cus omised app oach o u o
ec ui men and selec ion. Tu o s ideally should ha e an in e disciplina y backg ound
and knowledge ac oss a ious disciplines. Ideally, hey should also ha e expe ience
wi h academic essay w i ing wi h which mos enginee ing s uden s a his poin a e no
amilia . Academic ansc ip s a e also conside ed in selec ion.
The ec ui men and selec ion o u o s has o en imes elied on e e als and has been
se endipi ous, a he han ou lining a s a egy om he ou se . Tu o s a e also gi en a
good deal o au onomy in how hey choose o engage wi h s uden s, manage ma king
que ies, o he ques ions, e c. In e es ingly, he u o ing coho on he cou se has been
p ima ily women, in wha has his o ically been a male-domina ed ield.
Aligning pedagogic s a egy wi h alues in he cu iculum
This cou se equi es a pa adigm shi , encou aging s uden s o explo e he social,
poli ical, and e hical dimensions o enginee ing. As hey de elop a mo e complex and
nuanced unde s anding o he ield, u o s play a c ucial ole in sca olding his
ansi ion. In doing so, u o s no only suppo s uden s bu also help eshape
pe cep ions o enginee ing wi hin he depa men , ins i u ion, and b oade p o ession.
The eaching eam embodies he cou se’s alues h ough i s pedagogical app oaches,
os e ing a cul u e o ca e, inclusi i y, and collabo a ion. Ra he han explici ly
ins uc ing u o s on hese p inciples, he cou se con eno s model hem in p ac ice,
emphasizing espec o s uden s’ di e se pe spec i es and encou aging ac i e
pa icipa ion. Howe e , challenges ha e a isen wi h u o s who app oach he ole
solely as a sou ce o income, wi hou genuine in es men in s uden de elopmen .
Add essing his emains an ongoing p io i y.
Tu o ing o un amilia o ms o assessmen
In Enginee in Socie y, s uden s a e assessed p ima ily h ough essay w i ing—an
un amilia o ma o many in hei p og ams. To suppo hei de elopmen o hese
new academic li e acies, u o s a e o en selec ed om ou side he Enginee ing
Facul y, pa icula ly om humani ies, social sciences, o in e disciplina y ields such as
enginee ing educa ion and biomedical enginee ing. Thei di e se backg ounds help
s uden s mo e beyond a s ic ly enginee ing mindse , encou aging engagemen wi h
di e en on ological and epis emological pe spec i es, including al e na i es o
posi i is app oaches. Each u o is assigned a g oup o s uden s, allowing u o s o
ack indi idual p og ess. They p o ide eedback on essay d a s, o suppo s uden s'
a gumen de elopmen .
Tu o ing in he cou se in ligh o s uden pe cep ions
Despi e depa men al endo semen , some s uden s pe cei e his cou se as un ela ed
o " eal" enginee ing, associa ing i mo e wi h humani ies o li e o ien a ion subjec s.
Accus omed o a quan i a i e, p oblem-sol ing amewo k, hey may esis engaging
wi h social, poli ical, and e hical issues, which challenge hei academic iden i y and
no ions o alid, scien i ic knowledge. Fo some, essay-based assessmen eels
unse ling, and us a ion can su ace in jokes abou choosing enginee ing o a oid
w i ing. Howe e , u o s ecognize ha his esis ance o en s ems om ulne abili y,
as s uden s con on un amilia ways o hinking ha may seem a odds wi h hei
echnical expe ise. These compe ing discou ses abou enginee ing educa ion equi e
u o s o ac i ely add ess s uden conce ns and os e a i ude change.
3.2 Cu en u o ing p ac ices in he acul y
In he ollowing sec ion, we connec and compa e he disciplina y lec u e s' e lec ions
abou u o s and u o ing p ac ices in his cou se o he TDP eam’s e lec ions o
u o ing p ac ices in he acul y, and o da a collec ed om u o s du ing acul y
de elopmen sessions.
Rec ui ing u o s
Rec ui ing u o s o his cou se seems o be di e en om much o he es o he
acul y, and pe haps mo e akin o wha migh happen in he acul y o Humani ies a
UCT. Du ing a u o de elopmen session, while in discussions abou he ole o
u o s, u o s asse ed ha he ec ui men p ocess ocused solely on u o s’ academic
s anding. They desc ibed he applica ion p ocess, no ing ha he only in o ma ion ha
hey had o submi was hei academic ansc ip de ailing hei academic pe o mance.
In con e sa ion wi h disciplina y lec u e s, i became clea ha in he Enginee in Socie y
cou se, u o s we e selec ed and alued o b inging “di e en on ological and
epis emological pe spec i es” o u o - u ee in e ac ions. While u o s in unde g adua e
p og ammes in Enginee ing a UCT ha e, his o ically, been ec ui ed om he
enginee ing o science pos g adua e s uden coho , he u o s o his cou se come
om di e se depa men s ou side o he Enginee ing acul y.
Pedagogic p ac ices in u o ial
The in e iews wi h he eaching eam and da a ga he ed om u o s du ing aining
sugges ha pedagogic p ac ices in u o ials a y signi ican ly ac oss he acul y. In
'Enginee in Socie y', he u o ole is mul i ace ed – u o s mus ha e sophis ica ed
unde s anding o disciplina y con en and pedagogical knowledge in how o mos
e ec i ely suppo s uden s' lea ning. This cou se adop s an expanded e sion o he
u o ole, wi h s ong emphasis on pedagogic p ac ice in u o ials.
In in e iews, he eaching eam desc ibed u o aining wi hin depa men s as
ocusing on "people-managemen " and acili a ion o beha iou s ha suppo lea ning,
desc ibing elemen s o he aining as " ansac ional", speci ically ela ing o
assessmen and adminis a ion. Engagemen s wi h u o s in acul y aining e lec ed
u o s' pe spec i es on eme gen dimensions o he u o ole. Tu o s s ongly signalled
a ocus on knowledge as a key pa o he u o ole, a he han pedagogic s a egies
o u o ing. Tu o s' disciplina y knowledge is alued a he expense o o he aspec s o
hei u o ing p ac ice, wi h li le emphasis gi en o hei capaci y o d aw on
disciplina y speci ic pedagogic s a egies o media e s uden lea ning. The li e a u e
sugges s ha u o ing aining and de elopmen is o en cen alised and delega ed,
leading o lack o a en ion o disciplina y speci ic pedagogic s a egies (Mhaku e
2019; 2018).
Tu o s and assessmen in he acul y
As pa o acul y engagemen s, u o s we e gi en six desc ip o s o ank in o de o
impo ance: he u o as a disciplina y expe ; he u o as lea ning expe ; he u o as
acili a o o g oups; he u o as assesso ; he u o as guide o highe educa ion
expe ience and he u o as guide o expe ience o being a young adul / young
p o essional. Consis en ly, he u o as assesso co- anked as a ole which was
awa ded he leas a en ion in u o ing p ac ices, and in u o aining. Du ing a senio
u o aining session, u o s signalled wo posi ions on he ole o u o in ela ion o
assessmen . The i s g oup a gued ha he ole o he u o s is o help s uden s o
“pass he exam”, h ough o e ing s a egies and “ icks” o examina ion success. The
second g oup a gued ha a u o s’ ole was o ocus on s uden lea ning and on
assessmen li e acies, so ha s uden s did no ha e o “game” he examina ion,
iewing i as a culmina ion o a lea ning p ocess. In ‘Enginee in Socie y’, he u o ole
is mul i ace ed and has a s ong emphasis on he u o as assesso and as guide o
assessmen , wi h u o s eaching academic li e acy sessions ha suppo s uden s’
assessmen submissions. Tu o s a e seen as guides o assessmen , h ough
unpacking aci p ac ices in he u o ial space.
Tu o ing in he acul y in ligh o s uden pe cep ions
Tu o s in he acul y aining signalled ha s uden s’ pe cep ions o cou ses, he
discipline, lec u e s and e en u o s hemsel es impac ed s ongly on hei u o
p ac ices. Fo example, s uden s ha e a s ong pe cep ion o u o s as “knowe s”, wi h
he esponsibili y o “ ans e ” his knowledge o he s uden . I u o s engage in ac i e
lea ning p ac ices and dialogic lea ning p ac ices, hey some imes ace esis ance
om s uden s who, coming om ansmissi e educa ion cul u es, would p e e o be
gi en “ he igh answe ”. Addi ionally, u o s indica ed ha s uden s’ assump ions
abou u o s as indi iduals esul ed in unequal pa e ns o engagemen , wi h s uden s
p e e ing o engage o no engage wi h u o s o a wide a ie y o p oduc i e and
p oblema ic easons. This leads o some u o s being o e wo ked in la ge sessions,
while o he s we e ela i ely unde -u ilised, which consequen ly impac s on u o s’
sense o alue and de elopmen .
4 DISCUSSION
In he indings abo e we ha e desc ibed how u o ing p ac ices, such as ec ui men ,
pedagogy, and assessmen , ha e shi ed in esponse o he socio echnical u n in
enginee ing educa ion. Tu o ing p ac ices, shaped by he abo e ac o s, ha e
implica ions o u o iden i ies and subsequen ly aining, discussed in his sec ion.
4.1 Shi ing Tu o Iden i ies
The no ion o iden i y can be a use ul ool o hinking abou u o de elopmen . As
al eady no ed, u o aining in he acul y is minimal and ends o be ansac ional,
limi ing he de elopmen o a u o iden i y o ha o mo e knowledgeable pee . This
has wo signi ican implica ions o he u o iden i y – he u o is a “wa e ed-down”
e sion o ideal knowe , and he u o - u ee ela ionship is educed o he ans e ing
o in o ma ion. Fu he mo e, engagemen wi h u o s and lec u e s highligh ed ensions
in he concep ualisa ions o he u o iden i y – u o as expe s u o as pee , u o as
answe p o ide s u o as suppo o s uden lea ning, u o as academic suppo s
u o as holis ic suppo . Reconcep ualising aining as an oppo uni y o a u o o
de elop a mo e conside ed and in eg a ed p o essional iden i y ha ex ends he
echnically igid iden i y (Ma in & Polmea , 2023) has he po en ial o add ess bo h
hese ha ms. Needham and Lowe (2007) make he link be ween e lec i e p ac ice in
u o s’ wo k and he de elopmen o hei p o essional iden i ies, and o he s also
emphasize he impo ance o e lexi i y in his ole and he need o c ea e spaces o
os e c i ical e lec ion on p ac ice (Con adie, 2022; Cupido e al., 2022; Si hole,
2024). In his ein, TDP aining and de elopmen in e en ions emphasize no only
he ole and du ies o a u o , bu also he iden i y o he u o , p o iding a e lec i e
space o g apple wi h his concep .
4.2 Implica ions o u o aining
Tu o aining and de elopmen in he enginee ing acul y a UCT is no cen alised a
he acul y le el, esul ing in a ia ion in he ocus and scope o u o aining and
de elopmen ac i i ies. The depa men o Mechanical Enginee ing has an annual
in oduc o y aining wo kshop compulso y o newly appoin ed u o s, wi h a ew
cou ses such as 'Enginee in Socie y' o e ing addi ional, cou se-speci ic aining when
deemed necessa y by he con ene .
The socio echnical u n in enginee ing educa ion equi es e lec ion on exis ing u o ing
p ac ices, how hese shape u o iden i ies and he implica ions o his o u o aining
and de elopmen ac i i ies. The 'Enginee in Socie y' cou se se es as a compelling
example o his, ec ui ing u o s wi h unique and specialised in e disciplina y
backg ounds. Tu o s in his cou se mus engage in ela i ely complex p ac ices: guiding
s uden s in u o ial asks, p o iding o ma i e and de elopmen al eedback on hei
w i ing, helping hem na iga e opics ha could be emo ionally di icul , challenging hem
o ake on c i ical pe spec i es, suppo ing mindse shi s abou he na u e o he
enginee ing ield, and being a i s po o call o s uden s.
While u o ing in his cou se p esen s pa icula complexi ies, u o s in mo e echnical
cou ses a e inc easingly encoun e ing s uden s who equi e mo e holis ic and in ensi e
suppo . I is c i ical ha u o aining and de elopmen suppo s u o de elopmen
beyond echnical p o iciency, o include c i ical pedagogical compe encies,
in e disciplina y communica ion skills, eedback li e acy, and socio-emo ional suppo
capabili ies. Addi ionally, acul ies and he ins i u ion mus cons uc a policy
en i onmen ha in o ms and suppo s esponsi e u o selec ion and de elopmen and
o e s guidelines ha shape u o aining p ac ices o a oid a ia ion based on
esou cing and s a capaci y.
5 CONCLUSIONS
This s udy demons a es ha he pa adigm shi om p og ams ha ein o ce a
depoli iciza ion enginee ing cul u e wi h echnical p io i iza ion (Ma in & Polmea , 2023)
owa ds socio echnical enginee ing educa ion demands a undamen al ans o ma ion in
u o ing p ac ice, u o iden i y, and u o de elopmen . As enginee ing cu icula
inc easingly inco po a e socio-cul u al dimensions, u o s mus e ol e beyond hei
adi ional ole as echnical knowledge ansmi e s o become acili a o s o c i ical
hinking, p o ide s o holis ic s uden suppo , and guides o p o essional iden i y
de elopmen . The minimal, ansac ional na u e o cu en u o aining is insu icien o
hese expanded esponsibili ies. Ins ead, ins i u ions mus implemen comp ehensi e
de elopmen p og ams ha os e e lec i e p ac ice, enable u o s o g apple wi h hei
p o essional iden i y, and equip hem wi h he pedagogical, emo ional, and
in e disciplina y compe encies equi ed in con empo a y enginee ing educa ion. Wi hou
such ans o ma ion, bo h s uden lea ning ou comes and u o p o essional
de elopmen will be comp omised, ul ima ely unde mining he goals o socio echnical
enginee ing educa ion.
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