Implementation of competences of social and environmental responsibility in IT engineering degrees

Abstract

In the present globalized world, the impacts of engineering are growing in importance, society is becoming more aware of them, and more and more universities are including ethical and social issues into their engineering degree programs. This article describes the experience of developing competences of ethical, social and environmental responsibility in undergraduate IT engineering degrees at the Technical University of Madrid. The implementation of these competences has evolved in recent years and currently they are developed in two specific subjects in the first and third year, and that work is completed in the Final Year Project. This model allows us to reach all the students at different times along their studies and with a acceptable level of depth. It is an integral experience, where appropriate contents, teaching methodologies and assessment methods have been adapted to deal with social issues in our academic context. As lessons learned, we highlight the effectiveness this model for developing the aforementioned competences and the important role of external references (from professional, governmental and academic institutions) to integrate ethical, social and environmental aspects into engineering degrees.