Using the Fair Trade Learning Framework to Improve the Outcomes of Engagement between Universities and Off-Campus Partners: Applications and Implications for Program Design

As global engineering education projects and programs are initiated, too often social outcomes and long-term impacts are assumed to be positive. This is particularly true for sustainable development projects, which often have an inherent assumption of positive transformation through engineering solu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAdvances in engineering education Vol. 10; no. 1
Main Authors Reynolds, Nora Pillard, MacCarty, Nordica A, Sharp, Kendra V, Hartman, Eric
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Society for Engineering Education 2022
Subjects
Agricultural Occupations
College Faculty
Energy
Engineering Education
Foreign Countries
Nonprofit Organizations
Outcomes of Education
Partnerships in Education
Program Development
Program Evaluation
Scoring Rubrics
Service Learning
Social Change
Study Abroad
Sustainable Development
Universities
Oregon
Ghana
Nicaragua
Pennsylvania
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ISSN1941-1766
1941-1766

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Summary:As global engineering education projects and programs are initiated, too often social outcomes and long-term impacts are assumed to be positive. This is particularly true for sustainable development projects, which often have an inherent assumption of positive transformation through engineering solutions. We argue that a focus on technical deliverables absent prioritization of how and with whom our partnerships happen is less likely to actually lead to our desired social outcomes and longer-term impacts. We draw from the fields of community-based global learning, global development, and program evaluation to provide tools and insights for university-based engineering teams and off-campus partners to improve their long-term outcomes and impact. In particular, we draw on the fair-trade-learning (FTL) framework and core principles. We suggest adaptations to the FTL framework for engineering education, namely (i) broadening the definition of "community" to explicitly incorporate multiple types of off-campus partners, including for-profit enterprises; and (ii) more clearly distinguishing between outputs (e.g. deliverables), outcomes, and longer-term social impacts. Our analysis suggests integration of the FTL core principles of partner/community voice and direction and dual purposes increases the likelihood of achieving the desired social impact.
ISSN:1941-1766
1941-1766