Educating Engineers for the Public Good Through International Internships: Evidence from a Case Study at Universitat Politècnica de València.

At Universitat Politècnica de València, Meridies, an internship programme that places engineering students in countries of Latin America, is one of the few opportunities the students have to explore the implications of being a professional in society in a different cultural and social context. This...

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Published in:Science & Engineering Ethics Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 1799 - 1816
Main Authors: Boni, Alejandra, Sastre, José Javier, Calabuig, Carola
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Dec2019
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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          Boni, Alejandra
          Sastre, José Javier
          Calabuig, Carola
        affil:
          INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Edif. 8E Acc. J, Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia, Camino Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain
          CHRED, University of the Free State, Bloemfontain, South Africa
          Development and Corporate Social Responsibility Department, Madrid, Spain
          Department of Project Engineering, Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, Camino Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain
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        Public goods
        Internship programs
        Engineering students
        Semi-structured interviews
        Case studies
        Questioning
        South America
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          Public goods
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          Semi-structured interviews
          Case studies
          Questioning
      keyword:
        Engineering studies
        Global South
        Grant
        Internships
        Latin America
        Professional and personal capabilities
        Public good
        Social justice
      ab: At Universitat Politècnica de València, Meridies, an internship programme that places engineering students in countries of Latin America, is one of the few opportunities the students have to explore the implications of being a professional in society in a different cultural and social context. This programme was analyzed using the capabilities approach as a frame of reference for examining the effects of the programme on eight student participants. The eight pro-public-good capabilities proposed by Melanie Walker were investigated through semi-structured interviews. The internship is an environment in which students can put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in undergraduate studies and to find practical relevance in what they studied. Occasionally, this also entails a critical questioning of what they have learned, a greater awareness of the limits of the contents of their studies and of the way things were taught, and interest in less explored issues that are closely linked to social justice. However, tensions can arise between the pro-public-good oriented perspectives of this programme, and a more instrumental vision. One way to overcome these tensions is to foster consideration of reflexivity, that is, the dynamic relationship between technology and society. To do so, the programme must create space before and during the internship, and upon the return of the students, to discuss and collectively reflect upon their lived experience. Additionally, it ought to engage supervisors in this educational journey, both at the university and in the host institutions, and also involve socially committed organisations in this task.
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