New technologies, communication methods, travel, ideas and education have provided many opportunities and also created numerous challenges to be faced on a global level.  The role of science, engineering and technology as an enabler of globalisation has been significant.  Many of the grand challenges facing the global community have been created, directly or otherwise, by technology and engineering, and they have a key role to play in addressing them.  The process of globalisation has also created a new context within which engineers and technologists must practice and operate.

This course will start by examining globalisation and the role of engineering and technology in it, and the impacts it has had on engineering practice and the engineering enterprise.  Broader skills required of engineering will be identified and examined, such as global design, cross-cultural communication, community engagement, and utilising virtual environments.  External influences on engineering practice will be examined, including design strategies, standards, regulation, legislation, governance and international development.  How a systems engineering view and approach can be used to approach large complex problems and grand challenges will be examined and emphasised.  The role of technology and engineering in overcoming these grand challenges will also be examined utilising case studies of engineering while students reflect on their own experiences and understanding of engineering and practice.

On satisfactory completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• identify and characterise global engineering challenges, their causes and impacts, and the skills required to operate within a global engineering practice and environment.
• demonstrate the application of standards, policies and procedures, including quality standards, legislation and codes of practice, on engineering practice.
• explain the role of systems engineering and its application to global challenges, problem definition and solving, and engineering achievement.
• analyse how engineering principles, strategies and techniques such as Design for X and life-cycle analysis, can be applied to global challenges within an engineering context.
• reflect on the role of engineering and technology for global challenges and within engineering practice.

Assignment 1: global engineering challenges and the global engineer (20%)

Assignment 2: regulation and external requirements (20%)

Assignment 3: global engineering challenges and design philosophies (30%)

Assignment 4: engineering technology and society (20%)

Online Class Participation (10%)

Specific workload depends on program and delivery mechanisms, but the course will consist of:

• self-direct reading and learning
• synchronous peer discussions
• facilitied group discussions
• theory, case studies and worked examples

Entry to MEM or MEP program.

Previous engineering work or specialised study.

Selected extracts from the following texts and references will be utilised within GCiE:

Acosta, Carlos, Conrad, Charles, Jorge Leon, V., and Malave, Cesar O., 2010, Global Engineering - Design, Decision Making, and Communication, CRC Press, Boca Raton

Baillie, Caroline, and Catalano, George, 2009, Engineering and Society - Working Towards Social Justice, Morgan & Claypool Publishers

McDonough, William, and Braungart, Michael, 2002, Cradle-to-Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things, North Point Press, New York

Mulder, Karel, 2006, Sustainable Development for Engineers - A Handbook and Resource Guide, Greenleaf Publishing, UK

Parkinson, Alan, 2009, The Rationale for Developing Global Competence, Online Journal for Global Engineering Education, 4 (2)

Reader, John, 2006, Globalization, Engineering, and Creativity, Morgan and Claypool

Stasinopoulos, Peter, Smith, Michael H., Hargroves, Karlson, and Desha, Cheryl, 2009, Whole System Design - An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering, earthscan, London, UK

The Royal Academy of Engineering, 2005, Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles

Yates, J. K., 2007, Global Engineering and Construction, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey

Course outline: https://cecs.anu.edu.au/studentdb/courses/students/csg_student.cgi?Course_Code=ENGN8110

Please note that this course will involve a one day intensive on campus workshop on Monday 6 February 2012 prior to the commencement of the course.  This workshop will be held at the Australian National University.

GSS students interested in studying the course must seek approval from the course convenor, Jeremy.Smith@anu.edu.au and Dr Anna Robinson, convenor of GSS.