Engenharia dos Oprimidos: A participatory engineering project for social justice

Andrea MazzurcoPhD student

April 22, 2013

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Globally Competent Engineers (GCE)Who?•Engineering graduates must understand the impact of engineering solution in a global, economic, enviromental, and societal context. •work effectively with people who define problems differently than they do (Downey et al., 2006)Why?•Support national economic prowess in global competitive market (GlobalHUB, 2008; Jesiek & Beddoes, 2010)•Promote community development and global citizenship (GlobalHUB, 2008; Jesiek & Beddoes, 2010).

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Educational Strategies for GCE• Many educational strategies (Grandin & Hedderich, 2009;

Lohmann, Rollins, & Hoey, 2006; Parkinson, 2007)

• Global service learning increasingly popular– Driven by good intentions– Problem in international context («less-developed» countries)– Engineering design course (various lengths)– Might travel abroad to deliver designed product or process– Industry-like environment– multiple benefits for STUDENTS

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Problem StatementFlaws of Global service learning•Partnership between engineers and communities is complex

– Cultural differences

•Failure of projects is common•Communities are disempowered •Facets of imperialistic/colonialist practice

“A pedagogy which begins with the egoistic interests of the oppressors […] and makes of the oppressed the objects of its humanitarianism, itself maintains and embodies oppression.”

(Freire, 1970)

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Research Questions1. What happens when communities become the subjects

(rather than the object) of humanitarian engineering projects?

2. How did the community and my perception of engineering change as a result of this project?

And my sub-question is:1a. How did the community and I use engineering principles to

address the challenges and/or needs that we had gregariously individuated?

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Implications/PurposeI want to challenge the mainstream conceptualization of engineering and engineering education:•engineering as applied math and science and making things•authority of technical knowledge in engineering•militarism and economic imperialism•business model of engineering educationBy providing a model in which•Sociocultural, political, and historical consideration are starting point•Social justice, freedom, and democracy drive process•Access to engineering education is free and democratic

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Research design: HCD & PAR

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Reflection and critical dialogue to interpret the world:•We will investigate the community by taking pictures and notes •We will try to make sense of what we see and investigate more•We will define the problematics we individuated

Action in order to transform the world:•In collaboration with external engineers (if needed) we will develop a plan of action•We will implement the plan•We will reflect and critical dialogue about the results

Project Identification:•Conduct needs assessment•Identify stakeholders•Define stakeholders requirements

Define Specification:•Understand context•Stakeholder profiles•Interaction users-project•Consider possible solutions•Evaluation criteria

Develop solution:•Develop and evaluate prototype(s)•Develop and test final design•Evaluation of final design

Deliver solution:•User manuals/traning material•Usability and reliability testing•Deliver•Evaluate performance on the field

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Researcher Role• Outsider in collaboration with insiders

1. Initiate as participant observer2. Continue as active co-investigator

• Direct process, not content

• Mutual empowerment: They know-I know; They learn-I learn

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Participants & context• Soluçoes Urbanas, Niteroi, Brazil

– NGO founded in 2002– Mission: promote the improvement of life quality in urban

environments– Family Architect Project: renovation of houses in poor communities– Solidarity Trade Fair Project: poor families exchange Tetra Pak to

«social currency» with which they can buy materials for their housing

• Centro de Formaçao Urbano Rural Irma Araujo (CEFURIA), Curitiba, Brazil– NGO founded in 1981– Mission: popular empowerment – Methods: Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed

• Community members (my co-investigators)– ?

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Data collection and analysis• Collection -> Analysis -> collection

– Definition of new sub-RQs

• RQ1: personal journal, gantt chart, and field notes.– The co-investigators will create a gantt chart and interatively modify it

• RQ1a: artifacts we produced together– Photovoice: co-investigators will take pictures of community and analyse

them together– Any artifacts required by the design process (e.g., stakeholders profiles,

requirements, prototype, etc..)

• RQ2: interviews and focus groups– At the beginning and at the end (and during the project ?)

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Ethical Considerations

How am I going to explain this to IRB??

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Thank you

Questions?

Global Engineering Expertise Library (GEEL)