30 October 2025
The Transforming Engineering Education Learning Hub is part of the Infrastructure Sustainability Learning (ISLe) Initiative, designed to accelerate knowledge sharing and collaboration across the global engineering community. The series creates a space for academics, practitioners, and industry leaders to explore how engineering education can adapt to the urgent challenges of our time.
The fourth session of the Transforming Engineering Education Learning Hub emphasised the integration of transdisciplinary approaches and systems thinking into engineering education
Savina Carluccio, Executive Director of ICSI, opened the session by emphasising the gap between traditional engineering curricula and the growing need for systems thinking to address complex, real-world challenges. The discussion explored ways to embed these approaches into curricula and practice, and participants reflected on barriers that hinder students and professionals from developing the knowledge and skills required to create sustainable, resilient, and inclusive solutions.
Sectoral perspectives
Tom Dolan, freelance interdependent systems research consultant, introduced the concept of systems thinking as the ability to recognise and analyse relationships, dependencies, and context within complex systems. He discussed how systems thinking can be applied across research areas and outlined the steps he takes when studying new systems. He emphasised that systems thinking is relevant and applicable to all domains of engineering.
Professor Susan Krumdieck, Chair in Energy Transition Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, introduced the transdisciplinary field of Transition Engineering and presented the Systems Transition Engineering Processes programme. The programme explores how engineering, finance, policy, and society can collaborate to address ‘wicked problems’ and shift away from unsustainable energy and material systems. She described the need for new approaches and methods to integrate sustainability and net-zero objectives into engineering practice. The programme is grounded in the concept of convergence, which is bringing together existing fields, knowledge bases, and perspectives rather than creating entirely new disciplines.
Reflections on how to transform engineering education
In breakout groups, participants discussed the current state of systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches in engineering curricula.
- Participants agreed that systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches are not yet fully embedded in engineering education. Approaches often appear as add-ons rather than integral components of training.
- Some participants shared examples of transdisciplinary courses, research initiatives, and project-based learning experiences. However, most agreed that opportunities for students to engage with these approaches remain limited.
- Participants identified funding and time as the primary resources required to support meaningful change. Additionally, they emphasised the need for greater institutional prioritisation of curriculum transformation, incentives for educators to redesign courses, and academic credit and recognition for students participating in transdisciplinary learning. Without these supports, the integration of systems thinking into engineering curricula remains difficult to achieve.
Watch a recording below:
Looking ahead
The next session, on 25 November, “Charting future career paths”, will look at emerging career pathways that align with the demands of sustainable development. It will highlight opportunities across sectors and the role of education in equipping graduates for careers that navigate technical challenges alongside social, environmental, and ethical ones. The discussion will focus on preparing students for careers that may span multiple sectors or involve working in complex, uncertain environments. It will also explore what kinds of learning experiences can support this shift.
