Affordances of Technology for Sustainability-Oriented K–12 Informal Engineering Education

Mobina Beheshti (), Sheikh Ahmad Shah, Helen Zhang, Michael Barnett and Avneet Hira
Additional contact information
Mobina Beheshti: Department of Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Sheikh Ahmad Shah: Department of Teaching, Curriculum & Society, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Helen Zhang: Department of Teaching, Curriculum & Society, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Michael Barnett: Department of Teaching, Curriculum & Society, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Avneet Hira: Department of Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-27

Abstract: The need for sustainability-oriented K–12 engineering education that expands beyond the classroom and the increased accessibility of educational technologies create an opportunity for examining the affordances of educational technologies in low-stakes informal engineering education settings. In this paper, we share our experiences of using novel technologies to develop sustainability-oriented mental models in K–12 informal engineering education. Through the use of technologies including Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Minecraft video games, Tinkercad (browser-based application for computer-aided design (CAD)), and physical computing, we have designed and tested approaches to introduce students to engineering design and engineering habits of mind with an overarching theme of developing sustainability-oriented mental models among K–12 youth in informal engineering education spaces. In this paper, we share our approaches, and lessons learned, and outline directions for future research.

Keywords: K–12 education; engineering education; sustainability education; augmented reality (AR); virtual reality (VR); video game (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6719/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6719/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:6719-:d:1450797

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().