Learning from Engineering Disasters: A Multidisciplinary Online Course

This paper describes the first on-line offering of a course on Learning for Engineering Disaster, taught originally (in a traditional classroom format) since 2010 to fulfill a Diversified Educational Curriculum requirement, and now a STAS (“Understand relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences”) requirement for students in the Engineering Science B.E. program. It has been expanded via the on-line format to accommodate additional students from other majors, as well as to be potentially offered outside the University. The course uses a narrative and inquiry-based format to satisfy learning objects related to the professional and ethical responsibility of engineers, the role of engineers as problem solvers and designers, the importance of life-long learning and a multidisciplinary approach to understanding risk and he broader implications of technology. The advantages of the on-line format for expanded multidisciplinary learning opportunities are discussed, along with the results of the initial on-line offering and an analysis of student learning gains. We will discuss how teaching activities using engineering disaster enhance student learning about both “hard” engineering topics and the ethical, legal and societal implications of engineering, how these activities also address learning goals in communication skills, global impact, multidisciplinary and life-long learning, and how studying failures enables engineering students to better “see” complexity, and understand the special design needs which arise as engineered systems become more complex. Background: Engineering disasters (spectacular and catastrophic failure of engineered systems) are lead focal points in the news and in our lives. They impact the general public emotionally and viscerally – their narratives become the background for societal perception of risk and the source material which drives policy and politics. From the way in which first Three Mile Island, then Chernobyl and now Fukushima have changed our belief in and our approach to nuclear power (despite the fact that the nuclear industry actually has a relatively strong safety record and may be a potential solution to reducing carbon emissions from energy production, at least in the short term), to political fallout from the failure of the hurricane protection system in New Orleans during (and after) Hurricane Katrina, engineering failure has a profound effect on how we view our institutions, our infrastructure and our vulnerability. Engineering disaster is the stuff of myth (e.g. Icarus), poetry, popular movies and novels, because it engages us on such a deep level. Indeed, just single words or phrases – Hindenburg, Titanic, Deepwater Horizon, and World Trade Center – trigger our fears and misgivings, impact how we vote and safeguard ourselves and our families, and may even influence our choices in education and careers. Hence, learning from engineering failures is a critical need, not only for engineers, but for an informed citizenry which must contend with navigating an increasingly complex technological landscape. For those learning to become engineers or technology managers, especially in fields critical to solving major challenges in growing energy needs, aging infrastructure, the impacts of climate change, and managing emerging technologies for human health, manufacturing and maintaining environmental integrity, the study of engineering disasters and the nature of risk in complex systems (and their broader societal and ethical context) will be an educational