Engenharia dos Oprimidos: A participatory engineering project for social justice

1. Engenharia dos Oprimidos: A participatory engineering project for social justice Andrea Mazzurco PhD student April 22, 2013

2. 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). Engenharia dos Oprimidos

3. 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 Engenharia dos Oprimidos

4. Problem Statement Flaws 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) Engenharia dos Oprimidos

5. Research Questions • What happens when communities become the subjects (rather than the object) of humanitarian engineering projects? • 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? Engenharia dos Oprimidos

6. Implications/Purpose I 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 education By 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 Engenharia dos Oprimidos

7. 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 Research design: HCD & PAR • 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 Engenharia dos Oprimidos

8. Researcher Role • Outsider in collaboration with insiders • Initiate as participant observer • Continue as active co-investigator • Direct process, not content • Mutual empowerment: They know-I know; They learn-I learn Engenharia dos Oprimidos

9. 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) • ? Engenharia dos Oprimidos

10. 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 ?) Engenharia dos Oprimidos

11. Ethical Considerations How am I going to explain this to IRB?? Engenharia dos Oprimidos

12. Thank youQuestions? Global Engineering Expertise Library (GEEL)