Autor/es
Descripción
ver mas
Colaborador
Linsingen, Irlan von
Thomas, Hernán Eduardo
Materias
Temporal Coverage
1995-2016
Idioma
spa
Extent
295 p.
Derechos
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 2.0 Genérica (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Formato
application/pdf
Identificador
Cobertura
ARG
BRA
1995-2016
Abstract
The present doctoral research analyses the incorporation process of related contents of social sciences in general, and of social studies of sciences and technology in particular, from 1995 to 2016 in the curricular designs of the bachelor engineering careers of the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN). This university is an icon of the engineering education due to its beginning as the National Workers University, and its origin related to workers. The focus of the case study of the investigation is among 1995 and 2016 because allows to know how the bachelor curricular designs were modified in the Facultad Regional Avellaneda of the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN-FRA, witness case of the investigation), and other selected universities, namely: National University of La Plata (UNLP), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) and the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil. This period of time was selected due to the fact that in 1995 the last change in curricular design was introduced in the UTN and; since 2016, are being discuss the modifications that will be included in the next curricular designs in Argentina for the academic and professional training of engineers.
Thus, this research offers an analysis related to the growing training needs of professional’s engineer and identifies an “instrumental cut” that divides perceptions and actions in the field of engineering. One cut is traditional, which conceives the academic and professional training as synonym of training in basics science to solve engineering problems. The other cut recovers a wider pedagogical sense, that associate the tecno-scientific training with a systemic education in order to understand the problems of the engineering as socio-technical and complex problems.
So, this thesis presents, as an intellectual challenge, an analysis of the articulation of engineers, as technologists, with the beneficiary society of their developments, without neglecting two basic aspects: set aside the tradition that has led to consider engineering as applied science; but at the same time, highlight the social function of the engineer as an interpreter of the needs of society. For these reasons, the present doctoral research contributes to strengthen a pedagogical project oriented to the training of engineers, so they can be able to understand and to intervene -in a responsibly, creative and critical manner-, in the solution of scientific, technological and social complex problems. Following the previous ideas, the main research question of this doctoral thesis is: what are the educational modes in which the concept of technology, as a social construction, has been incorporated into the curricular designs of engineering bachelor careers at the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN) and the others chosen universities? In order to answer this interrogation, the research analyses if the incorporation of the concept of technology as social construction or related to the field of social studies of science and technology had changed the way to teach and see the relation among engineering-technology. Furthermore, if this produced the incorporation of specific CTS’s contents in the curricular designs of engineering bachelor careers; either by introducing new subjects and contents in the curriculum, training teachers and students in extracurricular spaces of university training, and/or building new forms of knowledge.
To support this doctoral research, the previous institutions of higher education mentioned of Argentina and the one of Brazil were selected because, all of them, present subjects related to technology as social construction in their curricular design’s structures. It is important to highlight that the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) was chosen for its experience in the incorporation of subjects with human and social sciences perspectives in its contents in the engineering bachelor courses. In addition, it is important to say that those courses were being proposed and conducted by engineering professors who have dedicated themselves to research about CTS Studies and CTS Education.
The methodology chosen for this research is qualitative-interpretive and it is based on a case study in order to provide answers to the general and specific objectives, focusing on the description and subsequent analysis of the elements that make the case of the UTN-FRA a distinctive one. It is being consider that this doctoral investigation has a unique importance due to, at the present time, it is being discussed the incorporation of social science contents and the competency based approach in the study plans of engineering bachelor careers in Argentina.
Thus, first the research starts from a theoretical base on the technology-society relationship, them, it continues with a discussion about the technology-engineering relationship in which the type of training of engineers is considered (general or specialist). Secondly, present the desired profile of the engineers and its attributes from multiple points of view of the diverse relevant actors in the engineering field. Thirdly, introduce the discussion of education in the CTS perspective and the relevance of CTS content in engineering and in bachelor careers.
In the conclusions, the qualities and deficiencies found in the different engineering bachelor courses are expressed, pointing out the possibilities and benefits of thinking about the engineer training from a more comprehensive and integral place of knowledge. In this way, the topic of this thesis shows that the approaches of the human sciences -in some subjects- have been neglected, even though they are formally foreseen in the curricular guidelines of the engineering bachelor courses and, also, in the guidelines of the engineering councils from both countries. In this sense, all the development of the thesis follows the current research efforts -at national and international level- that seeks to explain aspects related to the comprehensive training of professionals whose activity (intensive in differentiated knowledge) have significantly influences in the processes of construction and sociotechnical transformation.
Therefore, it is considered that the present doctoral research is a very useful study to generate a process of expansion and institutional transformation that collaborates in the training of engineers to recover a critical, systemic and socio-technical thinking, both at national level as regional in Latin America.
Thus, this research offers an analysis related to the growing training needs of professional’s engineer and identifies an “instrumental cut” that divides perceptions and actions in the field of engineering. One cut is traditional, which conceives the academic and professional training as synonym of training in basics science to solve engineering problems. The other cut recovers a wider pedagogical sense, that associate the tecno-scientific training with a systemic education in order to understand the problems of the engineering as socio-technical and complex problems.
So, this thesis presents, as an intellectual challenge, an analysis of the articulation of engineers, as technologists, with the beneficiary society of their developments, without neglecting two basic aspects: set aside the tradition that has led to consider engineering as applied science; but at the same time, highlight the social function of the engineer as an interpreter of the needs of society. For these reasons, the present doctoral research contributes to strengthen a pedagogical project oriented to the training of engineers, so they can be able to understand and to intervene -in a responsibly, creative and critical manner-, in the solution of scientific, technological and social complex problems. Following the previous ideas, the main research question of this doctoral thesis is: what are the educational modes in which the concept of technology, as a social construction, has been incorporated into the curricular designs of engineering bachelor careers at the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN) and the others chosen universities? In order to answer this interrogation, the research analyses if the incorporation of the concept of technology as social construction or related to the field of social studies of science and technology had changed the way to teach and see the relation among engineering-technology. Furthermore, if this produced the incorporation of specific CTS’s contents in the curricular designs of engineering bachelor careers; either by introducing new subjects and contents in the curriculum, training teachers and students in extracurricular spaces of university training, and/or building new forms of knowledge.
To support this doctoral research, the previous institutions of higher education mentioned of Argentina and the one of Brazil were selected because, all of them, present subjects related to technology as social construction in their curricular design’s structures. It is important to highlight that the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) was chosen for its experience in the incorporation of subjects with human and social sciences perspectives in its contents in the engineering bachelor courses. In addition, it is important to say that those courses were being proposed and conducted by engineering professors who have dedicated themselves to research about CTS Studies and CTS Education.
The methodology chosen for this research is qualitative-interpretive and it is based on a case study in order to provide answers to the general and specific objectives, focusing on the description and subsequent analysis of the elements that make the case of the UTN-FRA a distinctive one. It is being consider that this doctoral investigation has a unique importance due to, at the present time, it is being discussed the incorporation of social science contents and the competency based approach in the study plans of engineering bachelor careers in Argentina.
Thus, first the research starts from a theoretical base on the technology-society relationship, them, it continues with a discussion about the technology-engineering relationship in which the type of training of engineers is considered (general or specialist). Secondly, present the desired profile of the engineers and its attributes from multiple points of view of the diverse relevant actors in the engineering field. Thirdly, introduce the discussion of education in the CTS perspective and the relevance of CTS content in engineering and in bachelor careers.
In the conclusions, the qualities and deficiencies found in the different engineering bachelor courses are expressed, pointing out the possibilities and benefits of thinking about the engineer training from a more comprehensive and integral place of knowledge. In this way, the topic of this thesis shows that the approaches of the human sciences -in some subjects- have been neglected, even though they are formally foreseen in the curricular guidelines of the engineering bachelor courses and, also, in the guidelines of the engineering councils from both countries. In this sense, all the development of the thesis follows the current research efforts -at national and international level- that seeks to explain aspects related to the comprehensive training of professionals whose activity (intensive in differentiated knowledge) have significantly influences in the processes of construction and sociotechnical transformation.
Therefore, it is considered that the present doctoral research is a very useful study to generate a process of expansion and institutional transformation that collaborates in the training of engineers to recover a critical, systemic and socio-technical thinking, both at national level as regional in Latin America.
Título obtenido
Doctora de la Universidad de Buenos Aires en Ciencias Sociales
Institución otorgante
Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales