Pedagogies of liberation, including feminist and critical pedagogies based on the works of bell hooks, Paulo Freire and others, were employed in teaching Engineering Thermodynamics with two classes of women at Smith College. Aspects of course development, assignments, and classroom dynamics are discussed, including connecting course material to student experience, emphasizing students as authorities in the classroom, integrating ethics and policy considerations, problematizing science as objectivity, and de-centering western (and male) civilization. Appropriate assessment methods for this type of course are presented with results from the first two classes, pointing to areas for further development. Critiques and limitations of the use of liberative pedagogies in engineering education are discussed, as well as the potential for these methods to address the needs of all students while increasing the accessibility and attractiveness of engineering for underrepresented groups.
展开▼
