How to promote the systemic thinking in teachers to transmit it to students for the solution to complex engineering problems?

Abstract

This article identifies a methodologic path to promote in teachers the competence of a systemic thinking. Promoting this competence in teachers to be able to work with the undergraduate students the solution of complex engineering problems. This allows us to respond to ABET criterion 3 which corresponds to outcome 1: an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. To do this, first, the alternative conceptions engineering teachers have about this topic are explored and then a proposal of intervention capable of validation is developed. This study considered the perception of 147 engineering teachers, both in the exploration of alternative conceptions phase and the methodology validation phase.