Part 3
In our previous blogs, we examined why teaching feelings is just as vital as teaching maths, and how to effectively implement social, emotional, and academic learning in our schools (Read here). But here’s an intriguing question: what happens when universities, the institutions shaping future professionals, adopt these same principles?
In the paper “Infusing Sustainability in the Engineering Curriculum,” a Spring 2010 report from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering, facilitated by John Hardman & Timothy Van Epps, the engineering faculty discovered something remarkable when they began integrating sustainability into their curriculum. What they learned provides valuable lessons for everyone involved in education, from primary schools on the Cape Flats to university lecture theatres in Rondebosch.
When Engineers Learn Like Whole People
Traditionally, engineering education has been purely technical. Calculate the load. Design the bridge. Solve the equation. But Florida Atlantic’s faculty task force realised something crucial: you can’t engineer solutions for a sustainable future if you only focus on technical skills while ignoring the social, environmental, and ethical dimensions of every engineering decision.
Sound familiar? It’s the same insight we’ve been discussing about school children: you can’t separate cognitive learning from emotional and social development. The three are woven together like threads in a rope.
These university professors discovered they needed to teach their engineering students exactly the skills we’ve been discussing for younger learners: systems thinking, collaboration, ethical decision-making, empathy for communities affected by engineering projects, and the ability to work across disciplines.
Starting With Purpose
Florida Atlantic’s mission was clear: “To ensure all students graduate with the professional knowledge, skills, and values to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology and equity of all communities.”
Notice those three dimensions: economy, ecology, and equity. It’s the engineering version of what we’ve been calling social, emotional, and academic development.
Think of a civil engineering project in Khayelitsha. You could design the most structurally sound community centre using perfect calculations. But if you haven’t engaged with the community to understand their actual needs, if you haven’t considered the environmental impact of your materials, if you haven’t thought about long-term maintenance costs the community can afford, have you really solved the problem? This emphasises to educators that community involvement makes solutions meaningful and impactful.
How They Made It Work: Lessons for All Educators
Florida Atlantic’s faculty met twice monthly throughout a semester to redesign their courses. What emerged offers practical insights for any educator:
1. Weave It Into Everything, Don’t Add It On
Just as we discussed about not treating SEL as an “add-on,” the engineering faculty integrated sustainability into existing courses rather than creating separate classes.
A heat transfer course didn’t just teach thermal equations; it examined sustainable energy systems like solar hot water. A materials course didn’t just test concrete strength; it explored recycled aggregates and biodegradable materials. A computer applications course included life-cycle assessments of product disposal costs.
This is the greenhouse approach we talked about earlier. The entire environment is designed for growth, not just one corner.
2. Make Learning Real and Relevant
The faculty incorporated field trips, service-learning projects, and real-world case studies. Students visited recycling plants and transportation labs. They worked on actual campus sustainability initiatives. They analysed real products and systems, not just theoretical problems from textbooks.
For a Grade 8 learner at Rudder4Life or any Cape Town school, this translates directly: connect learning to the community around you. Don’t just study water systems in a textbook; visit a local water treatment plant. Don’t just learn about waste management, calculate the school’s actual waste footprint and design solutions to reduce it.
3. Build Capacity in Educators First
Remember our oxygen mask principle? Florida Atlantic recognised this too. Before asking professors to teach differently, they provided professional development. They brought in experts to train faculty. They created a collaborative learning community where professors could share resources and support each other. This shows educators that their growth is essential and that they are capable of leading innovative change.
This mirrors exactly what we’ve said about teachers in primary and secondary schools: you can’t give what you don’t have. Investment in educator development isn’t optional; it’s foundational.
4. Teach the Whole Student
One course, “Sustainability Leadership for Engineers,” explicitly taught teamwork, systems thinking, ethical decision-making, and leadership skills. The course acknowledged: “Courage comes from the willingness to go into an unknown territory. That is the essence of leadership.”
These engineering students needed to develop their emotional intelligence and social skills to become effective professionals. They needed to learn how to work in diverse teams, communicate across disciplines, manage their own stress and emotions, and think beyond narrow technical solutions.
If university students and adults need explicit instruction in these areas, how much more do our younger learners need this foundation?
The Three Phases Framework
Florida Atlantic’s approach to teaching about building materials offers a valuable model: they examined the pre-building phase (where materials come from), the building phase (construction methods, waste reduction), and the post-building phase (durability, recyclability, end-of-life).
This is systems thinking, seeing the whole cycle, not just the moment in front of you. When a learner in Mitchell’s Plain understands that their choice today affects tomorrow, that their actions impact others, that problems and solutions are interconnected, that’s the foundation of both academic excellence and social-emotional competence.
What This Means for Our Schools
The engineering faculty’s discoveries affirm what we’ve been discussing:
- Learning is inherently interconnected. You can’t teach pure content without addressing the social, emotional, and ethical dimensions. Even in highly technical fields like engineering, the human element is inseparable from the technical one.
- Real-world application matters. When students worked on actual campus challenges or visited real facilities, their learning deepened. For Cape Town students, this means connecting to their communities, solving real problems, and seeing the impact of their knowledge.
- Collaboration across boundaries is essential. The engineering faculty created cross-disciplinary teams. Complex challenges require diverse perspectives. Our schools need the same approach: breaking down walls between subjects, between teachers, between school and community.
- Values and purpose drive excellence. When students understand why they’re learning something and how it connects to making a positive difference, engagement soars. For educators, emphasising this connection fosters a sense of purpose and inspires dedication to holistic education.
From Campus to Classroom
Florida Atlantic’s framework included several elements directly applicable to our context:
- Academic service-learning: Students applied their learning to benefit the campus or broader community while reflecting on the experience
- Life cycle thinking: Considering the full impact of decisions over time
- Multi-stakeholder engagement: Including diverse voices in problem-solving
- Backcasting: Starting with the desired future outcome and working backwards to figure out how to get there
These aren’t just university-level concepts. A primary school class could practice backcasting by imagining what their school will look like in five years, then planning steps to achieve it. Students could engage stakeholders by interviewing parents and community members about a school challenge. They could practice life cycle thinking by examining where their lunch comes from and where the waste goes.
The Assessment That Matters
Florida Atlantic’s courses included powerful assessment questions that work at any level:
- What actions are you taking to address this challenge?
- What do you need to ensure success?
- If you were in charge, what would your top recommendation be?
These questions don’t just test knowledge; they develop agency, critical thinking, and responsibility. They help young people become active participants in their own learning and their communities’ future.
Building Our Own Sustainable Future
The university’s experience confirms what we’ve been exploring: whether you’re teaching thermodynamics to engineering students or conflict resolution to Grade 8 learners, the principles are the same. Learning happens best when:
- The whole person is engaged (cognitive, emotional, social)
- Content connects to real-world challenges
- Educators are supported and developed alongside students
- Assessment measures not just knowledge but application and impact
- Collaboration is valued over competition
- Purpose and values guide the process
Florida Atlantic’s engineering faculty didn’t just add sustainability content to their courses. They fundamentally reimagined what it means to educate engineers for the 21st century. They recognised that technical expertise without ethical grounding, systems thinking, collaboration skills, and emotional intelligence is ultimately inadequate for the challenges we face.
In conclusion, as we work to transform education in our country, we can draw inspiration from these university professors who dared to reimagine their teaching. They showed that change is possible even in traditionally rigid fields, that collaboration makes innovation easier, and that investing in educator development pays dividends in student learning.
At Rudder4Life, we see daily how Grade 8 learners flourish when we address their whole development: social, emotional, and academic. The Florida Atlantic experience shows this continues to matter even at the highest levels of education.
The stokvél of care we discussed earlier? It spans from primary school through university and into professional practice. What kind of nurturing environment fosters growth? It’s essential at every stage of learning. The oxygen-mask principle: supporting educators first? It applies whether you’re teaching algebra or advanced engineering.
Like Table Mountain, built up layer by layer over millions of years, transforming education requires ongoing dedication. But just as those engineering professors found, once you start making changes, even small ones, momentum begins to grow.
The science is precise. The demand is there. The examples exist. Whether you’re in a lecture hall at UCT or a classroom in Philippi, the fundamental truth remains: learning happens best when we honour the interconnection of mind, heart, and community.
Now it’s our turn to build on this foundation. (Read our next blog in this series)
#WholePersonEducation #RealWorldLearning #EducatorSupport #AssessmentForImpact #CollaborationOverCompetition #PurposeDrivenEducation #21stCenturySkills #StudentEngagement