SOCIOTECHNICAL THINKING AS A CONTEXTUALIZING, TRANSCENDING, AND CROSS-CONNECTING CONCEPT FOR ENGINEERING LEARNING

Abstract

The complexities of contemporary engineering problems and solutions require deep attention to multiple social and technical aspects pertaining to the situation. Sociotechnical thinking in engineering offers a way to navigate these social and technical complexities that inform the way we inquire and design. While sociotechnical thinking as it relates to engineering education has been explored in various ways, sociotechnical thinking remains an abstract concept with multiple meanings and interpretations. Educators and researchers must think critically about dominant conceptualizations to appreciate how these meanings inform teaching, learning, and practice. In this paper, we describe sociotechnical thinking as a contextualizing, transcending, and cross-connecting concept for engineering learning. First, we present three assumptions that may be limiting current approaches to sociotechnical thinking. Then, we illustrate three different shifts in framing sociotechnical thinking to contribute to an integrated understanding of sociotechnical thinking as it relates to curriculum and pedagogical design. With these shifts, we aim to add meaning and richness that expands pedagogical opportunities for sociotechnical thinking in engineering curriculum, learning and practice.