Promoting Critical and Design Thinking Activities to Tackle Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education

Since 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into force, and for the first time they include higher education. Therefore, higher institutions are finding ways to incorporate them into their teachings and research activities. This paper contributes to the literature on engineering education by providing new insights on how to implement the SDGs at the course level. It argues that combining core and transversal skills, along with case studies targeting the SDGs, is an efficient way to prepare the next generation of engineers to tackle the challenges of our society. Moreover, promoting critical and design thinking activities increases the desire of university students to put their technical knowledge and skills at the service of mankind and the planet. Finally, this paper reflects on the pedagogical changes induced by COVID-19.