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Focus: Construction engineering and management
Topic: Cost estimating Context: Refugee camp in Greece
Why this case? This case focuses on the construction of refugee camps in Greece. This ongoing humanitarian crisis presents an opportunity for engineering students to consider how their technical skills intersect with a contemporary issue that has a range of ethical dilemmas. The lesson encourages students to explore the tensions between cost and human rights, comfort, health, and safety. The activities were designed to surface biases and assumptions students may make about refugees, and provide an introduction for students to begin considering how power dynamics impact how they weigh options for site choice, materials, and other technical decisions. Teaching Tips
The resources include background information for students intended to help dispel any stereotypes that some students may hold about refugees and/or refugee camps. If students pose questions or make disparaging comments that express harmful views during class discussions (e.g., dehumanizing comments, racist comments, etc.), consider the following actions:
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If a student makes a comment designed to provoke or hurt other students in class or the instructor, disciplinary action is warranted. Be sure to include class / institutional policies in the syllabus about what is expected of students to help create a respectful, inclusive classroom environment with clear consequences if they refuse to comply.
Of course, some students in class may themselves have lived in a refugee camp or had family who did. Privately, invite them to share what they hope you include in the lesson and if they would like to share about their experiences with their classmates. |
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Helpful Materials
The more confident the instructor is in the content, the more nimbly you will be able to respond to student comments and questions. To learn more about this crisis before teaching the case, check any of the following articles: Article on "Europe's refugee crisis, explained" Article on "The refugee crisis: 9 questions you were too embarrassed to ask" Article on "9 maps and charts that explain the global refugee crisis" Article on "Trans refugee fled to Greece for a better life. They found intolerance" Instructions
Step 1: Introduce the case Using the Global Displacement Lecture Slidedeck, provide students with background information about the need for a temporary infrastructure to support displaced people seeking asylum in Greece. Introduce the assignment to build 42 modular homes for a refugee camp being built in Athens . Provide students the Refugee Camp Conceptual Estimate Options handout and the Conceptual Estimate GoogleForm to complete their proposal before the following class session. Step 2: Class discussion & collaboration In preparation of the class discussion, review students’ responses on the Conceptual Estimate Google Form. Step 3: Assessment Ask students to complete this Exit Ticket either in-class or as homework. To assess students' critical consciousness please use the following survey validated by our in civil engineering Scale. For more information about the survey, please check our recent publication. NOTE: If a program collects data about all the ABET standards either for individual grades or program accreditation, students could submit revised proposals and reflections as portfolio artifacts that could be evaluated using a rubric based on the ABET standards. |
Let's Get Started"It is necessary to have civil engineers be taught more material such as this in classes. Knowing and understanding the actual core concepts of civil engineering is obviously incredibly important. Without having a good understanding of the world and having perspective of many areas you are working in, it'll have a large impact on your work. Teaching these concepts can help engineers think outside the box and problems solve, more common sense smart rather than book smart. This mixture of knowledge can help drive success."
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