Students in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology were encouraged to apply creative thinking and problem-solving skills to address complexities of the real-world issues. Participating in the ‘How to Change the World’ programme is Engineering students: Morakane Mohanoe, Letshego Mogoera, Tlotlo Boom and Lebohang Moloi. The team was tasked to come up with a viable solution to the Cape Town water crisis.

The world is changing and so is education. Universities are hothouses of innovation and entrepreneurship and CUT in partnership with government and business, is moving beyond the traditional pedagogical methods to drive an array of vital industries. Universities as perceived to be economic engines, provide students with the set of skills to compete in the increasingly global workplaces It is understood that when students are exposed to a better pedagogical paradigm and given the correct skillset, they can become robust agents for change in their respective environments.

From 28-30 August 2019, the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (FEBIT) held the How to Change the World (HtCtW) programme for engineering students. The goal of the programme is to expose students to real-world issues, engage in public policy problems, build an understanding of social objectives and apply critical thinking to come up with a credible solution.

About 100 students from different fields of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology participated in the programme. Teams were presented with a broad, open-ended societal challenge, which was structured around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), ranging from issues such as supplying energy services to rural African locations, to finding solutions to overcrowded and congested transport systems in growing urban centres.

Their challenge entailed designing a solution that can help address the SDG 6 and to ensure availability and sustainability management of water for Cape Town and its residents. Students were to present their concepts in a tradeshow-style poster and pitch it along with funding and implementation solutions to a panel of experts, explaining why they believe that their idea deserves to be developed further.

Goitseone Legodi, Electrical Engineering student and one of the participants said that he learned a lot from the programme and saw the power of working in teams. “This workshop taught us about a lot of things, especially working in teams. Our team comprised of students from different engineering departments and it was interesting to see how we merged our expertise to try and come up with viable solutions.  This programme has really been a wonderful and exciting experience from day one. I wish that all student had an opportunity to attend and learn these different techniques for solving real-life problems.”

The HtCtW programme by engineering education is a part of the project sponsored by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa. The purpose is to build a Community of Engineering Educators in South Africa in partnership with the Central University of Technology (CUT), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), and the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) at the UCL. The project is coordinated by Prof. Yali Woyessa, Head of Department for Civil Engineering.