Complex Thinking in Civil Engineering Education: A Case Study on Consolidation Settlements in the Geotechnical Context of Mexico City

Background/purpose. Teaching complex concepts in STEM areas has led education researchers to innovate in teaching models. In this report, we present a study of engineering teaching on the geotechnical structure of Mexico City, which is characterized by highly compressible clayey soils and significant seismic activity, which, for the discipline, presents unique challenges for civil engineering. Complex thinking competencies, precisely four sub-competencies, systemic, scientific, critical, and innovative thinking, were examined among engineering students through an experimental exercise on soil consolidation settlements conducted in a Soil Mechanics course.

Materials/methods. Seventy-six students participated in the experience, combining traditional laboratory methods with MATLAB computational analysis. The study assessed students' perceptions of the development of these sub-competencies.

Results. The results revealed compliance in all sub-competencies, particularly in systemic and critical thinking, which underlines the importance of combining theoretical knowledge with practical application to address complex geotechnical problems.

Conclusion. We conclude that it is appropriate to integrate practical experiences and technological tools in engineering education to develop complex thinking sub-competencies. Therefore, we propose to adopt similar pedagogical strategies to prepare future engineers with the transversal competencies necessary to face real-world challenges, especially in regions with high geotechnical and seismic activity.

Keywords: Higher education, educational innovation, STEM, complex thinking, civil engineering

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