Development engineering

Summary

This course teaches the fundamentals of designing technologies that are essential to support people living in contexts of extreme vulnerability such as extreme poverty, humanitarian crises and situations of conflicts and violence. The course involves both theory and practical work on real cases.

Content

Keywords

Technology, innovation, poverty, humanitarian crises, conflicts, violence, entrepreneurial approach, engineering principles for contexts of vulnerability, Low-and-Middle Income Countries, LMIC, poverty reduction, social entrepreneurship, technologies for development, sustainable impact, sustainable business models, value chains, scale-up, Humanitarian-Peace-Development Nexus.

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

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Recommended courses

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Important concepts to start the course

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Assess / Evaluate Technology needs in Situations of extreme vulnerability
• Analyze affordable, sustainable, and socially acceptable technology solutions
• Elaborate the interlinkages between development, humanitarian action and peace promotion.
• Carry out Technology innovation projects in/with vulnerable communities
• Propose Sustainable and socially responsible business solutions, adapted to the specific context of vulnerability.
• Formulate High impact technology innovation strategies and pathways that can scale up

Transversal skills

• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.
• Identify the different roles that are involved in well-functioning teams and assume different roles, including leadership roles.
• Give feedback (critique) in an appropriate fashion.

Teaching methods

Lectures (100% in English) flipped classroom, guest lectures, group work/presentation, recommended reading list.

Expected student activities

Homework, group work and presentation, reading, some mandatory watching of MOOC videos.

Assessment methods

During the semester

• Written exam (50%)
• Group work: pitch presentation, (50%)

Supervision

Resources

Bibliography

The bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Websites

• https://www.essentialtech.ch/

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/ENV-470