Guidelines for Multiple Choice Questions

Introduction

• Engineering and sustainability are global challenges.
• The document details various challenges and approaches.

ECTS-fiche

• Learning outcomes and learning goals for the course:
• Understanding global sustainability challenges
• Understanding the interconnectedness of challenges.
• Identifying strategies to mitigate challenges and offer solutions.
• Understanding different technological roles
• Assessing and evaluating strategies.
• Developing self-regulating behavior for cooperation
• Teamwork skills
• Lifelong learning

Global Challenges for a Sustainable Society

• Course outlines 13 key challenges.
• The course uses data that is available to students.
• There are exercises that may be useful for additional support.
• The order in which the challenges are given is not crucial.
• The exam consists of cases and multiple-choice questions. A 60% passing score is required.

Climate

• Climate change stems from historical developments like industrialization and fossil fuel usage.
• Climate change impacts various aspects of life, affecting physical, biological and human-managed systems.
• Climate change mitigation emphasizes minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Climate adaptation focuses on adjusting to current and future impacts.
• Climate change involves orbital variations, including eccentricity and obliquity.
• Human activities have amplified these natural variances.
• Global warming is significantly driven by human- induced greenhouse gas emissions.
• International agreements aim to limit global warm- ing to below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels.
• Measures of mitigation and adaptation are explored including individual actions and broader strategies.

Biodiversity

• Biodiversity, its types, historical evolution, and eco- system services are discussed.
• The main causes of biodiversity loss are summarized as the "Evil Quintet."
• The importance of ecosystem services is highlighted.
• Strategies for biodiversity conservation and resto- ration, such as reintroduction of species, habitat connectivity restoration, and natural regeneration, are presented.
• The concept of crop wild relatives and their role in sustainable agriculture improvement is discussed.

Demography

• Human population growth trends and historical evolution, specifically focusing on exponential growth.
• Factors affecting mortality rates during the Indus- trial Revolution are analyzed, including improved health practices, sanitation, and food safety.
• The relationship between mortality and fertility rates is explained in historical context.
• Key factors influencing fertility decline are iden- tified including healthcare, education, and social attitudes.
• Future demographic prospects and the challenges associated with global population aging are con- sidered.

Energy

• Energy is essential for modern life.
• The various energy sources, including fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewable sources, are defined.
• Energy efficiency, cost analysis, and energy networks are discussed.
• Transition strategies for moving to sustainable energy systems, emphasizing the balance between efficiency and cost.

Raw Materials, Circular Economy

• The increasing global demand for raw materials and its implications for sustainability are analyzed.
• The concept of a circular economy is introduced.
• Factors affecting material scarcity, such as the distribution of resources, geological factors, geopolitical factors and structural scarcity and how these shape supply, and demand.
• Different approaches to waste management, in- cluding recycling, reuse, and resource efficiency are discussed.
• The environmental impact of waste generation and management are considered.

Food Security

• Food security considers ensuring healthy diets and the needs of future generations.
• Factors like food production, the impact of con- sumer behavior, and the influence of policy on food production, consumption and distribution are highlighted. - Key challenges related to food security, including climate change impacts, economic and social sustainability, and the need for increased agricultural productivity and responsible food con- sumption are discussed.
• The yield gap, the difference between potentially achievable crop yields and observed yields, is a key factor in food security. Potential solutions to close this gap are discussed, including improved agri- cultural infrastructure, providing farmers with ac- cess to modern technologies, promotion of sustain- able farming methods and supporting research.
• Shocks and stress to food systems, including extreme weather, conflict, and pandemics, are ana- lyzed in terms of the need for better resilience in food systems.

Migration

• Migration is a global phenomenon, driven by various factors.
• Migration patterns and implications for global sustainability are discussed.

Buildings

• Building construction's impact on climate change and other issues is explored.
• Lifecycle analysis of buildings, considering both operational and embodied impacts, is described.
• Environmental issues like energy consumption, resource use, and waste generation are presented.
• Lessons learned from sustainable construction to reduce energy use and environmental impacts.
• Overview of the impact of different building types.

Mobility

• The importance of sustainable mobility and the role of technology in achieving it are explored.
• Mobility challenges related to limited urban space, increasing demand and environmental costs.
• Actions and policies to address mobility challenges and promote sustainable transport are identified.
• Technology options to facilitate sustainable mobility, such as autonomous vehicles and ride- sharing services, are discussed.

Economics for Sustainability

• The relationship between economic growth and environmental impact is discussed.
• The concepts of weak and strong sustainability, regarding how different types of capital can be substi- tuted for each other or not.
• Externalities (i.e. costs that are not directly reflected in market prices) and market failures, especially in global climate change negotiations.
• The concept of 'green tax' reforms to address external costs, like carbon pricing, as tools to support sustainable practices.

Social and Economic Inequality

• Global social and economic inequalities are discussed both in their multidimensionality and as a global problem with specific examples.
• Major drivers of inequality are analyzed.
• The role of poverty and inequality as challenges to sustainable development are understood.
• Policies and solutions addressing global inequality, particularly focusing on human rights, are explored.

Human Behavior

• Psychology of behavioral change concerning sus- tainability issues is explained.
• The concepts of conditioning and motivation, and factors influencing decisions, are considered.
• Relevant biases are studied and discussed, including sunk cost fallacy, endowment effect, loss aversion and hyperbolic discounting.
• Persuasive communication in promoting sus- tainable behaviors is discussed in the context of stake- holder systems.

This quiz covers essential guidelines for constructing effective multiple choice questions. Participants will learn about the key characteristics of question stems and answer options, as well as considerations for distractors. Test your knowledge on best practices for designing assessment items.