Designing the Curriculum for the 4IR: Working the Case of Biology and Sustainable Development in Bioengineering Courses

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a widely discussed concept even at levels such as the World Economic Forum (WEF). The need for higher education to respond to this is urgent, since the power of new 4IR technologies on positive social impacts or devastating damage to the environment is already upon us. Substantial changes to the science and technology curriculum are required to allow students to develop skills in the specific areas of Biotechnology, Genomics, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Sustainability and Nanomaterials. Biotechnology and Sustainability are gaining more interest in all sectors, including education. Sustainable Development is one of the transversal knowledge and skills in the world of Engineering that has the potential to redesign education in the 4IR. In this study, we present the results of the implementation of a subject, Biology and Sustainable Development, available for all the academic programs of engineering within the framework of the new model Tec21, a flexible educational model. Our results show that granting the subject in the classroom either in person or in a synchronous digital system through FIT courses (Flexible, Interactive, and Technology) is of great importance for future studies of engineering students, regardless of the program they are enrolled in. Only the design of this type of materials based on the 4IR can prepare students for the new challenges facing the Engineering of the 21st Century.