Title: Semiotics in engineering education for enhancing communication awareness

Authors: José Luis Díaz Palencia; Yanko Ordóñez Ontiveros; Julián Roa González

Addresses: Facultad de Educación, Universidad a distancia de Madrid, A-6, 15, 28400 Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain ' Facultad de Educación, Universidad a distancia de Madrid, A-6, 15, 28400 Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain ' Facultad de Educación, Universidad a distancia de Madrid, A-6, 15, 28400 Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain

Abstract: The aim of this work is to explore the potential benefits of considering semiotics in engineering education to promote communication skills and cultural awareness among engineering students. We introduce semiotic-based activities in various engineering courses at the university level. The intention is to promote students' awareness concerning the role of symbols in engineering, which lead to a better understanding of their cultural and communicative significance. The classroom activities introduced within this work highlight the need for clear, consistent, and universally understandable symbols in engineering practice to promote a universal community approach in the engineering profession. This paper is rooted in the dynamic nature of signs (as noted by Peirce, 1931) and the necessity for pre-service engineers to adapt to evolving symbols as they may appear in their future professions.

Keywords: semiotics; engineering education; symbolic communication; cultural context; technical communication.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2025.148689

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2025 Vol.35 No.5, pp.407 - 419

Received: 11 Jan 2024
Accepted: 10 Dec 2024
Published online: 19 Sep 2025 *