A spiral approach to integrating sustainable development in computer engineering education: from individual to collective reflection

Digital technologies account for 10% of global electricity use and 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, yet sustainability remains marginal in engineering education. This paper presents a spiral pedagogical approach implemented across two consecutive computer engineering courses (INF1600 - Computer Architecture and INF3500 - Digital Systems Design) to integrate sustainable development. The approach progresses from individual awareness through Digital Cleanup Day participation and scientific article submissions in the introductory course, to collective reflection through thematic capsules synthesized from student contributions in the advanced course. Implementation data from five course offerings across three academic sessions demonstrates strong student engagement, with 379 Digital Cleanup Day participations across all offerings, 268 scientific articles submitted, and evidence of transformative learning through student-initiated civic engagement.