Effect of an educational game on sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility competencies in engineering programs at a Latin American higher education institution

The accelerated pace of technological innovation, combined with growing pressure on natural resources, has intensified concerns about the social and environmental implications of engineering practice. In response to these challenges, engineering education requires a paradigmatic shift that systematically incorporates ethical, humanistic, and socio-environmental competencies into teaching and learning processes. Within this context, the present study examines the association between a Game-Based Learning (GBL) strategy and the development of sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility (SER) competencies among engineering students. The study adopted a quantitative, quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements for the experimental group ( n = 84) and a baseline comparison with a reference control group ( n = 22) was assessed only at pre-test, owing to logistical and curricular time constraints at the end of the academic term. The intervention consisted of a GBL experience designed to foster critical reflection, responsible decision-making, and a systemic understanding of the potential social and environmental impacts of engineering practice. The results revealed statistically significant post-test improvements across all assessed competencies within the experimental group, with sustainability exhibiting the largest effect size among the three domains. In terms of effect size, a large Cohen’s effect was observed for sustainability (d = 1.11; r = 74%) and social responsibility (d = 0.64; r = 54%), while professional ethics showed a small-to-medium effect (d = 0.23; r = 23%). Although causal inferences should be interpreted with caution due to the study design, the findings suggest that GBL may contribute positively to the development of SER competencies in engineering education. Consequently, the strategic integration of active learning methodologies into engineering curricula may represent a promising approach for promoting more holistic, ethical, and sustainability-oriented professional formation.