Reforming Engineering Education by NAE
Posted on June 30, 2006 Comments (0)
Reforming Engineering Education – National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The Summer 2006 issue of the The Bridge includes the following articles:
- The “Value-Added” Approach to Engineering Education: An Industry Perspective by Theodore C. Kennedy
- A Call for K–16 Engineering Education by Jacquelyn F. Sullivan
- Redefining Engineering Disciplines for the Twenty-First Century
Zehev Tadmor
When I hire someone today, I look for different skills than I did 10 years ago. Today, it is not unusual for good candidates to have global references and experience on projects and assignments around the world. I think we must prepare our graduates for that type of career, because they aren’t likely to spend their careers working in one company, or even in one country. And they must become advisors, consultants, managers, and conceptual planners much more quickly than they did a few years back.
We understand that innovative, technological breakthroughs are made at the convergence of disparate disciplines, yet we continue to draw unnatural distinctions between college-level engineering education and K–12 educational experiences that could tap into the passion of youngsters and prepare them to pursue engineering futures. Our collective challenge is to design a seamless K–16 engineering education system that integrates engineering with the liberal arts so technological literacy is considered a component of basic literacy. All engineering graduates should have excellent communication skills, and, evidenced by reading broadly and thinking deeply, a sophisticated understanding of the roles and responsibilities of engineers in our society. We must prepare tomorrow’s leaders to be responsible stewards of our planet.
It is important to remember that a revolutionary redefinition of engineering disciplines into engsci, scieng, or scigineering disciplines at the research university level will not mean that conventional engineers in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and other fields of engineering are no longer needed. In fact, they continue to be crucial for current industrial needs, and colleges and other institutions of higher education must continue to educate them. Research universities, however, could focus on educating scigineers, who would be equipped with the knowledge and skills to shape and contend with the industries of the twenty-first century.
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