Engineers for Enterprise Study Symposium: Meeting the Needs of Industry in Engineering Higher Education

An Introduction to the Study

Fiona Lamb, Project Director

10th June 2009

Overview

• Background to the study– Aim of the study– Methodology and research questions– What does industry want– The case studies

• Presentations from our case study institutions• Discussion around findings emerging from the case

studies

Aim of study

To answer the question:

How can we enhance a sustainable world-class higher education engineering sector that meets the graduate recruitment needs of industry?

The Race to the Top, Oct 2007: Lord Sainsbury's Review of Government's Science and Innovation Policies

Recommendation 7.17 “Engineers for Enterprise”

“A leading member of the engineering profession should be asked to set up a working group of experts from academia and industry to review current approaches to engineering education. The group should develop, with a number of leading engineering universities, an experience-led engineering degree which integrates technical, operational and business skills.”

Methodology

• Case study approach to review approaches that enable universities to develop engineering courses that better meet the needs of industry

• Plus literature review, HESA data, costing study• Project Management Group chaired by Prof Bill

Wakeham, Oversight Group chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley

• Summer Symposium (today!)• Report based on findings, Autumn 2009.

Research questions (1)

1. What does industry need from HE engineering graduates?

(Literature review, especially Engineers for 21st Century)

2. How do universities know what industry needs?(Literature review, case study interviews)

3. What are universities currently doing, or developing, within their teaching that meets these needs of industry … and why?

(Case study interviews, NSS data, symposium)

Research questions (cont.)

4. What difference are these activities making?(Case study interviews, retention and destination data, symposium, research lit.)

5. What more/else could be done to better enable universities working together with industry to meet these needs in the future?(Analysis of case studies, costings and supporting evidence)

6. How can universities and industry co-operate effectively and be best supported in this process?

(Analysis of case studies and supporting evidence)

What does industry want? (EE21C)

• Universities must continue to teach ‘core engineering’ and not dilute course content with peripheral subject matter

• Disciplinary fundamentals, mathematics, creativity and innovation, apply theory in practice

• Communication skills, team-working skills, business awareness

“Experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams on realistic projects.” Professor Chris Pearce, 2002

Case study progress

Loughborough University Draft case studyCoventry University Draft case studyUniversity of Liverpool Draft case studyImperial College London Interviews completeLondon South Bank University Interviews completeAston University Initial visit made

Experiential components (1)

Category Experiential Component

Student experience of industry

Industrial placement yearOther industrial work placement opportunitiesStudent led voluntary activityStudent mentorsP/T students sharing experience with F/T students

Simulated industrial experience

Constructionarium, pilot plants etc‘Live’ teaching facilitiesIndustrial visits and field trips

Group work Problem-based learning or project-based learningCDIOActive learningGroup projects (that don’t fit into another category)

Inter-disciplinary activity

Formula Student, Racing Green etcCross department projects

Experiential components (2)

Category Experiential Component

Teaching by industry Industrial visiting professorsBought-in lecturersGuest lectures / seminars from industrialistsTraining, mentoring, tutoring etcIndustrial group projectsInformal industrial input

Advisory Industrial liaison boardsSponsored programmes Input from research based linksDiscipline based support

Staff experience of industry Teaching by staff with industrial experienceStaff secondments to industry

Other experiential activities Industrially-sponsored student prizesProvision of other skills – business, personal development etc

Case studies (1)

Discipline Based Support

for change

IndustrialGroup Projects

Sponsored Programmes

Placements L’borough

Activity-led Learning

Coventry

Active Learning & CDIO

Visiting Professors

Liverpool

Case studies (2)

Student Led VoluntaryActivity

Large Group Projects

Discipline Based Support

for Change

Simulated Industrial Experience

Imperial

Advisory

‘Live’ teaching facility

LSBU

Placements

Formula Student

Aston

Presentations from engineering departments involved with the case study research

Engineers for Enterprise Study Symposium: Meeting the Needs of Industry in Engineering Higher Education

Discussion of the key issues emerging from the case studies

Emerging drivers

• More graduates• More employable graduates• Increased quality of graduates• World class graduates

Emerging institutional responses

• Improving retention• Increasing course attractiveness• Introducing experiential components• Increasing student engagement with course• Increasing industrial linkage• Offering wider student experience• Strategic change• Accreditation demands

Any comments regarding drivers and responses?

Type of change

RADICAL CHANGE

Strategic Change

Accreditation, Bologna etc

Industrial linkage

Widening student experience

Retention

Applications

Engagement

Experiential component

INCREMENTAL CHANGE

Any comments regarding type of change or change management?

Emerging barriers / issues

• Requirement for additional resources• New types of teaching requires staff development etc• New types of learning spaces required• Often requires higher staff:student ratios• Impact on large numbers of staff• Engaging all staff in the process• Lag time associated with new build etc• Research / teaching tension• If move towards one pedagogy, will it suit all

students?

Any comments regarding barriers or issues?

Emerging success factors

• High quality curriculum design and content• Excellent industrial engagement• Student engagement• Recognition for teaching excellence• Support for change at all levels• Funding opportunities• Engineering education research• Staff training and development

Any comments regarding success factors?

A chance for any final thoughts on anything you’ve heard so far