the future of engineering education

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Project Name:Project Name:Engineering ShowcaseApril 22, 2016

Future of Engineering Education – Where to begin?

DESIGN CONCEPTS, INC. 3

A brief (and highly suspect) history of engineering education


ECHOLE POLYTECHNIQUE – FRANCE

1774

US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

1802

US SCHOOLS BEGIN POLYTECHNIQUE MODEL

1850s

MORRILL ACT1862

““

…teach such branches of learning as are related to … the mechanic arts… in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes…

Early engineering education was driven by weapons and defense

Established Land Grant universities to …

French Revolution, Napoleon’s military academy

Formed as a military academy by Thomas Jefferson

Course of instruction1866


UW Madison was an early Land Grant university.

Here’s the required course load for incoming freshmen circa 1866.

UW Engineering Course of instructionBy 1880, engineering was established at UW Madison and you saw the underpinnings of mechanical, civil and a nascent electrical engineering department

Blow Pipe Analysis Shop work Electrical Engineers Steam engines Masonry arches Testing of wires and cables Railway engineering Framed structures Stereotomy




CLASSROOM WORK BEGINS TO OVERTAKE LAB WORK

1880sFEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT THEORETICAL ENGINEERING

1940s

GI BILL – COLD WAR RESEARCH FUNDING

1950sCOMPLEX MATHEMATICS BEGINS TO DOMINATE

1920s

TIMOSHENKO – MECHANICS VON KARMEN - FLUIDSWESTERGARD – CIVIL ENGR



ENGINEERING SWINGS HEAVILY TOWARDS SCIENCE

1970s

HANDS-ON SKILLS DROPPED

1980s

SHIFT BACK FROM PURE SCIENCE TO MORE HANDS-ON AND APPLIED WORK

2000s

THE FUTURE2020s

BASIC RESEARCH APPLIED RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION UTILITY

“I can’t tell whether he’s an engineer or a scientist.” ─ Theodore Von Karman

A period of unprecedented challenges…


?

What hasn’t changed?


What hasn’t changed?Engineering education reflecting the grand challenges and opportunities of the day

Mechanization during Industrial Revolution

Transportation, infrastructure Atomic energy, weapons

during Cold War Power, energy in the 1970s Computing during

Information Age



Tension between engineering as a science and engineering as an applied art


What hasn’t changed?Tension between analytical and hands-on pedagogies

There have always been voices clamoring for more core research and scientific inquiry – and voices arguing for hands on and pragmatic application



Challenges of fitting in all of the relevant learning into a reasonable curriculum




““

The amount of work required in engineering is … more than that required in other college(s). Many students find it difficult… they devote an additional year

to lighten the work or enable them to elect additional studies.

Engineering has always taken on the tough challenges


Engineering has always found opportunities.

But today’s opportunities are new & different.

Hard problems are not unique to today. But today’s problems are contextually unique.

YESTERDAY FUTURE

TODAY

What is different?


What is different?

Higher education is a bit more expensive…


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What is different?

Highly integrated systems cross conventional disciplines with unprecedented complexity

Few design challenges are limited to a single discipline and software-electro-mechanical- biological-materials challenges abound


What is different?

Frictionless global development

Resources, problems, competition and opportunities cross time zones and boundaries like never before


What is different?

Radically different levels of early exposure & acumen


What is different?

Unprecedented methods of gathering, learning & disseminating information


What is different?

Unprecedented pace of innovation

1990: Paper dispenser design All mechanical 3- year development 6,500 man-hours

2006: Paper dispenser design Electro-mechanical 9-12 month development 2,500 man-hours


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The future is here!


Our grand challenges


Stable Food

Supply

Access To Clean Water & Sanitation

Personal Security & National Defense

Equal Education

Opportunities For All

Access To & Progress In Healthcare

Equity In Quality & Dignity Of

Life

Sustainable, Responsible

Housing, Energy &

TransportationStewardship

Of The Earth’s Resources

8 areas of focus for educating tomorrow’s engineers


Areas of focus

Teach the ability to conceptualize concrete solutions to abstract problems

It’s hard to teach,evaluate and gradecreativity


Areas of focus

Engage and connect through team, project, and goal-based learning

Students are clamoringfor context. They want tosee not just the what but the why.


Areas of focus

Increase awareness, exposure and empathy with other disciplines and perspectives

Engineering is a component in the larger ecosystemof society and commerce

Innovation is a team sport


Areas of focus

Reinvigorate hands-on learning

The theoretical and analytical parts of our profession separate us from makersand hackers, but Engineering must keep a foot firmly planted in the real and the applied


Areas of focus

Teach our engineers to become storytellers

Engineers must be able to evocatively describe complex, technical things and a future that doesn’t exist yet to help people make the best decisions.


Future challenges

Erode boundaries and blend between engineering disciplines

Fostering curiosityand the desireto experiment are critical


Future challenges

Inform and educate the ethical humanist engineer

The engineer’s power to leverage expertise for societal,philanthropic, artistic andhumanitarian purposesis clear


Future challenges

Empower engineers as entrepreneurs

Encourage leadership and exposure to business strategy


The 8 areas of focus for educating tomorrow’s engineers


ENGAGE AND CONNECT THROUGH PROJECT, TEAM AND PROBLEM BASED LEARNING

INCREASE AWARENESS, EXPOSURE AND EMPATHY WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES AND PERSPECTIVES

REINVIGORATE HANDS-ON LEARNING

INFORM AND EDUCATE THE ETHICAL HUMANIST ENGINEER

EMPOWER ENGINEERS AS ENTREPRENEURS

TEACH THE ABILITY TO CONCEPTUALIZE CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO ABSTRACT PROBLEMS

ERODE BOUNDARIES AND BLEND BETWEEN ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES

TEACH OUR ENGINEERS TO BECOME STORYTELLERS

It’s SIMPLE! Creativity & problem solving Project, team & problem

based learning Empathy with other

disciplines & perspectives Hands-on learning Cross engineering disciplines Inform & educate the ethical

humanist engineer Empower engineers as

entrepreneurs

All while trying to teach complex, rigorous technical topics


I get it, it’s hard!!!


How do we do all this and stay sane?


Don’t have all the answers. Here are some thoughts:

• Online learning to teach more rote skills leaving classroom time for deeper problem solving, synthesis and application.

• Recognize students are coming in with deeper and more relevant skills.

• Remove duplication across engineering and science courses.

How do we do all this and stay sane?


Don’t have all the answers. Here are some thoughts:

• Students must understand core principles and theory, but technology can release them from some of the laborious aspects of application.

• Reconsider some of our sacred cows in the light of new context and new challenges. Where is there a bit of Stereotomy in our courses that can be cut to make room for new learning?

Learning about learning


Worthy of effort Worthy of research Worthy of publishingCan help put Madison in the forefront

Wrapping it up


Change is the only constant


Students no longer learn about steam engines and stereotomy … as knowledge and society progresses, education changes

Engineering has shifted between theoretical & applied focus to meet the needs

We are now facing “wicked” problems that require engineers to work in a larger context than before

It’s a great time to be and educate engineers

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5301 Buttonwood Dr.Madison, WI 53718

260 Shipley St.San Francisco, CA 94107

Thank You

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design-concepts.com

Prepared By: Dave Franchino

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http://www.design-concepts.com/