Session 6E1

DEBATE: ENGINEERING EDUCATION ISSUES ARE THE SAME ACROSS

THE WORLD.
Sarah Williamson 1 , Fiona Lamb 2 and Lesley Davis 3

Abstract  Do the major issues of engineering education Engineering is a large subject in the UK - there are
differ globally? Does each country require a different approximately 90,000 students spread across over 100
mechanism to support academics in their learning and institutions and 250 departments. Whilst engineering has
teaching effectively? some common themes there is a wide diversity of subject
areas within the discipline. This can be readily identified
These issues will be discussed further to explore how
from the range of courses offered by Universities and by the
engineering education issues differ from country to country, number of professional institutions and bodies who are
with particular comparison between Europe and the rest of affiliated to the Engineering Council. Engineering education
the World. The issues felt in the UK and Australia are
draws on a range of underpinning subject areas and cognate
presented in this paper as a starting point. disciplines and is characterised by laboratory based teaching,
The session will be led by members from the UK’s LTSN industrially based projects and sandwich courses. The
Engineering centre. LTSN Engineering is the national majority of engineering staff and students are highly
engineering subject centre of the UK Learning and Teaching computer literate. There is by necessity a close relationship
Support Network, providing subject based support to with industry, as engineering students need to apply their
promote high quality learning and teaching to all UK technical, management and business skills in an industrial
engineering academics. This subject focused network has context.
been established in recognition that for many in higher Engineering graduates require Continuing Professional
education, most networking and exchange of learning and Development (CPD) to cope with the sheer diversity of
teaching practice and innovation takes place within the knowledge required by engineers and the rapid rate of
subject discipline. change in technology and industrial practice. Initial
graduate training builds on the educational base to provide
Index Terms  Australia, engineering education issues, progression towards professional status. Under the current
support structures, UK professional training requirements[1] there is a need for
more formalised matching sections that could include a
INTRODUCTION significant taught element.
There are many stakeholders in UK engineering
A major consultation exercise is currently ongoing to education including academic staff, students, industry,
establish the UK higher education engineering issues. The professional bodies, the Institute of Learning and Teaching
initiators of this study, LTSN Engineering, are keen to (ILT) and the funding bodies. Involvement with the
compare the results from the UK with issues from across the stakeholders must be maximised, drawing upon the many
world, in order to address the question ‘Do the major issues sources of expertise and information resources that already
of engineering education differ globally?’. This, taken exist in the community.
together with the context for the information discovered,
then raises a further question regarding the necessary M AJOR UK H IGHER EDUCATION ENGINEERING
support structure required in higher education to address the ISSUES
issues ‘Does each country require a different mechanism to
support academics in their learning and teaching The survey of UK higher education engineering issues has
effectively?’ targeted all the major stakeholders but to date, the majority
This paper discusses the preliminary results of the UK of the responses we have had have been from academics
survey placing them in the context of the UK engineering (200 responses) and industry (150 responses).
education background. LTSN Engineering has been put in Questionnaires have been distributed through higher
place to address these emerging issues and its developing education institutions, professional institution magazines,
plans are described. UK engineering education networks and the world wide
web. Many more responses are expected in the coming
months, the results of which will be presented during our
LEARNING AND TEACHING IN UK ENGINEERING session. Here, we discuss only the first question on the
1
Sarah Williamson, LTSN Engineering, Loughborough University, Leics, LE11 3TU, [email protected], http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk
2
Fiona Lamb, LTSN Engineering, Loughborough University, Leics, LE11 3TU, [email protected], http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk
3
Lesley Davis, LTSN Engineering, Loughborough University, Leics, LE11 3TU, [email protected], http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk

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 Session 6E1

questionnaire where the community was asked to rate the while professional status reflects on all aspects of HE from
major issues in engineering education. Table I shows the undergraduate entry to professional salaries.
responses to date expressed as a percentage of the total
number who rated the issue as being ‘Important’ or ‘Very M AJOR AUSTRALIAN H IGHER EDUCATION
Important’. The academics and industrial viewpoints are ENGINEERING ISSUES
shown separately, ordered by the ‘Total’ column.
Engineering education in Australia is in transition[5].
TABLE I Although there has been no national survey in Australia on
MAJOR I SSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMUNITY TO DATE the issues in engineering education since the report
Issue Acad Ind "Changing the Culture; Engineering Education into the
Preparing graduates with eng skills and knowledge 86% 94% Future”, written for the Institution of Engineers, Australia,
for industry
Content of degree programmes 84% 92%
was published in December, 1996, a recent paper has stated
Students’ motivation to learn 82% 82% that the over-riding theme in engineering education in
Decreasing maths knowledge and skills acquired at 81% 77% Australia is one of change[5] . This is due to factors such as
‘A’ level the background of students entering engineering degree
Students’ key skills, e.g. interpersonal, team 78% 81% courses, the nature and status of the work for professional
working and IT skills
Professional status of engineers 77% 80% engineers in a global economy and the Australian
Assessment of students’ learning (knowledge and 78% 77% government policy affecting quality assurance of high
skills) education. These issues are all very similar to those
Limited resources (time, facilities) available for 85% 66% expressed and felt by UK academics.
innovation in HE The Australian response to these concerns is to provide
Continuing professional development and matching 70% 75%
sections courses that contain more professional education
Use of IT (including the internet) in degree 74% 69% approaches, providing a practice-related situation in which
programmes to use the new theoretical knowledge learnt by students.
Relative status of teaching and research in higher 75% 58% One example of this is team-based learning and this has been
education
The development of flexible/distance learning 52% 58%
used in a unique way at Monash University, Australia for the
Threat to higher education by commercial 39% 21% last three years where team projects are multi-disciliplinary,
organisations bringing together students from engineering, product design,
marketing and accountancy, with idustrial support.
Table I shows that academics and industry are broadly
in agreement about the general order of the given issues. UK S UPPORT S TRUCTURE
Both rate content of engineering degree programmes and
The UK-wide Learning and Teaching Support Network
preparing graduates with the necessary skills as vital issues.
(LTSN), launched in January 2000, is funded at over eight
Not surprisingly, academics are also very concerned about
million pounds sterling per annum over an initial five-year
limited resources whereas industry worries more about the
period. It comprises 24 subject centres, a Generic Centre
professional status of engineers. Other issues such as student
and a programme director to manage and co-ordinate the
motivation and mathematical ability are also rated highly by
network, based at the ILT at York. As well as LTSN
both categories. These results are more or less as expected
Engineering, engineers are also likely to interact with the
and back up the more informal picture that has developed
Built Environment, Physical Sciences, Materials, Languages,
from departmental visits. More surprisingly, neither
Computer Sciences and Mathematics centres.
academics nor industry have rated the development of
The Network was established following a review[6] of
flexible and distance learning as an important issue. This is
existing learning and teaching initiatives which
unexpected as this is a common agenda item in HE and
acknowledged that academics best appreciate, assimilate and
much money is being invested in this area through initiatives
implement a pedagogic approach when presented to them
such as the ESPRC[2] , the e-University[3] and DfEE[4] .
within their own discipline. It recommended establishing a
Considering the more qualitative responses provided to
subject-based support network with a broad focus across all
support most important issues, the survey shows that both
learning and teaching activity.
industry and academics are keen to open up dialogue to
The LTSN supports the Teaching Quality Enhancement
ensure that graduates are equipped with the skills industry
Fund (TQEF), which delivers the Higher Education Funding
actually needs, rather than the skills industry is believed to
Council for England’s (HEFCE) Learning and Teaching
need. Industry feels that too much is being taught in too
Strategy through a single integrated fund[7]. HEFCE’s
short a time, which is encouraging shallow learning and less
Learning and Teaching Strategy has five main purposes:
retention of engineering fundamentals. Academics feel that
the content of degree programmes needs to be updated and • Encouragement and reward.
revised frequently. Limited resources usually manifest itself • Co-ordination and collaboration.
as a lack of time to commit to addressing the known issues, • Disseminating and embedding good practice.

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 Session 6E1

• Research and innovation. priority, although academics believe it would be useful to

• Building capacity for change. have one. Researching and publishing in engineering
education is not seen as high priority, or a particularly useful
These five purposes of the Learning and Teaching service. This probably reflects the desperate need by
Strategy are delivered through three funding strands: engineers for practical solutions and direct support for the
institutional, subject and individual. The institutional strand pressing issues identified.
involves university Learning and Teaching strategies. The
subject strand is supported through two streams of funding: TABLE III
the LTSN and the Fund for the Development of Teaching RATING OF CENTRE’ S SERVICES
Centre’s Services Total
and Learning (FDTL)[8] . The individual strand includes the
Good practice reports 89%
National Teaching Fellowship Scheme [9] . L&T case studies 88%
Collection of L&T resources 80%
LTSN ENGINEERING Workshops and seminars 79%
Register of expertise 74%
LTSN Engineering, hosted by Loughborough University, Local contacts 70%
promotes quality learning and teaching by stimulating the Regional events 65%
sharing of good practice and innovation through the Question banks 64%
Working groups 61%
provision of subject-based support. The Centre’s three key
Software & book reviews 60%
aims are to: Advice and consultation 55%
• Create a national focus that is an accepted and essential L&T journal 52%
point of contact for all ni volved in higher education Encouraging publications 51%
engineering. L&T research conferences 49%
• Collate and disseminate good practice and innovation in
learning and teaching in higher education engineering.
CONCLUSION
• Provide co-ordination and support for learning and
teaching in higher education engineering. The survey has already revealed that the UK engineering
community feels that many engineering education issues are
The Centre is developing operational and strategic plans of vital importance. The issues in Australia appear to be very
in line with the emerging issues being expressed by the similar to those felt in the UK. What are the major issues in
survey. Both academics and industry have been asked what your country and how do these compare to the UK?
they feel the Centre’s priorities should be. Their responses The limited resources and resulting lack of time
are shown in Table II expressed as a percentage of those becomes particularly important as structures to address these
who rated statements as ‘very important’ or ‘important’. issues are put in place – direct support and practical
solutions are what is wanted by engineering academics.
TABLE II These findings added to the diversity and scale of learning
RATING OF CENTRE’ S P RIORITIES
Centre’s Priorities Total
and teaching in UK engineering provide a challenging task
Understanding and sharing 90% to provide effective, useful support. Can we work together
Material source 81% on an international field to support each other in this task?
Implementation & embedding 81%
Links with stakeholders 80% REFERENCES
Information and advice 77%
Identifying funding 74% [1] http://www.engc.org.uk/sartor
C&IT 71%
[2] http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/
Research 64%
Register of expertise 60% [3] http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/HEFCE/2000/00_43.htm
Subject Review 56%
[4] http://www.dfee.gov.uk
Diverse Learners 53%
[5] Briggs, H, Hodgson, P, “The Changing Culture and Practice of
The services deemed by academics to be ‘very useful’ Undergraduate Engineering Education in Australia”, British Journal
of Engineering Education, Vol 1, No 2, December 2000, pp 31-41
or ‘useful’ to support these priorities (industry was not asked
this question) are shown in Table III. [6] An evaluation of the Computers in Teaching Initiative and Teaching
The identified priorities and services wanted map onto and Learning Technology Support Network, HEFCE Report 98/47,
September 1998.
each other fairly well. For example, the top three priorities
of understanding and sharing, material source and [7] Learning and Teaching, Strategy and Funding, HEFCE Report 99/26,
April 1999.
implementation and embedding are all supported through the
top five services. However, there are discrepancies, for [8] http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/new_version/projects/fdtl/index.htm
example, forming a register of expertise is not seen as a [9] http://ntfs.ilt.ac.uk/

International Conference on Engineering Education August 6 – 10, 2001 Oslo, Norway

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