Engineering Education
Engineering education must develop to keep pace with challenging global issues such as poverty, climate change and sustainability. Forward-thinking higher education institutions (HEIs) are already adapting courses to equip graduates with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are necessary to maximise the positive and far-reaching impact of engineering on society.
But constraints exist that must be overcome if these improvements are to be scaled-up and maintained over time. Importantly, there is often a lack of knowledge of global issues amongst teaching staff and resistance to what is seen by some as a ‘dilution’ of core engineering content.
EAP’s Programme
EAP works with UK based HEIs, regulatory bodies and specialist research institutes to strengthen the commitment and capacity of engineering faculties and staff members to embed global issues within the learning of engineering undergraduates. We do this through a range of activities including research, advocacy, policy advice and supporting professional development.
EAP has commenced a new three-year programme of work in this area funded by the DFID Development Awareness Fund. This project brings together for the first time the leading organisations in the UK responsible for curriculum review, professional development and accreditation in engineering education to focus on global issues. Partners will include: Development Education Research Centre (DERC) of the Institute of Education, the Engineering Subject Centre (EngSC), the Engineering Professors' Council (EPC), Engineering Council UK (ECUK) and Practical Action.
This project will build the knowledge and understanding of the challenges and prospects for development amongst academic staff and enable them, through embedding global issues in the curriculum, to impart this knowledge and understanding to engineering undergraduates. Academics will be equipped to help undergraduates understand that for engineering knowledge to be effective, it must be integrated into the social, economic and institutional aspects of development and that they must join their knowledge with that of other specialists through interdisciplinary approaches. It will work directly with at least 6 HEIs to strengthen the commitment and capacity of engineering faculties to embed global issues into the learning of engineering undergraduates.
Publications
Report: The Global Engineer – Incorporating global skills within UK higher education of engineers
This report was prepared in partnership with the Development Education Research Centre at the Institute of Education. It was based on the knowledge generated through a series of workshops and key stakeholder dialogues to better understand the current practice and thinking within engineering higher education about ‘global skills’. Global skills equip engineering graduates to negotiate major issues shaping the profession e.g. globalisation, rapid technology advances, climate change and poverty. The publication presents a framework of approaches for embedding global skills into the engineering curriculum and highlights examples from current practice to illustrate these approaches in action. The publication concludes that continued reform of the engineering curriculum is urgently needed to better reflect the challenges and opportunities of a globalised world.
Proceedings: Global Sustainability - The future for engineering education (Proceedings of a forum organised by Imperial College in association with EAP, BP, Slumberger and Arup).
This event was held at Imperial College London on 18th September 2007. It was attended by leading international experts in the fields of engineering, education and international development. This record of the proceedings provides a summary of the presentations, debates and group discussions that took place.
Date Published: June 17, 2011
Source: Engineers Against Poverty