National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 1 National Academy of Engineering Engineer of 2020 Project Wm. A. Wulf

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 2 A Two Phase Process Phase 1: What will engineers be doing in 2020? Phase 2: What does this say about what we ought to be teaching today? To avoid non-productive discussions about the curriculum

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 3 Phase I: Creating the Vision Phase I: Visions of Engineering in the New Century Goals: To develop possible scenarios of what the world will look like in 2020 To determine the roles of engineers in that world and to specify the skills necessary to match those roles

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 4 Attributes of the Successful Engineer of 2020 Possess strong analytical skills Exhibit practical ingenuity; possess creativity Good communication skills with multiple stakeholders Business and management skills; Leadership abilities High ethical standards and a strong sense of professionalism Dynamic/agile/resilient/flexible Lifelong learners Ability to frame problems, putting them in a socio- technical and operational context

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 5 Phase II: Educating the 2020 Engineer Phase II: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century This is the most exciting period in human history for science and engineering. The explosive advances in knowledge, instrumentation, communication, and computational capabilities create a mind-boggling playing field for the next generation... It is important to remember that students are driven by passion, curiosity, engagement and dreams. -- Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus, MIT... lays down the broad strategies needed to meet the education challenges that lie ahead. The primary activity of Phase II was a national summit of 100+ current and emerging leaders in engineering and engineering education.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 6 Challenges Attrition rate in engineering education is unacceptably high. 24/7 Engineering and outsourcing –Value and productivity issues –Innovation and entrepreneurialism Preparation and awareness of HS Graduates

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 7 Challenges Diversity and Demographic shifts Rapidly increasing knowledge base and the increasing need for interdisciplinary understanding Assessing the effectiveness of teaching/learning of engineering concepts

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 8 Selected Recommendations Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 9 Whatever other creative approaches are taken in the 4-year engineering curriculum, the essence of engineering - the iterative process of designing, building, and testing - should be taught from the earliest stages of the curriculum, including the first year. Recommendation

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 10 Recommendation The engineering education establishment should embrace research in engineering education as a valued activity for engineering faculty as a means to enhance and personalize the connection to undergraduate students, to understand how they learn and to appreciate the pedagogical approaches that excite them.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 11 Recommendation Engineering schools should exploit the flexibility of the outcomes-based accreditation (EC 2000) approach to experiment with novel models for baccalaureate education. Evaluators should look for innovation and experimentation in the curriculum and not just hold institutions to a strict interpretation of the guidelines as they see them.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 12 Recommendations The baccalaureate degree should be recognized as the “preengineering” degree or bachelor of arts in engineering degree, depending on the course content and reflecting the career aspirations of the student. U.S. engineering schools must develop programs to encourage/reward domestic engineering students to persist through the M.S. and/or Ph.D. degree.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 13 Comparative Histories of Professional Programs Source: Russell, J. S., B. Stouffer, and S. G. Walesh (2001). Business case for the master's degree: The financial side of the equation. Pp in Proceedings of the Third National Education Congress, Civil Engineering Education Issues, D. E. Hancher, ed. Reston, Virginia.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 14 Recommendations The engineering education establishment should participate in a coordinated national effort to promote public understanding of engineering and technology literacy of the public. Engineering schools and employers of engineers should lend their energies to a national effort to improving math, science and engineering education at the K-12 level.

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies 15 Summary The world is changing rapidly – driven by globalization that was accelerated through the deployment of technology. The role of the engineer is changing in response. Engineering Education must proactively change to provide engineering students with the skills, knowledge and behaviors that will be required for success – Now, in 2020, and beyond.