What is wrong with Engineering Education? (in Australia) Brendon Parker Dean, Faculty of Engineering University of New South Wales

Student view Not flexible Too much work Boring Poor teaching Crowded timetable Irrelevant content Concepts not well explained Staff inaccessible

Industry view Poor generic skills –Communication –Teamwork –Business sense –Life long learning skill Project management Problem solving Never query technical competence

Community view Role of engineering not understood or appreciated Role confused with technicians and craftsmen Dirty Environmental damage

Traditional Academic View Students poorly prepared at school They don’t do enough of my specialisation Students don’t work hard Student lifestyle does not suit study We know best Students too demanding Teaching interferes with my research Design is not an academic discipline

Sensitive new age academic view Lecturing inefficient and didactic Lab learning reduced Tutorials too large Timetable crowded Broad education needed at ug level

Can we agree on anything that is good? Final year research and design projects Early year: problem solve, design and build Vacation work experience and CooP Employment outcomes

Common theme in what is good? Active learning! So why not do more of it? –Projects –Lab sessions –Group discussion with and without tutor

Perceived problems with problem/ project based learning Expensive in staff time Much less content ‘learned’ Pressure on staff time Student time management Plagiarism Assessment of group work Subjective assessment accreditation

The advantages Problem solving skills Learning skills Concepts understood Self pacing Just in time learning of skills Tools/skills/ideas in context