scholarly journals Modeling Humanizing Education Through Newly Reviewed Materials Engineering Curriculum

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-79
Author(s):  
Norshahida Sarifuddin ◽  
Zuraida Ahmad ◽  
Ahmad Zahirani Ahmad Azhar ◽  
Hafizah Hanim Mohd Zaki ◽  
Amelia Wong Azman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Materials Engineering ◽  
New Curriculum ◽  
Humanitarian Engineering ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

In line with the current global focus on sustainability and the well-being of the planet, becoming a professional engineer nowadays requires more than simple mastery of technical skills. Considering that engineers are required to have a deep sense of responsibility not only for humankind but also for the environment, engineering education and practices must be reformed substantially to prepare engineers that will contribute to sustainable development. This necessitates updating conventional engineering programs (CEE) to incorporate Humanizing Engineering Education (HEE). Although HEE is an old practice of individual engineers and other organizations outside the academic field, it is relatively new in academic engineering. While the definition of what truly merits being considered HEE remains debatable, many engineers believe that their work involves a humanitarian aspect. To streamline the development of HEE, there is a need for developing guidelines and frameworks for a comprehensive model. Ideally, that framework should integrate humanizing pedagogy in the new curriculum design. The objective of the paper is to share the experience of the authors in designing a new curriculum for a Materials Engineering Programme (MEP) that is embedded with Humanitarian Engineering (HE), which is among the main elements of HEE. Data collection was through interviews, qualitative surveys, reports from the stakeholders, accreditation bodies and benchmarking with other Higher Learning Institutions (HLI). An extensive scholarly literature review was executed to identify shortcomings in CEE and how it could be reformed by integrating it with HEE. The Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF); a strategic framework for academic programmes developed by the university, was used as a reference to customize MEP to better meet students’ needs. Since the proposed model applies a new emerging concept, it inevitably raises challenges related to different levels of understanding among course implementers and perceptions of external stakeholders. Moreover, the developers had to consider the limitations imposed by the university's policies and structures while acknowledging the availability of finite resources (i.e. time, money, equipment, and expertise).

Students’ attitude toward sustainability and humanitarian engineering education using project-based and international field learning pedagogies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Truc Thanh Ngo ◽  
Bradley Chase
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Development Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Humanitarian Engineering

Purpose Environmental sustainability and social contexts are becoming increasingly important concepts. The infusion of sustainability and humanitarian engineering (HE) into the academic core curriculum is often challenging. This study aims to provide an understanding of students’ perceptions and attitudes toward the incorporation of active learning of sustainability and humanitarian concepts into engineering education. Design/methodology/approach A project-based sustainability course was developed and offered to engineering undergraduates. A HE international field experience was also provided to students as an extracurricular activity. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted to assess students’ perceptions and attitudes toward sustainability and HE project learning experience. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the statistical significance of the results and demographic influences on students’ experiences. Findings Both project-based and international field learning experiences positively influenced the students’ perceptions of sustainable practices, social change and appreciation of the engineering profession. Multidisciplinary learning also helped students become more motivated, engage in sustainability-promoted activities and community work and improve their social interactions. Students gained practical engineering skills that they did not typically receive in traditional classroom settings and recognized the global and social responsibilities that are core to sustainable development education. Originality/value The study demonstrates a mixed undergraduate educational model in which students acquired sustainability concepts through a project-based engineering course and practiced social responsibility through international HE projects. The findings help engineering educators understand students’ perceptions toward sustainability and HE, providing insight into effective curriculum design and strategic inclusion of social responsibility in traditional engineering education.

scholarly journals Practical Elements of Mechanical Engineering – An Enrichment to University Engineering Education

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Straatman
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Materials Engineering ◽  
Enrichment Program ◽  
Applied Arts

Practical Elements of Mechanical Engineering (PEME) is an enrichment program developed by the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western University in collaboration with Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology. The PEME program was developed mainly in response to the changing backgrounds of students entering university engineering programs, and to provide an opportunity for students to get exposure to practical courses in machining, welding, metrology, and other practical areas, which complement the traditional Mechanical engineering curriculum. The PEME program is thus a formal avenue whereby students have an opportunity to gain some additional practical knowledge of their profession.

Benchmarking the Integration of Complex Systems Study in Mechanical Engineering Programs in the Southeastern United States

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Kellam ◽  
Michelle Maher ◽  
James Russell ◽  
Veronica Addison ◽  
Wally Peters
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Websites ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
The University

Complex systems study, defined as an understanding of interrelationships between engineered, technical, and non-technical (e.g., social or environmental) systems, has been identified as a critical component of undergraduate engineering education. This paper assesses the extent to which complex systems study has been integrated into undergraduate mechanical engineering programs in the southeastern United States. Engineering administrators and faculty were surveyed and university websites associated with engineering education were examined. The results suggest engineering administrators and faculty believe that undergraduate engineering education remains focused on traditional engineering topics. However, the review of university websites indicates a significant level of activity in complex systems study integration at the university level, although less so at college and department levels.

scholarly journals The Leader-Engineer- Capabilities, Competencies, and Attributes

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doug Reeve ◽  
Greg Evans ◽  
Annie Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Leadership Education ◽  
Technical Competence ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Leadership Competence ◽  
Leadership Capability ◽  
The Many ◽  
The University

There is an urgent need for engineers to participate more fully in debate and decision-making to address the many challenges, local, national and global, that society faces. Engineering education provides graduates with technical competence but there are relatively few engineering programs that directly address development of leadership capability. At the University of Toronto, we have been developing leadership education since 2002 and presently offer wide-ranging curricular and co-curricular programming through Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT). Leadership can be defined as “a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change”. Adding leadership capability to an engineer creates a powerful combined capability. A leader-engineer has the capability to leverage and empower engineering competence with leadership competence.

scholarly journals Transfer of Non-Academic Skills in Academic Context: towards a Sustainable Employability

2018 ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Iavarone ◽  
Fausta Sabatano
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
The University ◽  
Didactic Planning

This essay is an element of dialogue between educational practices acquired in territorial education contexts and the University. In particular, starting from the 10-year long experience consolidated in three educational centres operating in border areas of the Province of Naples, a series of ‘key competences’ have been highlighted that are indispensable to the containment of social risk disadvantage in an inclusion (Bertolini 1977; Freire 2004; Rossi 2014; Sabatano 2015a, 2015b) and well-being project (Iavarone 2007, 2009) from an educational point of view. Such competencies have become subject of a ‘participatory didactic planning’ between expert educators working in these contexts and a university course on ‘Pedagogy of relationships’ within the Department of Motor Science and Well-Being at the University of Naples Parthenope. The participatory planning practice has set the most ambitious goal of achieving a ‘system methodology’ to be used in the curriculum-design of the university courses in order to make the academic education offer a proper link element between the educational demand of young people, the demand for professional skills in the territory and the emerging social needs in order to improve employability processes. The main results that this experience has highlighted can be deducted from the student’s satisfaction survey, as well as from the data collected and processed by the University Assessment Team, in the Department’s Joint Commission Reports, which show a clear and overall improvement of the communication processes between non-academic institutions collaborating with the University for the conduct of internships, training sessions and placement-targeted activities. The empirical evidence and the positive results obtained provide substantial comfort in considering that the experience gained can be a ‘good practice’ to be included in the didactic planning process of the courses, even in relation to the need to improve the educational and didactic offer with reference to the new quality assurance parameters (QA) for the periodic accreditation of the CdS according to the AVA-ANVUR legislation in force

scholarly journals ENGINEERS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMS AS A FRAMEWORK FOR INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Friesen ◽  
Nadine Ibrahim ◽  
Grant McSorley ◽  
Stephen Mattucci
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Engineering Theory ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
Industry Engagement ◽  
The University

Industry engagement in undergraduate engineering education is a community-centred approach to learning that is hands-on and links the engineering theory to practice. This paper provides a review of existing Engineer-in-Residence (EIR) programs in Canada, including the University of Manitoba, Dalhousie University, University of Calgary, Ryerson University, University of Ottawa, and the University of Waterloo, as well as a brief international scan. We consider the motivations behind the institutions’ initiative to introduce EIR programs, different types of engagements, challenges, and opportunities. Programs are also examined externally relative to professional residency programs in business schools, among others, and relative to other forms of industry engagement in undergraduate engineering education. A brief overview of the history and role of EIRs within engineering programs is also presented. The paper will be of interest to those exploring a similar industry engagement framework at their institution, and offers a forward-looking perspective on ways to leverage the skills and experience of practicing engineers in preparing students to tackle the challenges of the future.

The ACCEND program: a combined BS and MS program in environmental engineering that includes co-operative work experience

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.L. Bishop ◽  
T.C. Keener ◽  
A.R. Kukreti ◽  
S.T. Kowel
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
The University

Environmental engineering education has rapidly expanded in recent years and new teaching methods are needed. Many professionals and educators believe that a MS degree in environmental engineering should be the minimum in order to practice the profession, along with practical training. This paper describes an innovative program being offered at the University of Cincinnati that combines an integrated BS in civil engineering and an MS in environmental engineering with extensive practical co-operative education (co-op) experience, all within a five-year period. The program includes distance learning opportunities during the co-op periods. The result is a well-trained graduate who will receive higher pay and more challenging career opportunities, and who will have developed professionalism and maturity beyond that from traditional engineering programs.

How Do Latinx Dual Credit Earners Describe Their Sense of Belonging in Engineering Programs?

2020 ◽  
pp. 152102511989815
Author(s):  
Taryn Ozuna Allen ◽  
Melissa Laird Thompson ◽  
Shalun Collins
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Dual Credit ◽  
Student Organizations ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Campus Community ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Recommendations For Practice ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

This study examined how 10 Latinx students perceived their sense of belonging in engineering programs. Drawing upon Strayhorn’s definition of sense of belonging, we sought to understand the experiences and individuals that facilitated Latinx students’ connections to their engineering programs and to the larger campus community at a 4-year university in Texas. The findings from this study indicate interactions with faculty members, academic advisors, and peers through student organizations facilitated a strong sense of belonging. However, the size and rigor of classes, distance to campus, outside responsibilities, and feeling like an outsider created challenges to students’ sense of belonging at the university. Recommendations for practice and future research are offered.

scholarly journals USE OF LAPTOPS IN INTERNET-ENABLED LEARNING SPACES: ENHANCING ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grami ◽  
G. S. Rao ◽  
M. A. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Electrical Engineering Education ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) is Ontario’s only laptop university, and among the few universities in the world where every seat in classrooms and laboratories is connected to the Internet, and the faculty are required to appropriately integrate the use of technology into the teaching-learning enterprise. In this paper, we discuss how the use of laptops in Internet-enabled learning spaces can enhance electrical engineering education. Issues of importance are highlighted. The discussions apply to the bachelor program in Electrical Engineering at the UOIT as well as to courses related to electrical engineering that form part of other engineering programs in UOIT’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

scholarly journals Factoring Future Generations Into Universities' Strategic Intent: Could a Law Help?

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Strategic Intent ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Legal Mechanism

Wales is the first country in the world to have put into law the protection of future generations through its Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015; the first country to have a legal mechanism through the Act to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and the first country to have put the Brundtland definition of sustainable development into law. What does this mean for the values taught in Welsh universities, and how can the university role be repurposed in the interests of future generations? Building on her research for the book #futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country which was published this year, Jane Davidson, who, in her previous role as Minister in Welsh Government, proposed what is now the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, will explore the opportunities from this new values framework to transform the university sector, in particular, the student experience in Wales, and whether there are further lessons that would be valuable elsewhere.

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