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OCR for page 12
Engineering ot the Millennium:
a Hew Vision
TtIE CH8NGING WORM OF ENGINEE~NG
As the twenty-first century nears, humanity's world is undergoing
epochal change. The current century is giving way to a global economy in
which market dominance is fragmented, widely distributed, and often
short-livecI. Human affairs, from the international to the personal, seem
uncertain and transitory. Even the end of the Cold War, otherwise an
entirely positive event, has removed tensions and imperatives that lent a
sense of structure to U.S. national priorities for more than four decades.
A long-running global recession has thawed, not into the traditional
economic boom but instead into a tepid and uncertain recovery. While
some industrial sectors appear healthy, nevertheless it is a recovery that
may be threatened by its unevenness between and within nations and by the
great dispersion of purchasing power and personal demand across the
global population. Increasingly austere federal budgets and restricted
industrial expansion in many sectors have become chronic.
This circumstance of general instability and rapid change is having a
profound impact on the practice of engineering in the United States.
Restructuring, clownsizing, mergers and acquisitions, curtailment of re-
search and development, outsourcing, research collaboration, automation,
offshore manufacturing, and offshore engineering (particularly of soft-
ware) are all attempts to survive in the new economic environment or to
capitalize on new opportunities; they all affect the demand for engineers
and the cleman(ls placecl on these engineers. At the same time, the ability
of the federal government to support engineering research and graduate
education at colleges and universities is diminished. And the retooling of
the defense industry toward a focus on civilian technologies, with attendant
declines in the defense budget, has brought turbulence and funding cuts to
large sectors of engineering activity in both industry and academe.
12
OCR for page 13
ENGINEERING AT THE MILLENNIUM: A NEW VISION
13
However, engineering's role is more important than ever. With
humanity's growing numbers and demands placing ever-increasing
pressure on the resources of a shrinking world, creative and thoughtful
use of engineering and technology will remain essential for solving the
problems of energy, food, transportation, housing, health care, com-
munication, manufacturing, education, and environmental protection
ant! for fulfilling all the other requirements of modern life (NAE,
1991).
An explosion of technology is occurring. It is not an explosion that
affects the outward look of the landscape, as occurred in the period
from 1850 to 1950 with the emergence of factories, large bridges and
dams, automobiles and airplanes, highway systems, electric power
systems, telephones, and televisions. Instead, it is a revolution in the
way things are clesignecI, made, and controlled in what they are made
of and how they work.
This technological revolution is more subtle than past ones but just
as pervasive and important in its impact on human life. Many of the
technologies of today and tomorrow are internal rather
than external in their function and impact; often they
operate on a microscopic and molecular scale-or even
invisibly, in the electromagnetic spectrum. New mate-
rials, for example, are opening the door to superconduc-
tivity, microelectronic robots, embedded sensors, hu-
man organ replacement, and ever-smaller and more
powerful computers. Biotechnology, to take another
example, holds enormous promise for producing a
variety of small revolutions in medicine, agriculture,
and other fields. Computerization and information tech-
nology are driving an accelerating increase in the pro-
ductive organization of human enterprise, from manu-
facturing and business to entertainment, telecommuni-
cations, transportation systems, and the "information
highway."
The changes affecting engineering are not just economic and
technological but also social and cultural. In the United States, a
demographic shift is occurring on a scale equal to those of the early
twentieth century, as immigration from Latin America and Asia
together with the growing population of resident Hispanic and African
Americans alter the traditional U.S. view of "minority" and "major-
ity." Along with the entry of large numbers of women into the
workforce over the past two (leca(les, these demographic shifts mean
that engineering traclitionally a bastion of white males-must re-
shape many of its cultural foundations if it is to remain strong and
relevant to the society it serves.
This century will go down in history
as the century of technology. . . In
these almost one hundred years we
developed the ability to move people
and things between any two points on
the globe in hours and to keep those
points in instantaneous communica-
tion. We sow, reap, cook, communi-
cate, manufacture, travel, clothe,
entertain, educate, research, manage,
cure, and kill by highly technological
means.
Simon Ramo (Ramo, 1988)
OCR for page 14
14
ENGINEERING EDUCATION: DESIGNING AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM
There is a widening recognition of the responsibility of engineers
to consoler the social and environmental impact of their work. in
sharp contrast to the attitudes and practices that prevailed at mid-
century and before, engineers today are required to (resign sustain-
able systems that consider as crucial inputs the environmental impact
of their manufacture and use, their accessibility to people of diverse
ethnicity and physical abilities, their safety, and their recyclability.
The means of (lelivery of engineering work are also changing;
engineering work is no longer delivered solely through tangible
products. Engineering services ranging from (resigns to software
systems to technology assessments are ~lelivered electronically around
the world. Engineering education is very much an engineering
service, and it, too, requires effective delivery systems.
Other changes are having a major impact on education generally.
Television, computers, and video games appear to have modifiecl
significantly the ways that young people learn and are willing to
learn. A number of societal factors have contributed to a loss of
academic discipline that Yields among other things' fewer youn~-
. .. . . .
./ ~7 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (~ _ 7 _ _ _ ~_ _ Cal
sters with an orientation toward and strong skills in mathematics and
science.
All these aspects of the changing context of engineering affect
. . . . . . By.
engineering education In various ways. ~ ne engineering education
system is feeling the stress of changing external conditions but has
undergone only limitecl and sporadic changes in response; like all
establishecl enterprises, it resists large-scale change. But the time for
such change is now at hand. There is an urgent need for new vision
and for taking stock to see where changes must be made if the system
is to continue meeting the needs of the nation now and in the coming
century.
VISION FOR ME E-FIRST CENTURY
Engineering will be challenged as never before to shape the nature
and quality of life in the twenty-first century. Engineering education
will be at the forefront of the effort to meet that challenge.2 The BEEd
envisions a U.S. engineering education system that is highly adapt-
able to the demands of the future, producing well-rouncled profes
1Other authoritative groups are also recognizing this need. For example, in Octo-
ber 1994, the results of a major study, Engineering Education fo7- a Changing
World, were announced by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE,
1994), and the report Restructuring Engineering Education was issued by NSF in
March 1995 (NSF, 1995).
2The use of "will" describes an ideal future state; it should not be read as an
imperative dictate.
OCR for page 15
ENGINEERING AT THE A/IILLENNIUM: A NEW VISION
15
signal engineers able to work together efficiently in teams to identify
and solve complex problems in industry, academe, government, and
society.
Along with engineering itself, engineering education in the twenty-
first century will have found new priorities ant! a new social role suited
to the post-Cold War world. U.S. engineers will compete well in
regional as well as global markets characterize(l by rapid technologi-
cal change and intense competition. More of them will assume central
roles in the management of academe, industry, and government, and
all will have greater intellectual breadth, better communication skills,
a penchant for collaboration, and a habit of lifelong learning. The
teaching of these characteristics will apply to the education of future
engineering faculty as well as to that of practitioners.
Given the rapidity of technological change, it is essential that the
education system prepare students to function procluctively as engi
neers twnetner in Industry, government, or academe) over the full
course of a career. Content-based learning alone must not drive
engineering education. The primary aim will be to instill a strong
knowledge of how to learn while still producing competent engineers
who are well-grounded} in engineering science and mathematics and
have an unclerstan(ling of (resign in the social context.
Ideally, the education engineers obtain at the unclergraclu
DEFINITIONS
Science The study of natural
systems (including physical, math-
ematical, biological, behavioral, and
social/economic systems) in order to
discover new knowledge and
improve human understanding of
those systems.
Engineering Science-The study of
natural and/or human-made systems
and processes with a view to the
eventual use of the knowledge
obtained in engineered systems,
products, processes, and services.
Engineering The profession in
which knowledge of the mathemati-
cal and natural sciences gained by
study, experience, and practice is
applied with judgment to develop
ways to utilize, economically, natural
and man-made materials and the
forces of nature for the benefit of
humankind.
ate level will be broad enough to provide a strong basis
not only for a career in engineering but also for careers in
other professions. This will give them the flexibility to
pursue interests and opportunities in other fields such
as medicine, law, and management where they can
bring their technological perspectives to bear in useful
ways, as well as to respond to changing market conditions
~ .
for engineers.
Eclucational reforms at the graduate level likewise will
provide students with the flexibility to function as faculty
members, industry researchers, or product development
team members and leaclers. Graduate-leve! engineers will
be comfortable with systems-oriente(1 work and will be
able to move with relative ease between different special-
ized areas of engineering research.
To ensure that engineers can continue to clevelop their
knowledge and capabilities over a lifetime of practice, the
system will offer a wide variety of opportunities for
readily accessible and effective continuous education.
Industry will establish clear incentives for practicing
engineers to continuously improve their knowledge and
competence.
OCR for page 16
16
ENGINEERING ED UCAT1ON: DESIGNING AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM
Engineering education will endeavor to make students more aware
of the complex interrelationships between engineering ant! industri-
alized society (including the natural environment), encouraging and
preparing them to assume stronger and more visible roles-even
leadership roles as responsible engineers in society and as procluc-
tive citizens (see, for example, Florman, 19871.
As part of that understanding of complexity, engineering graclu-
ates will have an orientation toward (and understanding of ~ the design
and development of complex technological systems. To that end,
they will be experienced ant! comfortable with working on cross-
disciplinary teams whose members' primary expertise might encom-
pass several engineering disciplines ant! the sciences, as well as
.
business, law, and marketing, and in which each member has a basic
unclerstancling of the others' disciplines.
Central to the education of most engineers will be significant
industrial contact and a strong eclucational exposure to the practical.
hands-on aspects of engineering in both large, established corpora-
tions and small new ventures. The undergraduate curriculum at each
institution will integrate the fundamentals of natural sciences, engi-
neering science, and mathematics with early and broad exposure to
these engineering practice aspects, as well as with creative design.
All engineering students, regardless of their choice of career, will
experience this integrates! education. Such an experience is espe-
cially important in the education of future undergraduate and gradu-
ate engineering faculty, for the knowleclge and perspectives of
professors are transmitted to each new generation of engineers.
All these expectations, taken together, place enormous pressure on
the concept of the four-year bachelors (legree. Few students can
absorb all the necessary technical and nontechnical knowledge as
well as the requisite practical experience in four years (see, for
example, Augustine, 19941. Thus, schools will experiment with and
offer a variety of alternative paths to the bachelors degree, including
those requiring more than four years. They will also offer alternative
routes to graduate degrees, including practice-oriented doctoral
degrees as a complement to (not a replacement for) the current
research-oriented doctoral degrees. The role of accreditation in such
experimentation will be a central one. Performance- or output-
oriented accreditation will be developed to encourage the diversity in
educational formats that the BEEd believes is vital for the future of
. . .
engineering education.
In light of the rapidly changing demographic makeup of the nation
and in view of the valuable contributions women and underrepresented
racial and ethnic minorities can make, the participation of such
individuals in all aspects of engineering will become substantially
OCR for page 17
ENGINEERING AT THE MILLENNIUM: A NEW VISION
17
THE PENDULUM SWINGS...
At the core of the BEEd's vision is a
set of imperatives that have been
recognized by a growing number of
engineering educators in recent years.
To talce but one example, the 1989
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
report Made in America called for the
creation of a new cadre of students
and faculty characterized by (1)
interest in, and knowledge of, real
problems and their societal, economic,
and political context; (2) an ability to
function effectively as members of a
team creating new products, pro-
cesses, and systems; (3) an ability to
operate effectively beyond the
confines of a single discipline; and (4)
the integration of a deep understand-
ing of science and technology with
practical knowledge, a hands-on
orientation, and experimental skills
and insight (Dertouzos et al., 1989, p.
157~.
A.
greater. To provide full access to all who could benefit
from an engineering education, engineering schools will
institute mechanisms that ensure that the diversity of
their student body and faculty reflects the changing
demographics of the national and regional population
from which they draw their students.
A very important development among engineering
students and the population in general will be the growth
of an enthusiasm about engineering and an appreciation
of the central role it plays in society. Such positive
attitudes will be former! early. Accordingly, efforts by
engineering schools will aim at ensuring that precollege
teachers and college-lever teachers of non-engineering
students understand the nature and role of technology as
well as the requirements for engineering careers. To the
extent possible, K-12 students will be imbued with
greater knowle(lge of engineering and improved compe-
tence in mathematics and science, resulting in larger
numbers of better-qualified and better-informed en-
trants into engineering study. They will uncierstanc3 clearly
the distinctions between engineering and science. Engi-
neering faculty willingly accept the responsibility to
teach courses that provide engineers with an apprecia-
tion of the traditions of engineering and non-majors with
an understancling of why ant} how engineering is practiced. Engineer-
ing educators' responsibilities will thus extend to explaining the
nature of engineering to all who would profess to be educated, and the
responsibilities of other eclucators will extend to incorporating re-
quirements for technological literacy in their curricula.
The eclucational experience will be richer as well as more produc-
tive. Engineering educators will employ modern, enlightened meth-
Otis in nurturing, teaching, and developing the students. Their teaching
methods will benefit from the findings of cognitive science and will
reflect the changing culture and learning styles of young people, who
increasingly are visual learners-computer literate and computer
dependent. The educators will become expert in the use of educational
technologies and information systems to enhance their teaching effec-
tiveness. Ways will be found to make the (lelivery of engineering
education more cost-effective. (Some of the same techniques used by
industry in its efforts to cut costs-restructuring, consolidation, col-
laboration, and electronic networking, for example will be applied
not only to the business functions of the university but also to some of
the purely academic functions, such as the clevelopment of curricula
and the delivery of courses.)
OCR for page 18
18
ENGINEERING EDUCATION: DESIGNING AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM
The vision of engineering education presented here cannot be
static. Like the engineering education system itself, this vision must
evolve to meet changing ant! unforeseen neecis. The education
system, including curricula, must continually change to reflect the
emerging directions of the engineering profession and the evolving
needs of the "customer" the engineering stucient and practitioner.
To that end, the BEEd considers adaptability to be an essential
attribute of engineering education in the twenty-first century. Diver-
sity of approaches is a crucial element of this adaptability. Engineer-
ing schools must be permitted to pursue these and future needs in their
own varied ways, reflecting the variety of their student populations
and of the regional industries, public works, and other determinants
that shape their missions.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
engineering schools
