Engineering Education (PDF)

A synthesis of nearly 2,000 articles to help make engineers
better educators

While a significant body of knowledge has evolved in the field
of engineering education over the years, much of the published
information has been restricted to scholarly journals and has not
found a broad audience. This publication rectifies that situation
by reviewing the findings of nearly 2,000 scholarly articles to
help engineers become better educators, devise more effective
curricula, and be more effective leaders and advocates in
curriculum and research development.

The author's first objective is to provide an illustrative
review of research and development in engineering education since
1960. His second objective is, with the examples given, to
encourage the practice of classroom assessment and research, and
his third objective is to promote the idea of curriculum
leadership.

The publication is divided into four main parts:

* Part I demonstrates how the underpinnings of
education--history, philosophy, psychology,
sociology--determine the aims and objectives of the curriculum
and the curriculum's internal structure, which integrates
assessment, content, teaching, and learning

* Part II focuses on the curriculum itself, considering such key
issues as content organization, trends, and change. A chapter on
interdisciplinary and integrated study and a chapter on project and
problem-based models of curriculum are included

* Part III examines problem solving, creativity, and design

* Part IV delves into teaching, assessment, and evaluation,
beginning with a chapter on the lecture, cooperative learning, and
teamwork

The book ends with a brief, insightful forecast of the future of
engineering education. Because this is a practical tool and
reference for engineers, each chapter is self-contained and may be
read independently of the others.

Unlike other works in engineering education, which are generally
intended for educational researchers, this publication is written
not only for researchers in the field of engineering education, but
also for all engineers who teach. All readers acquire a host of
practical skills and knowledge in the fields of learning,
philosophy, sociology, and history as they specifically apply to
the process of engineering curriculum improvement and
evaluation.