Educating Engineers

Praise for Educating Engineers"This book describes the need for a major transformation of engineering education to increase the emphasis on developing the skills needed for professional practice. I particularly appreciated the chapters on design courses and ethics. The book makes a compelling case for the need for engineering faculty and administrators to pay much more attention to integrating ethics learning throughout the engineering curriculum." -Maria M. Klawe, president, Harvey Mudd College"This is a very important book that utilizes solid work in pedagogical development and assessment methods to both analyze engineering education today and provide important recommendations about how it should evolve to address the rapidly changing nature of engineering practice." -James J. Duderstadt, president emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, University of Michigan"Anyone concerned about the sustainability of America's global leadership in engineering and the preparation of tomorrow's engineers should read this report. Approaching their assessment of engineering education today as essentially a design problem, Sheri Sheppard and her colleagues provide a detailed analysis of the historical-but still dominant-linear, 'building-blocks' model that focuses single-mindedly on technical competence. In the process, they identify major misalignments between that model and one implied by the expanding needs of a rapidly evolving engineering world and by the substantial body of theory and research on how students learn. The authors identify alternative models and practices, providing numerous, concrete examples of redesigned curricula and practices designed to promote not only technical competence, but also a broad array of other skills that are also needed in the radically changing world of professional practice. The report is a superb blueprint to guide reflection, discussion, debate, and action by all parties with a stake in redesigning undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. And when you think about it, that's all of us." -Patrick T. Terenzini, Distinguished Professor and Senior Scientist, Center for the Study of Higher Education, The Pennsylvania State UniversitySheppard, Sheri D. is the author of 'Educating Engineers', published 2008 under ISBN 9780787977436 and ISBN 0787977438.