I went to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference again this year to get a handle on the latest trends. But like last year, finding them was tricky. If there’s any standout trend in EE education, it’s maintaining the status quo. After sitting through some of the most excruciatingly boring sessions I have ever attended and carousing the exhibits, though, I did piece together a general pattern revealing the current state of EE education.
Curriculum Relevancy
If you went to college and got an EE degree, you know the general curriculum. It’s still pretty much the same—a heavy math and science background with EE courses, mostly digital today. It’s difficult to change the curriculum materially, despite what’s happening out in the industry. While the industry itself moves fast and never sits still, academic programs probably move more at a glacial pace. I get the impression that the schools are waiting for some really big change before they make an effort.
Having worked in academia for a while myself, I understand the problems and the thinking. Once a curriculum is in place and courses are developed, it’s very difficult to change them. Faculty resistance is a big part of that, but you can also blame the system—that is, the bureaucracy of the colleges and universities, the state requirements, and multiple accrediting bodies, who all tend to make you jump through hoops for any significant changes.
It’s no wonder the curriculum seems to be locked in a time warp. Current programs are skewed from what is really going on, but most professors will defend what they do since they are really teaching the basics and providing a foundation. That’s certainly true, but I seriously wonder if some of those fundamentals are no longer as important as they used to be.
In any case, most schools provide a very high-quality education that tilts more toward the past than the future. You will be knowledgeable when you graduate with your EE degree, but get ready to start learning tons of newer, more relevant stuff that you really need to do the job. Oh, the things they don’t teach you in school…
Many educators do worry about the relevancy of their programs. Texas A&M University vice president Karan Watson voiced that concern during her presentation, “Can We Accelerate the Rate of Change in Engineering Education?” She said that more changes are needed sooner to meet global competition and goals in student recruitment and retention.
Also, she said changes are needed to handle the complexity and scope of modern engineering problems. Universities need to master their knowledge of the learning process as well, she added. Many pilot projects have been initiated over the years, but few real changes have occurred. Frustration reigns in the colleges as well as in the industry. Watson didn’t offer any solid suggestions but did say that faculties need to change their mental model. I’ll say.
Yet despite the legacy curricula, the major universities all seem to do a good job at research. The faculty action doesn’t lie in teaching but in getting more research grants. Just follow the money to understand the motivation.
STEM Efforts
Given the poor output of engineering graduates over the past years, there is genuine concern over the lack of interest in engineering among high school graduates. We aren’t producing enough engineers to meet future needs. Most EE graduates are predominantly from India, China, and other countries, not from the U.S.
As a result, there are efforts on multiple fronts to increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) across the U.S. These programs target high school and middle school populations to attempt to get more U.S. kids interested in an engineering career. These programs mostly are in their early stages, so it’s hard to tell just how well they’re working.
Recruitment efforts are difficult because most students know that EE programs have very rigorous math and science content, so they hesitate to get involved. Add that to a very vague notion of what EEs do, and many potentially successful students stay away from engineering. The overwhelming cost of a college education is also a deciding factor.
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