Engineeing Report

Engineers for the Future addressing the supply and quality of Australian engineering graduates for the 21st century Summary and Recommendations Robin King This report is an outcome of a project undertaken by the Australian Council of Engineering Deans with support from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Engineers Australia, the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Engineers for the Future addressing the supply and quality of Australian engineering graduates for the 21st century Summary and Recommendations Robin King This report is an outcome of a project undertaken by the Australian Council of Engineering Deans with support from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Engineers Australia, the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Engineers for the Future: summary and recommendations This report contains a summary of findings and recommendations presented in the report Engineers for the Future: addressing the supply and quality of Australian engineering graduates for the 21st century. Both reports are outcomes of an original project undertaken by the Australian Council of Engineering Deans (ACED) and supporting partners, under the title Addressing the Supply and Quality of Engineers for the New Century. Support for this project has been provided by The Australian Learning and Teaching Council, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Ltd. The original project report may be accessed at http://www.altc.edu.au/carrick/go/home/grants/pid/343 The project was administered by the University of Technology Sydney, with key personnel: Project Leader: Professor Archie Johnston, ACED Past President Dean of Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Project Manager and Report Emeritus Professor Robin King, University of South Australia Author: Adjunct Professor, University of Technology Sydney Project Assistance: Emeritus Professor Alan Bradley, Engineers Australia Steering Committee Chair: Emeritus Professor Mary O’Kane, FTSE ISBN 978-0-9805211-1-5 Australian Council of Engineering Deans P O Box 384 Epping NSW 1710 www.aced.edu.au This work is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial- ShareAlike 2.5 Australian Licence. Under this licence you are free to copy, distribute, display and perform the work and to make derivative works. Attribution: You must attribute the work to the original author and include the following statement: Support for the original work was provided by The Australian Learning and Teaching Council, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Noncommercial: You may not use work for commercial purposes. ShareAlike: If you alter, transform or build on this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a licence identical to this one. For any reuse of distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105 USA. Requests and inquiries concerning these rights should be addressed to The Australian Learning and Teaching Council, PO Box 2375, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 or through the website: www.altc.edu.au 2008 Foreword Over the last two decades at least, Australia’s engineering education system, through its engineering schools, professional institutions and related academies and societies, has demonstrated an ability to reflect on its practice and performance and adapt to changes of technology and the changing expectations of society. Indeed, these stakeholders have endeavoured to anticipate future needs, and position the system to develop graduates who are well equipped to take leading positions in the profession and society at large. The current project has built on the mid-1990s review of engineering education, published as Changing the Culture: engineering education into the future. The recommendations of that review led to comprehensive revision of the program accreditation processes and substantial curriculum innovation and reform. Despite these good outcomes, the anticipated increase in participation by women reached only a relatively low plateau around 2001. The demand for Australian engineers continues to exceed graduate supply. Engineering study has remained a distinct minority interest for most Australian school leavers. Increasing the size of the pool of qualified and motivated school leavers for engineering study present continuing challenges. This report is an outcome of the consultative review of the national engineering education system undertaken during 2007 by the Australian Council of Engineering Deans with strong support from Engineers Australia, the Australasian Association for Engineering Education and the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and funding from the (then) Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Ltd. The research methodology and implementation were largely devised and carried out by Emeritus Professor Robin King. The study examined the state of the engineering education system, with respect to its ability to meet future challenges. The study revealed a diverse and responsive system, many examples of good practice in engineering education that provide a sound platform for future development, and many highly able, articulate and ambitious students and graduates. The study also found system stresses: increasing student-staff ratios; difficulties in making academic appointments at all levels; lower incentives within the system for improving teaching than for developing research; inadequacies in the provision of laboratories; and variable connectivity with industry. The study found a stakeholder community believing strongly that a good engineering degree can be a passport to success in many of life’s endeavours, seeking to ensure that its degrees are indeed ‘good’, and that they deserve to attract to a wider sector of the population. As part of the project, ACED developed a vision for the engineering education system. The Steering Committee guided the review towards recommendations for future action that will ensure Australia continues to operate an engineering education system capable of meeting Australia’s current and future needs and maintain parity with international best practice. Already, five months after completion of the study, actions are in place for several of the recommendations. In commending the report and its recommendations, I record my thanks to my colleagues on the Steering Committee and all who contributed to the review especially Robin King whose dedication to engineering education and wisdom in steering us to a new vision for engineering in Australia shine through this report. Mary O’Kane Chair, Steering Committee October 2008 i Summary of Recommendations Recommendation 1: raise the public perception of engineering Raise the public perception of engineering, including within primary and secondary schools, by increasing the visibility of the innovative and creative nature of engineering and the range of engineering occupations that contribute to Australia’s prosperity, security, health and environment. Recommendation 2: refine the definition statements for engineering occupations and graduate qualification standards Develop, support and promote the concept, reality and importance of all members of the engineering team – Professional Engineers, Engineers Technologists and Engineering Officers – in the successful implementation of engineering work. Review the graduate competencies and reference standards for the qualifications for each level. Recommendation 3: implement best-practice engineering education Engineering schools must develop best-practice engineering education, promote student learning and deliver intended graduate outcomes. Curriculum will be based on sound pedagogy, embrace concepts of inclusivity and be adaptable to new technologies and inter-disciplinary areas. Recommendation 4: improve resources for engineering education Enhance staff and material resources to enable delivery of engineering education that is demonstrably aligned with Australia’s needs and compliant with international standards. Recommendation 5: engage with industry Engineering educators and industry practitioners must engage more intensively to strengthen the authenticity of engineering students’ education. Recommendation 6: address shortages by increasing diversity in engineering workplaces supported by engineering education programs Address shortages in the engineering workforce by attracting and retraining people from non-traditional backgrounds e.g. women, mature age engineers, engineers with overseas qualifications, engineers who have left the profession, and engineers wishing to articulate between qualification levels. Ensure the future needs of employers are matched by the number and types of programs on offer. The full recommendations and proposed actions are provided later in this document. ii Engineers for the Future: summary and recommendations Summary of Findings Introduction and

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