Perspectives on engineering education from the world of practice

Abstract

This special issue on early career engineers responds to a key challenge in engineering education – that of bringing the largely separate worlds of engineering education and engineering practice closer together. There are compelling reasons why the two worlds need to enter into productive dialogue. It is increasingly felt that the gap between what engineering education offers and what the world of engineering practice needs has widened. In her report on the state of engineering education globally, Graham points to the tension between "what engineering science professors want to teach engineers to do, so that they can become young scientists and PhD students, and the needs of government and society, which is to create engineers to contribute to economic development and growth" (2018, 34). Clearly, graduates of professional programmes need to be well-prepared for their future careers and for their future contributions to societal and technical development. So, what role can and should engineering education play in closing the gap between education and practice? Bringing the worlds of engineering education and engineering practice into a closer relationship poses many challenges and takes considerable courage and persistence on the part of researchers. The two worlds have different purposes (producing learning and doing productive work), have different systems, frameworks of operation, and are governed by different policies. A result of the separation of the two worlds over time, from a higher education perspective, is that much of what happens in the world of engineering practice can appear foreign and indecipherable. Accessing engineering firms in order to interview engineers or observe work practices is difficult as practitioners are protected and restricted by company protocols. Some are working on sites that are unavailable to researchers. Many are busy and have severe time constraints. Novice practitioners, who are a particular focus of this special edition, may not want to participate in a research project or reveal issues that have to do with gender imbalances and other power differentials in workplaces