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¿DEBEMOS CAMBIAR LA MANERA COMO
ESTAMOS EDUCANDO A LOS
INGENIEROS?

Jim K. Wight
ACI International
Estados Unidos
 How Can We Improve the
Educa5on of Engineers

James K. Wight
F.E. Richart, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Civil Engineering
University of Michigan
 Outline of Presenta5on
•  Introduc)on
•  Current Status and Concerns
•  Future Challenges
•  How to Improve
•  Summary and Conclusions
 Introduc5on
Students are driven by passion, curiosity, engagement and dreams
– thus we must make engineering exci5ng, crea5ve, and
adventurous, as well as rigorous
Empowerment is more important than curriculum details
Current Status and Concerns
Current Civil/Structural Eng. Curriculum
•  Develop sound understanding of math, science and
engineering principles

•  A strong grounding in the humani5es, arts and social

sciences

•  Develop a breadth of knowledge in Civil Engineering

and an understanding of what engineers really do
Current Civil/Structural Eng. Curriculum
•  Introduce students to the design process and
develop their ability to design structural elements
and overall structural systems

•  Develop wri5ng and oral communica5on skills

•  Make students aware of professional ethics and

social responsibili5es in design (sustainable design
principles)
Concerns with Current Approaches
Ini5al years must be exci5ng – need to mix in real
design issues as students develop their math, science
and engineering knowledge
Lecture format is s5ll valuable, but needs to address
learning styles of students; experien5al learning;
faculty/student interac5ons; student/student
interac5ons
Need to mix in informa5on technology – use of on-line
resources; IT is a means to enhance educa5on, but is
not a learning tool
Broader Concerns with Current Status
•  Growing disconnect between engineering educa5on
and engineering prac5ce; need systema5c
interac5on of engineering professionals with
delivery of engineering educa5on

•  Rapid expansion of knowledge and IT; Scien5fic and

engineering knowledge doubles every 10 years
Broader Concerns with Current Status
Ins5tu5onal iner5a (?)
Broader Concerns with Current Status
•  Growing complexity of design and interdependence
with societal issues

•  Students and faculty need to think and operate

globally
Future Challenges
 Future Challenges
Enormously complex building projects requiring versa5le
use of IT, Big Data and BIM
 Future Challenges
Need for diversified design teams and an integrated
systems approach that addresses sustainable
developments and accounts for society and social issues
 Future Challenges
•  Students must be innova5ve and crea5ve, and
prepared to live and work as a global ci5zen
•  They must have the social educa5on and technical
ability to work across tradi5onal discipline boundaries.
 Future Challenges
Recognize globaliza5on of technology and where
engineering innova5ons are being developed; companies
can find/use high quality engineering talent from variety
of loca5ons
 Future Challenges
Increasing need for a systems approach to engineering
problems; need mul5disciplinary teams with excellent
communica5on skills and awareness of social issues –

Example of UM Solar Car Team
University of Michigan Solar Car Team - 2016

•  Exci5ng
•  Mixing principles and actual design
•  Innova5ve
•  Mul5disciplinary
 Future Challenges
Must be able to ar5culate the relevance of engineering
issues and how they impact public policy issues
 Future Challenges
As we embrace a world of rapidly expanding new
technology, some old problems and social issues s5ll
need to be deal with, e.g. the physical infrastructure
 How to Improve
Students are ready to learn – we need to make the study of
engineering exci5ng, innova5ve, adventurous and relevant to
the modern global society they live in.
 How to Improve
Experien5al and inquiry-based learning – mixing theory and
applica5on; more of a back and forth between theory and
engineering principles is required
 How to Improve
•  Students must perceive an engineering educa5on as
personally rewarding, socially relevant and designed to help
them succeed
•  Integrate ethical reasoning into technical development
 How to Improve
•  Con5nuous communica5on and interac5on between
engineering professionals, engineering educators and a
socially responsible public

•  Lowering discipline boundaries and encourage engineering
graduates to seek degrees in associated fields to develop
poten5al for societal leadership posi5ons

•  Expose students to disciplines beyond engineering to make
more informed ci5zens and able to make socially ethical
decisions
 How to Improve
•  Innova5ve use of new technological developments to solve real
problems
•  Must include an emphasis on life-long learning
 How to Improve
Students teach and learn from each other as well as from
faculty – need to foster both faculty-to-student and student-
to-student interac5ons
 How to Improve
•  Engineering educa5on will only succeed in the future if it is
able to adjust to new technological trends and social norms
•  We must recognize ways in which students communicate
and process informa5on (Facebook, Twi`er, Snapchat) and
embrace those styles to improve educa5on
 How to Improve

Get students involved in community outreach projects

 How to Improve
•  Crea5on of B.A. degree in engineering - essen5ally the
liberal arts degree of the 21st Century

•  Understanding engineering approach to problem solving
will create technically-savvy and well-informed ci5zens
 How to Improve
Create an awareness that exposure to science, math,
technology and engineering is required for wide variety of
societal roles
Ø Enhance STEM educa5on in the K-12 system
Ø Encourage two-year technology degrees
 How to Improve
True professional degree in engineering is a Master’s or
Doctorate Degree – must move accredita5on to MS or
MEng level
 Summary & Conclusions
Engineering schools need to be Adap5ve, Innova5ve,
Entrepreneurial, and Opportunis5c to a`ract the best and
brightest students to pursue careers in engineering
 Summary & Conclusions
A good engineering educa5on is a responsibility shared by
teachers and students

•  Faculty must be willing to experiment with a variety of
teaching styles and must be willing to integrate real-
world experience into the classroom

•  Students must be ac5ve par5cipants to reach a deeper
understanding of engineering and to enhance their
development of a variety of skills
 Summary & Conclusions
•  Faculty and students must interact one-on-one, as
well as in group secngs
•  Essen5ally recreate appren5ceship-type training
 Summary & Conclusions
Engineers of the future must have:

•  A mul5disciplinary systems perspec5ve for solu5on of
complex engineering problems

•  Excellent communica5on skills across mul5ple disciplines

•  Well-developed people skills and a strong sense of how
technological developments and public interests interact

•  An a`en5veness to social and ethical issues in all
engineering projects and developments
Gracias !