Engineering education and the development of expertise

Litzinger, TA; Lattuca, LR; Hadgraft, RG; Newstetter, WC; Alley, M; Atman, C; DiBiasio, D; Finelli, C; Diefes-Dux, H; Kolmos, A; Riley, D; Sheppard, S; Weimer, M; Yasuhara, K

Engineering education and the development of expertise

Litzinger, TA Lattuca, LR Hadgraft, RG

Newstetter, WC Alley, M Atman, C DiBiasio, D Finelli, C Diefes-Dux, H Kolmos, A Riley, D Sheppard, S Weimer, M Yasuhara, K

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Engineering Education, 2011, 100 (1), pp. 123 - 150
Issue Date:: 2011-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Litzinger, TA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lattuca, LR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hadgraft, RG https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0480-7456	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Newstetter, WC	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Alley, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Atman, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	DiBiasio, D	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Finelli, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Diefes-Dux, H	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Kolmos, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Riley, D	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sheppard, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Weimer, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Yasuhara, K	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Engineering Education, 2011, 100 (1), pp. 123 - 150	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1069-4730	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117761
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND: Although engineering education has evolved in ways that improve the readiness of graduates to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, national and international organizations continue to call for change. Future changes in engineering education should be guided by research on expertise and the learning processes that support its development. PURPOSE: The goals of this paper are: to relate key findings from studies of the development of expertise to engineering education, to summarize instructional practices that are consistent with these findings, to provide examples of learning experiences that are consistent with these instructional practices, and finally, to identify challenges to implementing such learning experiences in engineering programs. SCOPE/METHOD: The research synthesized for this article includes that on the development of expertise, students' approaches to learning, students' responses to instructional practices, and the role of motivation in learning. In addition, literature on the dominant teaching and learning practices in engineering education is used to frame some of the challenges to implementing alternative approaches to learning. CONCLUSION: Current understanding of expertise, and the learning processes that develop it, indicates that engineering education should encompass a set of learning experiences that allow students to construct deep conceptual knowledge, to develop the ability to apply key technical and professional skills fluently, and to engage in a number of authentic engineering projects. Engineering curricula and teaching methods are often not well aligned with these goals. Curriculum-level instructional design processes should be used to design and implement changes that will improve alignment. © 2011 ASEE.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Engineering Education	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/j.2168-9830.2011.tb00006.x	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education	en_US
dc.title	Engineering education and the development of expertise	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	100	en_US
utslib.for	1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	13 Education	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	100	en_US

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Although engineering education has evolved in ways that improve the readiness of graduates to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, national and international organizations continue to call for change. Future changes in engineering education should be guided by research on expertise and the learning processes that support its development. PURPOSE: The goals of this paper are: to relate key findings from studies of the development of expertise to engineering education, to summarize instructional practices that are consistent with these findings, to provide examples of learning experiences that are consistent with these instructional practices, and finally, to identify challenges to implementing such learning experiences in engineering programs. SCOPE/METHOD: The research synthesized for this article includes that on the development of expertise, students' approaches to learning, students' responses to instructional practices, and the role of motivation in learning. In addition, literature on the dominant teaching and learning practices in engineering education is used to frame some of the challenges to implementing alternative approaches to learning. CONCLUSION: Current understanding of expertise, and the learning processes that develop it, indicates that engineering education should encompass a set of learning experiences that allow students to construct deep conceptual knowledge, to develop the ability to apply key technical and professional skills fluently, and to engage in a number of authentic engineering projects. Engineering curricula and teaching methods are often not well aligned with these goals. Curriculum-level instructional design processes should be used to design and implement changes that will improve alignment. © 2011 ASEE.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117761