Historical Accounts Of Engineering Education

When engaging in the reform of engineering education, it is important to understand its historical context. For over 150 years, educational institutions have played a major role in shaping the skills and professional identities of engineers. During this period, the appropriate approach to engineering education has been the subject of constant discussions and controversy. Major changes have occurred both in the way engineering education is organized and in its relation to science education. Radical changes have also occurred in the technologies and technical specialties within engineering. Despite this history, and particularly in view of the controversies surrounding the role of engineering education since the late 1960s, engineering schools have been surprisingly stable in their basic philosophy regarding the structure and core content of the engineering curriculum. Only modest reforms have been implemented in the curriculum and pedagogy of engineering education in several decades. Most of these reforms have been focused on increasing the number of technical engineering topics, and solving the resulting problems of disciplinary congestion.