What Engineers Don’t Learn & Why They Don’t Learn It David E. Goldberg Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 USA [email_address]

What Engineers Don’t Learn and Why They Don’t Learn It General Engineering at UIUC established in 1921 following curriculum study. Required industrial-sponsored projects since early 1970s. Teams of 3, faculty advisor, and company sponsor. $8,500 from the company to cover expenses. Go on the plant trip. © David E. Goldberg 2008

General Engineering at UIUC established in 1921 following curriculum study.

Required industrial-sponsored projects since early 1970s.

Teams of 3, faculty advisor, and company sponsor.

$8,500 from the company to cover expenses.

Go on the plant trip.

Failure 1: Inability to Ask Don’t learn how to frame or ask good questions. Difficulty probing the problem. Trouble following what has been tried. Problems finding out vendors and sources of information. Historical terms: Socrates 101. © David E. Goldberg 2008 Socrates (470-399 BCE)

Don’t learn how to frame or ask good questions.

Difficulty probing the problem.

Trouble following what has been tried.

Problems finding out vendors and sources of information.

Historical terms: Socrates 101.

Failure 2: Inability to Label Don’t learn names of common systems, assemblies, and components of technology. Difficulty labeling new artifact concepts or models. Linguistically naïve. Mainly comfortable with familiar categories and objects. Hist terms: Aristotle 101. © David E. Goldberg 2008 Aristotle (384-322 BCE)

Don’t learn names of common systems, assemblies, and components of technology.

Difficulty labeling new artifact concepts or models.

Linguistically naïve.

Mainly comfortable with familiar categories and objects.

Hist terms: Aristotle 101.

Failure 3: Inability to Model Don’t learn to model conceptually: Causal chain. Categorize according to list of attributes. Pavlovian dogs when it comes to equations. Need to understand problem qualitatively in words and diagrams prior to quantitative modeling undertaken. Hist terms: Hume 101 or Aristotle 102. © David E. Goldberg 2008 David Hume (1711-1776)

Don’t learn to model conceptually:

Causal chain.

Categorize according to list of attributes.

Pavlovian dogs when it comes to equations.

Need to understand problem qualitatively in words and diagrams prior to quantitative modeling undertaken.

Hist terms: Hume 101 or Aristotle 102.

Failure 4: Inability to Decompose Don’t learn to decompose big problem into little problems. Look for magic bullets in equations of motion. Most projects too hard: Companies don’t pay $8500 for plugging into Newton’s laws. Hist terms: Descartes 101? © David E. Goldberg 2008 René Descartes (1596-1650)

Don’t learn to decompose big problem into little problems.

Look for magic bullets in equations of motion.

Most projects too hard: Companies don’t pay $8500 for plugging into Newton’s laws.

Hist terms: Descartes 101?

Failure 5: Inability to Measure Don’t learn to measure stuff. Engineering taught as abstract exercise. So used to thinking in terms of physics and math, ignore direct measurement. Hist terms: Locke 101 or Bacon 101? © David E. Goldberg 2008 John Locke (1632-1704)

Don’t learn to measure stuff.

Engineering taught as abstract exercise.

So used to thinking in terms of physics and math, ignore direct measurement.

Hist terms: Locke 101 or Bacon 101?

Failure 6: Inability to Draw/Visualize Graphics education greatly diminished. Do not learn to draw sketches or diagrams when helpful. Have difficulty with detailed drawings. Hist terms: da Vinci or Monge 101. © David E. Goldberg 2008

Graphics education greatly diminished.

Do not learn to draw sketches or diagrams when helpful.

Have difficulty with detailed drawings.

Hist terms: da Vinci or Monge 101.

Failure 7: Inability to Communicate Finally finish the project. Do’t learn to present or write. Coach to successful conclusion. “ What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Hist terms: Newman 101. © David E. Goldberg 2008 Paul Newman (b. 1925)

Finally finish the project.

Do’t learn to present or write.

Coach to successful conclusion.

“ What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

Hist terms: Newman 101.

Summary of Quality Failure After 4 years they don’t learn how to Question: Socrates 101. Label: Aristotle 101. Model conceptually: Hume 101 & Aristotle 102. Decompose: Descartes 101. Measure: Locke 101 or Bacon 101. Visualize/draw: Monge 101 or da Vinci 101. Communicate: Newman 101 Industry this would be huge quality failure: “product” inadequate to intended function. 7 failures as decomposition for repair. © David E. Goldberg 2008 http://www.illigal.uiuc.edu/web/ifoundry

After 4 years they don’t learn how to

Question: Socrates 101.

Label: Aristotle 101.

Model conceptually: Hume 101 & Aristotle 102.

Decompose: Descartes 101.

Measure: Locke 101 or Bacon 101.

Visualize/draw: Monge 101 or da Vinci 101.

Communicate: Newman 101

Industry this would be huge quality failure: “product” inadequate to intended function.

7 failures as decomposition for repair.

What Engineers Don’t Learn & Why They Don’t Learn It David E. Goldberg Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 USA [email_address]