1) To be successful in engineering school and careers, students must learn to become problem solvers rather than relying on professors to provide all the answers. 2) Students should discover their own learning styles and how they best learn since engineering instructors' teaching styles may not always match. 3) Engineering students should seek help from instructors when needed by asking clarifying questions, making appointments during office hours, and attempting problems independently first before asking for help.

1. How to Study Engineering
If implemented, the study skills outlined below will not only help you become a
more successful engineering student, they'll make the study of engineering
much more enjoyable!
Become a problem solver.
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In high school all you had to do was show up for class, listen to the wisdom
and truth spewing forth from your teacher and soak it up. If you did this, you'd
be able to complete your assignments with relative ease and pass your
exams. That approach may have worked for you in high school, but it starts to
fall apart in college–especially if you choose to major in a field of engineering.
In the real world, there aren't any professors spoon feeding you information,
giving you homework, providing lectures full of useful information, or end of
semester exams for you to prove yourself. In the real world there are simply
problems–usually poorly defined problems. These problems require solutions
that are either acceptable or unacceptable. There is no partial credit for
solutions that don't work–or that sort of work. If you design landing gear for
twenty airplanes and one set of gear fails, you're not going to get a 95 percent
and a pat on the back.
In order to excel in engineering, either academically or professionally, you
need to change your mindset. You need to learn to not count on someone
else to tell you everything you need to know to solve problems. You need to
learn (1) how to discover what you need to know and then (2) where to go to
find it.
Discover your learning style.
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Every student has a different learning style. Some students are visual learners
(learn through imagery and spatial understanding), others are auditory
learners (learn through listening and sound), and some are physical learners
(learn through hands-on, tactile interaction). In all, there are seven unique

2. learning styles. You may have a dominant learning style or a mix of learning
styles. As an engineering student, identifying and understanding your learning
style can be helpful, especially when your instructor's teaching style does not
match your learning style.
Some engineering instructors are guilty of using a lot of words and formulas
as they lecture but neglect to employ visual imagery (pictures, diagrams, flow
charts, sketches, etc.) For a student that is a visual learner, this can be
frustrating and problematic. Other instructors are big into mathematical theory
and formulas but provide little in the way of real-world examples and
application. For a student that is a physical learner, this makes learning
challenging. Your first job as an aspiring engineer is to discover your learning
style, your professor's teaching style, and figure out how to fill in the gaps.
You can discover your learning style by reading
https://oke.io/kid1R.
Seek help from your instructor.
Contrary to popular belief, instructors are hired to teach, not to lecture.
Lecturing is just one form of teaching–and not always the most effective.
Instructors are there to help you learn, and in most cases they really want you
to succeed. If there is something you're not understanding during a lecture,
raise your hand and ask a "clarifying" question. While it's acceptable to say, "I
don't understand." It's far better to ask a clarifying question that allows the
instructor to provide you specific information to help you gain clarity and
understanding. Asking clarifying questions also tells the instructor that you
were paying attention. Examples of clarifying questions include:
 How is this theory applied in the real world?
 Could you provide an example of when this formula might be used?
 Could you sketch what that (solution, device, etc.) might look like?
 How is this equation applied in practice?
 Where did that formula come from?
 I still don't understand when that formula is used.
In order to ask clarifying questions it's important that you come to class
prepared and pay attention to the lecture. Asking clarifying questions not only
helps you learn, it helps your entire class.

3. Most engineering instructors are happy to answer any question you have
during class. However, there are a few who don't handle questions very well–
especially if they have a lecture they're trying to get through. If you happen to
get an instructor who is hostile towards questions, make an appointment to
meet with your instructor during office hours to get your questions answered.
Don't ask questions that you could have answered yourself with a little study
or research. No one likes to have their time wasted. Never ask your instructor
for help with a problem until after you've spent ample time and effort trying to
figure it out on your own. When you ask your instructor for help figuring out
the solution to a problem, be prepared to present ALL the work you've
performed in your attempt to solve it.
When at all possible, go as a group during your instructor's office hours to
seek solutions to problems you're unable to solve on your own. Going as a
group shows your instructor that you've made a legitimate attempt to solve the
problem and he'll likely feel like his time is being better spent by helping
several of his students instead of just one.
Read your textbook with purpose... but read it.
There are many reasons students read textbooks. Often, it's to find an answer
to a homework problem they're trying to solve. In an effort to find specific
information, they skim through the text, ignoring much of what's presented, in
order to find clues and examples that will help them solve their homework
problem. After completing their homework assignment, they ignore their text
until another set of problems is assigned.
Many engineering texts cover important theoretical material, providing real-
world examples of how engineering theories are applied in practice. When the
text is only used to answer assigned homework problems, students miss out
on valuable learning opportunities that will help them down the road in other
engineering courses and later in their careers.
Form a study group.
Working with a study group can be beneficial for any student. However, for the
engineering student, working with a study group is particularly advantageous.
The benefits of working with a study group for engineering students include:

4.  Engineering is a changing field of study. It's not uncommon for students to
get stuck on a problem and want to give up. When working as a group,
students are able to find solutions to challenging engineering problems that
they may not have been able to solve on their own.
 Study groups allow for various perspectives and expose alternative ways
to solve problems. Even when you're able to solve a problem, someone in
your group may come up with a solution that is more effective and efficient
than your solution.
 Study groups create environments where teaching occurs. As engineering
students share with one another their knowledge, insights and
understanding on engineering theories, formulas, equations they reinforce
their own understanding. Most instructors will attest, to teach a subject is
the most effective way to learn it.
 Study groups foster a collaborative learning environment. Research
suggests that collaborative learning is very effective. Studies show that
students who regularly participate in study groups retain what they learn
longer, gain a better understanding of concepts and theories, enjoy
coursework more, gain more self-confidence, and perform better in class
than students who work on their own or have a competitive attitude toward
other engineering students (D.W. Johnson, R.T. Johnson, and K.A. Smith,
Cooperative Learning, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 4,
George Washington University, Washington, DC, 1991.)
 Study groups engender teamwork. Once you enter the workforce, you'll
find that almost all engineering projects are performed by teams of
engineers. Working with a study group will help you develop team building
skills and prepare you to be a team player.
Some study groups are more effective than others. Effective study groups for
engineering students share the following characteristics.
 Groups of 3 to 5
Study groups should include at least three engineering students but no
more than five. With fewer than three students, study groups tend to be
ineffective because a sufficient variety of approaches, insights, knowledge
and ideas are not offered. In groups greater than five, there is a tendency
for some students to do most of the work while others are left out of the
active problem-solving process.
 Do the work by yourself first.
The most challenging aspect of solving engineering problems is figuring
out how to get started. It's important that every student figures how to solve
engineering problems on their own. It's not uncommon for one student in a
group to be quicker than the rest in initiating the problem solving process. If

5. the same student initiates every solution, then the other students in the
group will never gain the confidence or ability to set up and tackle
engineering problems on their own. Before working on engineering
problems with your group, outline the solution to problems yourself.
 Every group member must understand every solution.
One of the challenges of study groups (especially in engineering) is that
one or two group members often develop a solution to a problem while the
others just sort of follow along, not really participating in the problem
solving process. Effective study groups ensure that all group members
participate in finding solutions and that all solutions are thoroughly
understood by each group member. Before a group study session is
ended, each group member should explain to the rest of the group how
each solution was obtained in order to ensure understanding.
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