Mind the Gaps: Engineering Education and Practice

Efforts to reform engineering education by improving the relevance of learning for engineering practice have not yet been very successful. Analysis of published literature demonstrates that engineering education is predominantly based on a model of engineering practice represented by technical problem-solving and design. However, this model cannot explain many observations of engineering practice like the amount of time that engineers interact with other people. This paper presents a description of engineering practice based on detailed observations of engineers. The new description sees engineering as a human performance that relies on distributed expertise. The paper briefly discusses how changes in pedagogy, assessment and accreditation are needed to close the gap between engineering education and practice.