UQ Engineering was recognised for its world’s best practice in teaching and learning recently at an international event to determine future directions for undergraduate engineering education.
The Global Sustainability Forum on Engineering Education was held at Imperial College, London, and brought together leaders from industry, academia and government.
The event’s focus was improving engineering education so that engineers are able to take leading roles in solving global problems such as climate change, water scarcity and renewable energy.
Head of Imperial’s Faculty of Engineering, Professor Dame Julia Higgins, said engineers are increasingly being asked to make professional decisions which not only rely on their technical expertise, but draw on an understanding of accompanying environmental, societal and political issues.
“We want to ensure that the engineering graduate of the future is better equipped to take a leading role in identifying issues and designing solutions to local, national and global challenges affecting society and the world around us, without compromising their technical education,” Professor Higgins said.
Carrick Senior Fellow and UQ professor of chemical engineering Ian Cameron was a keynote speaker on the obstacles and opportunities for change in engineering education.
UQ environmental engineering graduate and Engineers Without Borders-Australia (EWB) Director of Education Ms Lizzie Web presented the EWB National Design Challenge – a UQ-sponsored initiative that plays a unique role in Australian engineering education.
EPSA Faculty Director of Studies Professor Caroline Crosthwaite said that UQ’s strong presence at the invitation-only event was testament to the vision and hard work of the teaching and learning champions at the University.
“We were singled out as a University that has made significant progress down the path that many want to go, in that we have increased opportunities for students to develop communication, management, teamwork and other desirable professional and generic skills,” Professor Crosthwaite said.
Professor Crosthwaite spent six months earlier this year on secondment to the prestigious College as Visiting Professor in Engineering Education and will remain as a consultant in this role for the next two years.
UQ Engineering’s teaching and learning initiatives include an innovative Orientation to Engineering program, the development of a new Engineering Learning Centre for first year students, and the adoption of the EWB National Design Challenge as the framework for first year student projects.
Further information and highlights from the forum can be viewed here.
Media: Kim Jensen at UQ Engineering (07 3346 9976, k.jensen@uq.edu.au)
