engleski

Transformations in Engineering Education: A Perspective into Changes towards a Holistic Approach

The current practice of educating engineers is undergoing a transformation. The curriculum proposed and implemented during the cold war era, with its emphasis on theoretical knowledge of basically technical provenance, turned out to be deficient in preparing young engineers for their work in the contemporary social, economic, and political context. Therefore, a new holistic approach towards engineering education has been proposed, which recommends teaching practical technical skills, as well as acquiring non-technical knowledge and proficiencies. The mentioned non-technical knowledge is derived from social studies and pertains to, for example, communication skills, conflict resolution skills, leadership skills, practices adhering to social responsibility and sustainable development, professional ethics, etc. The presentation is based on a qualitative study conducted at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture during the course of two years between 2010 and 2012. The study was aimed at students and their perceptions regarding non-technical content as part of their education in order to contribute to the understanding of organizational and conceptual obstacles in implementing the desired changes in the curriculum. The results of the research reflect on how the latent resistance of the teaching staff translates to resistance on behalf of the students, therefore hindering organizational and curricular change.

engineering education; holistic education; curriculum; organizational change; qualitative study

nije evidentirano