News

On 13 and 14 March 4TU.CEE visited EPFL and ETH Zürich to exchange ideas on innovations in engineering education. It was a visit well worthwhile. At EPFL we first got introduced to the Swiss education system. Quality education is key at the universities of technology in Switzerland. This is also reflected in the education system. The system is strict. Students at the universities are allowed to re-sit their exams once. If they fail twice for the same subject, they have to leave. Something that is unheard of in the Dutch system. Besides obvious differences, we discovered that we face similar challenges too.

The 4TU.CEE strategic plan 2017-2019 has been approved by the 4TU Education Board last week. The strategic plan describes the topics and projects that 4TU.CEE will be working on in the period that lies ahead. We are eager to continue our efforts in innovating engineering education at our four universities together with lecturers, researchers and support staff. Jan van der Veen, chairman of 4TU.CEE:”I am pleased to welcome our Wageningen colleagues in the 4TU.CEE network organisation. WUR has an excellent track record when it comes to quality education”.

We are pleased to announce that the 4TU Education board has extended the 4TU.CEE institute till at least the end of 2021. Anka Mulder, Vice-President for Education & Operations at TU Delft on behalf of the board: “During the past two years 4TU.CEE has developed into a respected and visible Centre for Engineering Education while stressing the importance of involving our teaching staff in our endeavours”. 4TU.CEE is valued by many teachers, support staff and educational management. Not only in our own universities, but also by international colleagues and university network organisations such as SEFI and CDIO.

4TU.CEE has started a monthly weblog. The 4TU.CEE leaders of our four universities of technology will alternately post a blog. The weblog informs interested followers of developments in education and society that are of importance to the future of engineering education.

Lecturers and researchers in the field of architecture and the built environment are invited to contribute to two scientific publications on the latest developments in architecture and the built environment (A&BE) design education.

‘Imagine the following: I have a microphone on my desk, open the first student report and the standard Windows Sound Recorder to create an audio file. First I quickly go through the report to make some general remarks about the structure. Then I go through the report, page by page, and record immediate verbal feedback on everything I read, stating page numbers.’

At the Innovation Day at TU/e some 100 lecturers and educational staff got acquainted with innovative tools to enhance their teaching practices. In workshops they learned more about implementing Interdisciplinary Education or Gamification in education and about the way students learn.

Is it possible for lecturers to save time and simultaneously increase interaction with students? Yes, it is, according to Kristina Edström and Jakob Kuttenkeuler, lecturers of KTH Stockholm. In the first week of October 4TU.CEE invited them to speak about their approach on effective teaching at TU Delft, TU Eindhoven and University of Twente, during the teaching trick tour. The tricks were received enthusiastically by the audience of lecturers and educational support staff and were tested in a workshop.

We are proud to inform you that as of today the renewed Innovation Map is online.  The new Innovation map makes it easier for lecturers and education support staff to find tools, tips & tricks and background information on innovations in engineering education. 4TU.CEE disclosed examples of successful innovations in the Innovation Map. Topics you will find information on are for example: interdisciplinary engineering education, blended learning and virtual labs, future engineering skills, dealing with the diversity of engineering students and assessment for learning.

Lecturers from the University of Twente will examine their own education during a period of over a year. It concerns a pilot project in which sixteen lecturers will participate. The project is initiated by Centre of Expertise in Learning and Teaching (CELT), HR and 4TU.Centre for Engineering Education (4TU.CEE).

Who would have thought fifty years ago we could order our groceries online, depend on our smartphones whether to take an umbrella or talk to and see our relatives on the other side of the world? Imagine what will be possible fifty years from now! Our world is moving fast and asks for people who are flexible and who are able to develop and learn new things fast. It’s our challenge to educate this future generation. On Thursday 27 October we will focus on this topic during the Education Day that will take place from 12.30-17.00 hours in de Waaier.

Mid September the SEFI 2016 Annual conference brought together more than 300 participants from over 30 countries. 4TU.CEE was well represented at the event, with main theme: “Engineering Education on Top of the World: Industry University Cooperation".

Recently Aldert Kamp, Director of Education at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, published the second revised edition of his vision on engineering education of the future. With this vision Kamp wants to call higher management to dare look beyond their disciplines, at the ever faster changing outside world. He found that the changes in education curricula do not keep up with the changing needs of the labour market of the 21st century. Kamp: ”Our students are internationally well known for their specialist knowledge, their ability to cooperate and their open mind. Young engineers however often lack skills such as creative thinking, systems thinking, entrepreneurial thinking and algorithmic thinking. In the profession of engineer these skills gain importance quickly. This makes that engineers are not optimally prepared for their future job and might encounter problems adjusting to fast changes by lifelong learning”. In the vision document ‘Engineering Education in a rapidly changing world’ Kamp discusses which changes should take place in preparing the engineer of the future after doing profound research. He states that future-proof academic engineering programmes would have to be built on three cornerstones: Innovation, Employability and Community.

4TU.CEE will be organising several activities at the SEFI conference at Turku in Finland which will take place from 12 till 15 September 2016. Aldert Kamp (TU Delft & 4TU.CEE) will present a Keynote speech on the ‘Future Engineer’. A round table on supporting and rewarding teaching excellence is organised and a workshop on ‘Innovating Engineering Education’.  

In June Donald Carpenter and Andrew Gerhart visited the universities of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente to inspire teaching staff and support staff with workshops on the entrepreneurial thinking mind set and active class room techniques. Carpenter and Gerhart both lecture at Lawrence Technological University (Detroit) where they aim to bring entrepreneurial thinking and creative problem solving into the engineering curriculum.