Professors' and Students' Conceptualizations of the Learning Task in Engineering Courses

SUMMARY What are students expected to learn in engineering courses and how is expertise described in the field of engineering? Eight expert engineering teachers and researchers, two each from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, Stanford University in the United States, and Monash University in Australia, were asked to describe their perceptions of learning in their courses. Three of the eight courses chosen for study were introductory courses; they are described first to show what skills students bring to an engineering program, what the learning task is, and how learning is evaluated. The description of the five advanced courses provides insight into the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes in the program. Next, experts relate expertise in the field to learning in engineering programs. Finally, engineering students from the courses of the experts describe what and how they learn in their courses. These views are compared with the perceptions ...