A historical overview of recent developments in the search for a philosophy of engineering education

Abstract

The origins of this historical overview are summarized; namely, the substantial interest in philosophy and engineering and the application of philosophy to engineering education that has emerged in the last five years. Engineering faces a number of identity crises not least among them are on the one hand how it differs if at all from applied science, and on the other hand how it differs from technology. Related to this is the problem of the public identity of engineering and the influence that engineers are able to wield on public policy. Another crisis relates to the engineers role. Is an engineer a scientist or manager? A related question that has a special bearing on education is the relative status assigned to science when compared with design. Attempts to develop a philosophy of engineering are summarized. The argument that engineering educators should have a defensible philosophy of education is summarized, and the value of screening aims and objectives demonstrated. Arguments for teaching engineering students are summarized, more particularly those that advocate the teaching of the philosophical method as an aid to learning engineering on the one hand, and those that programs focused in one way or another on the teaching of philosophy per se. Finally, some recent developments in the teaching of ethics to engineering students are discussed and the recent interest in moral development following Kohlberg's theory is noted.

The dynamic image of the engineer

“…Based on these results, it is possible that increasing efforts to include more activities that practice ethical behavior, leadership, communication, and lifelong learning in the engineering curriculum may broaden students' understanding of engineering and its cultural bearing. Much effort has been taken by educators to help with this and similar issues [8]. However, it is clear that further efforts may be needed.…”

Work-in-progress: Exploring the essential nature of engineering education through philosophical inquiry

“…The stream of this research on the contribution of philosophy to engineering education goes back several years including FIE papers and special sessions [5]. Several colleagues have presented various arguments at FIE supporting the need for the philosophical development of engineering education.…”

“…These decisions can proceed from an uncritical acceptance of an educational technique or from a critical understanding of the complexities undergirding the educational process [4,5]. The contribution of philosophical reasoning to the educational process has enormous potential to enhance the development and quality of the educational enterprise for engineering faculty and students alike.…”

Systems Intelligence: A Core Competence for Next-Generation Engineers?

“…There is also growing interest in engineering philosophy and engineering thinking which is relevant here, see e.g. [13] [14].…”