Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Editors
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Chronological and Ontological Development of Engineering Education as a Field of Scientific Inquiry
- Part 1 Engineering Thinking and Knowing
- Part 2 Engineering Learning Mechanisms and Approaches
- Part 3 Pathways into Diversity and Inclusiveness
- Part 4 Engineering Education and Institutional Practices
- Part 5 Research Methods and Assessment
- Part 6 Cross-Cutting Issues and Perspectives
- Chapter 30 Engineering Communication
- Chapter 31 Use of Information Technology in Engineering Education
- Chapter 32 Global and International Issues in Engineering Education
- Chapter 33 Engineering Ethics
- Chapter 34 The Normative Contents of Engineering Formation
- Chapter 35 Interdisciplinarity in Engineering Research and Learning
- Conclusion Engineering at the Crossroads
- Index
- References
Chapter 31 - Use of Information Technology in Engineering Education
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2015
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Editors
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Chronological and Ontological Development of Engineering Education as a Field of Scientific Inquiry
- Part 1 Engineering Thinking and Knowing
- Part 2 Engineering Learning Mechanisms and Approaches
- Part 3 Pathways into Diversity and Inclusiveness
- Part 4 Engineering Education and Institutional Practices
- Part 5 Research Methods and Assessment
- Part 6 Cross-Cutting Issues and Perspectives
- Chapter 30 Engineering Communication
- Chapter 31 Use of Information Technology in Engineering Education
- Chapter 32 Global and International Issues in Engineering Education
- Chapter 33 Engineering Ethics
- Chapter 34 The Normative Contents of Engineering Formation
- Chapter 35 Interdisciplinarity in Engineering Research and Learning
- Conclusion Engineering at the Crossroads
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction: The Opportunity of Information Technology in Engineering Education
Engineering as a profession is changing at a rapid pace in large part owing to an ever-evolving technology landscape. The technological changes are wrapped increasingly in societal transformations that allow for better and rapid exchange of information and practices. Distance, time, and space are no longer boundaries for the practice of engineering. Essentially, the transition of computing infrastructure from an individual “sitting at the desk in isolation” paradigm to a “network-based” paradigm has resulted in knowledge production and sharing at a pace previously never considered possible. More importantly, the transformation of engineering practice through information technology is seen in the convergence of theory and experimentation (which are traditional approaches to engineering problem solving) with modeling and simulation, where design and problem solving are primarily in silico (meaning performed on a computer [chip] or using computer simulation). “Advances in computing and simulation coupled with technologies that mimic rudimentary attributes in analysis, may radically redefine common practices in engineering” (National Academy of Engineering [NAE], 2004, p. 15). Information technology (IT) impacts our daily lives in fundamental ways. Nowhere is this impact more obvious than on a university campus.
A new generation of students – digital natives – armed with a dizzying array of gadgets and gizmos roam the hallways of academic institutions struggling to keep pace with speed of the digital world. Learning happens everywhere and at any given time. A recently published U.S. National Academy of Sciences report entitled Learning Science in Informal Environments: People. Places, and Pursuits states, “all learning environments, including school and non-school settings, can be said to fall on a continuum of educational design or structure” (National Research Council [NRC], 2009, p. 47). Information technology allows this continuum to be traversed and possibly controlled in very useful and effective ways.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research , pp. 633 - 654Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
References
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