The Form and Content of Courses for the Education of Engineers

SOMMAIRE

The curricula used to educate engineers have been the subject of study in recent years. This effort has arisen from the perceived mismatch between the topics taught, and the long term requirements of the engineering graduate. A strategic review has been hampered by a sufficiently useful definition of what an engineer should be. This paper suggests such a definition, based upon the idea that engineers are general problem-solvers within a financial and technical set of co-ordinates. Using this definition as an analytical tool, it is possible to see the strengths and limitations of the current programmes, and to approach curriculum development on a more rational basis. It is concluded that, in general, current engineering education concentrates upon the treatment of a class of problems whose solution is rather obvious, even if the tools used to produce the solution may be complex and arcane. It is suggested that engineering curricula should address a wider set of problems, with less obvious solutions, since this is closer to reality, and also since it will allow an engineering-orientated viewpoint to be brought to bear in complex problems. A modified curriculum is proposed, based upon these ideas.

On a étudié depuis longtemps les programmes d'enseignement pour la formation des ingénieurs. Ces recherches ont, pour leur origine, les differences entre les sujets qu 'un ingénieur doit étudier pendant son formation, et ceux qu'il utilise actuellement en train de sa vie profes-sionelle. Pour mieux comprendre ces differences, on a examine surtout ces cours elles-meme, et les méthodes pedagogiques. On n'a pas reussi parce qu' on n'a pas pu repondre à la question “Qu'est-ce que c'est un ingenieur?” lei, on essai de donner un reponse, vis.: “Un ingenieur se conceme avec la resolution des problemes”, souvent dans un cadre financier, Avec cette definition, on peut analyser les programmes d'enseignement qui existe à ce moment. Aussi, on peut proposer des modifications basées sur la raison. On peut dire que les cours de la formation des ingénieurs fixent leur attention sur une catégoric de probleme pour laquelle la solution est evident, meme si les méthodes d'analyse. (mathematique, ordinateur etc) peuvent etre assez difficile. On propose que, pour la formation des ingénieurs, les cours se concernent avec une categorie des problemes plus larges, avec des solutions qui ne sont pas immediatement evident (et pour lesquelles on peut souvent proposer plusieurs bons solutions). Enfin, on propose un cours modifié, en prenant compte de ces pensées.     

Principals' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of School Counselors With and Without Teaching Experience

The effect of teaching experience on school counselor performance was examined by comparing principals' ratings of counselors with previous teaching experience to counselors certified without classroom teaching experience.     

A framework to explore lifelong learning: the case of the civic education of civics teachers

This study investigates learning about civics and citizenship throughout individuals' lives (lifelong) and across various pedagogical settings (lifewide). A basic hypothesis is that civics teachers, among all social actors, are particularly well positioned for engaging in this type of introspective exercise because they are both familiar with civics and politics and also with teaching and learning processes. The lifelong civic learning of civics teachers was examined in the different settings in which they acquire their knowledge, values, skills and ideological frameworks, and to understand the relative weight of each one in their overall learning process. This study also coincides with the implementation of a new provincial civics course for grade 10 students in Ontario, Canada during the 2000–1 school year. This case study consists of interviews with 15 social studies teachers who have taught the new civics course in Ontario. One of the clearest findings of the study is the powerful influence of the experience of teaching and of early family socialization on the acquisition of civic knowledge, skills and values, and on the development of political beliefs. Civic engagement and political participation were also considered an important source of civic learning, particularly in relation to the acquisition of civic and political skills. This is a finding that deserves further exploration, because our understanding of social movement learning remains limited. The findings suggest the promotion of lifelong citizenship learning entails the creation and nurturing of inclusive democratic spaces that have particularly high civic educational potential.     

Upper extremity augmentation of lower extremity kinetics during countermovement vertical jumps

Twenty-five volleyball players (14 males, 11 females) were videotaped (60Hz) performing countermovement vertical jumps with and without an arm swing. Ground reaction force and video-based coordinate data were collected simultaneously. The resultant joint force and torque at the hip, knee, ankle and shoulder for two trials per subject per condition were computed and normalized. Average kinematic, resultant joint force and torque data were compared using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Larger values were recorded for the vertical velocity of the centre of mass at take-off in the jumps with (mean 2.75, s=0.3m.s-1) versus without (mean 2.44, s= 0.23m.s-1) an arm swing. The jumps with no arm swing produced larger torques at the hip during the first third of the propulsive phase (from zero to maximum vertical velocity of the centre of mass). During the final two-thirds of the propulsive phase, the arm swing augmented hip extensor torques by slowing the rate of trunk extension and placing the hip extensor muscles in slower concentric conditions that favoured the generation of larger forces and resultant joint torques. During the first two-thirds ofthe propulsive phase, knee extensor torque increased by 28% in the jumps with an arm swing, but maintained a relatively constant magnitude in the jumps with no arm swing.     

Hong Kong's Change of Sovereignty: School leader perceptions of the effects on educational policy and school administration

This study captures the thoughts and perceptions of a group of Hong Kong principals on the transfer of sovereignty and its effects on education. The investigation addressed the following guiding research question. What, according to their perceptions, have been and will be the effects on education policy and on school-level management and curriculum, of the transfer of sovereignty? A qualitative approach was adopted, using naturalistic methods of inquiry. Nine principals of aided secondary schools were selected for interview according to procedures of purposive sampling. The findings indicate that, faced with uncertainty arising from the change of sovereignty, principals feel confident of managing and coping with situations at the school level in connection with the curriculum and management. However, they express concern and greater uncertainty about their ability to manage changes emanating in the broader sociopolitical educational environment, particularly with regard to values and norms and access and opportunity, all of which are likely to impact on their schools.