Monday, November 20, 2006
Communication skills
Education Guardian, 1/11/05
Wanted: engineers who are civil, Paul Brown, p.12
Article about new focus for the civil engineering course at UCL because head of department, Professor Nick Tyler, says that society needs engineers who can communicate, who do not just build what is suggested but try to look at the whole context and suggest better solutions or consider impact. "What we need is a new generation of civil engineers prepared to think for themselves, rather than try to find a cheap solution to the wrong brief." (Brown, 2005, p.12)
Brown reports Tyler's criticisms "Our output may be fantastic civil engineers, but if they cannot explain to their employers and politicians what they are doing and, more importantly, why, they are going to struggle to find and then keep a job. […] We want them to know why they are building bridges, what is happening at each end, and whether a bridge is the best solution to the problem, … We want them to serve society better, not just whizz through equations to see whether the bridge will stand up or not." (op. cit.) Tyler now asks "exam questions in two parts. The first is a complex equation to test comprehension of civil engineering skills. The second asks what the answer means and what further questions might arise." (op. cit.) Brown goes on to tell us that the new prospectus "says that engineers must be able to put an idea into operation. 'This includes the process of persuading people, politicians, and investors to support it, finding the resources to make it happen and displaying it to the world.' ¶ 6:58 pm
Wanted: engineers who are civil, Paul Brown, p.12
Article about new focus for the civil engineering course at UCL because head of department, Professor Nick Tyler, says that society needs engineers who can communicate, who do not just build what is suggested but try to look at the whole context and suggest better solutions or consider impact. "What we need is a new generation of civil engineers prepared to think for themselves, rather than try to find a cheap solution to the wrong brief." (Brown, 2005, p.12)
Brown reports Tyler's criticisms "Our output may be fantastic civil engineers, but if they cannot explain to their employers and politicians what they are doing and, more importantly, why, they are going to struggle to find and then keep a job. […] We want them to know why they are building bridges, what is happening at each end, and whether a bridge is the best solution to the problem, … We want them to serve society better, not just whizz through equations to see whether the bridge will stand up or not." (op. cit.) Tyler now asks "exam questions in two parts. The first is a complex equation to test comprehension of civil engineering skills. The second asks what the answer means and what further questions might arise." (op. cit.) Brown goes on to tell us that the new prospectus "says that engineers must be able to put an idea into operation. 'This includes the process of persuading people, politicians, and investors to support it, finding the resources to make it happen and displaying it to the world.' ¶ 6:58 pm
