During my eight years as a Department Chair of UTEP Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, I often got very intrigued seeing how much students liked projects instead of lectures. The amount of information they would gather outside the “Chalk and Talk” lectures was astonishing. It was clear that “Professors and books” are not the only source of information (obviously) like those in the old days. Yet, after finishing almost the quarter of the 21st Century, our engineering education modality has changed a little. We still decompose the engineering concepts into disciplines (electrical, mechanical, aerospace, etc.) and then quantized them into a series of courses that are bounded by a 4-year degree framework. We equate degrees with skills.
With the transition of the US engineering ecosphere into more complex engineered systems and engineering systems development largely aided by artificial intelligence and digital tools, the required skills for tomorrow’s engineers will be quite different. More importantly, students will find many ways to skill themselves and achieve credentialing beyond traditional higher education pathways. When Lockheed Martin removed degree requirements from job listing (although they are falling short of promises), it was quite a clear signal of what their talent infrastructure will look like in the future. Is higher education ready for this tectonic shift for developing engineering skills for tomorrow’s jobs?
It is likely not prudent to assume that engineering students will actually show up on campus to listen to lectures; instead, they will likely look for active learning experiences and multiple pathways to receive credentialing. Many students will skill them without pursuing a 4-year or 2-year degree and find great engineering jobs. The onesies on us in higher education to understand what the new future will look like and transform ourselves. The transformation will not wait for us!
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Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Texas at El Paso. I am not an institutional spokesperson. Any number or figure mentioned in my post is planned, estimated, or approximated by me and is not verified or endorsed by the University of Texas at El Paso. Please contact my employer for any official number.
