Even the most avid fans of traditional engineering education cannot argue that innovations are everywhere now.
The world is changing, and it is a natural process. The engineering education system should prepare young people for living in this new world full of endless opportunities for personal and professional growth.
There are dozens and even thousands of arguments in favor of technology. But we will outline the most important of them.
Computers have already entered engineering students’ life.
Even if there are no computers at lessons, young people will not stop using them.
There is a PC or a laptop in each house today. Engineering, science, or medical students bring smartphones to a class, walk and even sleep with them. Stubbornness and prejudice of some professors will not push gadgets out from colleges and universities.
If these devices will not be used for engineering education purposes, learners will use them for entertainment or order assignment writing services not to do boring homework single-handedly.
Professors should better take advantage of innovations than fight them because it is already clear who will win in this struggle.
Technology simplifies teaching
After starting to apply innovations in a class, most professors note that their lives were simplified by times. They can use multimedia projectors and engineering education videos to make lectures more demonstrative, interacting, and engaging.
Countless stimulators allow not explaining but showing complex concepts to engineering students. Thanks to modern testing systems, professors can spend less time on checking assignments.
All these tools remove routine, mechanical operations from their work, making it more intellectual and creative.
Free time, which university employees always lacked before, may be devoted to rest, participating in conferences, joint research projects with students or other experts.
Personalized engineering education
It is senseless to apply some engineering education standards to all students. Young people are not robots able to perform a unified set of functions. Every person has a unique character, strengths, and weaknesses, should work at one’s own pace and choose the most appropriate perception channels.
Some students absorb new information relatively quickly, while others need more time to reconsider and remember it. Let’s say a professor explains a tricky topic, and a person cannot grasp some concepts’ meaning. A lecturer may have no time to dwell on unclear points on a break.
Then a student will have to seek lacking information on one’s own.
Having a lot of engineering education videos and scientific publications on a topic at hand, one can consider them at home and reach a level of groupmates who understand everything right away.
Even if it is impossible to cope with a task alone, a student can communicate with a tutor via Skype or order assignment help online.
The Internet provides information sources of all kinds. As for perception channels, it is well known that some people learn data presented in a textual form better; others prefer audio and video materials. The most effective approach is combining several methods.
For example, you can read textbooks, watch documentary films, record a professor’s speech at a lecture, and listen to it when walking or traveling on public transport.
However challenging a topic is, your brain is sure to remember it if providing new knowledge through all these channels.
Teamwork
Students often prepare group projects on different disciplines, which presupposes a special learning mode. Earlier, they had to gather in a library or somebody’s house to discuss a task, choose a research strategy, distribute responsibilities, control each other’s work.
This is not very convenient because engineering students are always busy and should do many essential things after lectures. Many of them work part-time are engaged in labor and sports activities family affairs.
The advent of the Internet simplified university teamwork. Discussions on a project may be held in different mobile messengers. It is convenient to share ideas, photos, and results there. Each engineering student can stay at one’s home but constantly interact with groupmates online.
There is no need to adjust a personal schedule and sacrifice some important life areas to meet group interests.
Teamwork skills turn out to be very useful after graduation when young people start looking for a job. Each employer wants to see a friendly, communicative person able to hear other people in one’s staff.
Preparing for adult life
It is worth continuing a topic of career building. After receiving a diploma, graduates get to a world full of innovations.
They have to adapt quickly and learn to bring maximum profits to their companies. Therefore, university life should be dynamic and open to technology to prepare engineering students for this step.
Did you watch a Disney cartoon about Tarzan, a boy who grew a surrounded by monkeys? It is rather difficult for such a boy to start living in a progressive human society because one got used to jungle life.
Universities without computers and interactive whiteboards seem a jungle, and professors forcing engineering students to write all papers by hand and do long division at algebra lessons seem too wild monkeys.
It is pretty apparent that graduates of such educational institutions will be perceived as savages by recruiters.
Computer literacy is very important in the modern labor market. Nobody will hire a person unable to write and format documents in Word, conduct calculations in Excel, prepare presentations in PowerPoint, present them using a multimedia projector, find information using the most popular Internet browsers, and hold Skype video seminars. In addition, companies may have their own software and demand new workers to master it quickly.
IT develops very rapidly now. Knowing different programming languages may be a great plus when looking for a job in any field, at least because every respectable company has a website that pays excellent attention to updating and advertising it, whether it is a beauty salon or a metallurgic plant.
In addition, all large organizations use electronic accounting and document managing systems.
Increasing learning motivation
Statistics showed that engineering students started to attend lectures more often after professors introduced technology in a class. Young people who enjoy learning approach it as an exciting adventure and not a boring duty.
Visual materials and advanced information exchange means make educational activities more dynamic and bright. Learners can show their creativity, reveal talents and gain valuable practical skills. A classroom ceases to resemble a prison cell where engineering students wait for a bell and opportunity to rest between lessons.
They enjoy each minute of communication with a professor and look forward to the next meeting.
An administration of each modern school, college, or university should consider the factors listed above and promote progressive changes within the walls of its educational institution.