Graduate Professional Education of Engineers in Industry for Innovation and Technology Leadership

Abstract

<jats:p> Innovation and the development of technology are recognized worldwide as the driving force for competitiveness and economic prosperity. Without diminishing the importance of scientific research, it is now evident that innovation and the development of technology constitute primarily a needs-driven creative professional practice which requires engineering leadership. Experience shows that developing technology and engineers simultaneously is a very effective way of increasing industry's capacity to innovate effectively. In order to contribute most effectively to industrial innovation and the creation of wealth, graduate engineers need to develop their practical and leadership skills as well as their technical knowledge and theoretical understanding throughout their careers. This requires an educational approach driven by the satisfaction of real industrial needs which is commensurate with the professional dimensions of engineering leadership. </jats:p>

Issues Driving Reform Of Faculty Reward Systems To Advance Professional Graduate Engineering Education: Expectations For Core Professional Faculty

“…Today, it is generally acknowledged in the 21 st century that the 1945-linear research-driven paradigm of engineering innovation is in error and is outmoded. 14 One of America's greatest inventions has been the development of the purposeful, systematic engineering method and approach to deliberately bring forth new/improved technological innovation to meet unsolved human needs. A breakthrough of new thinking about professional education for the practicing profession and about the scholarly work of professionally oriented faculty has evolved.…”

Enhancing Technology Development Through Lifelong Education Of Engineers And Technologists As Creative Professionals

“…After four decades, however, there is growing recognition worldwide that the simplistic linear research-driven model doesn't fit the needs-driven systematic engineering innovation process, nor does the linear research-driven model of educating engineers at the graduate level  to be either basic scientific researchers or strategic researchers  fit what most creative engineering leaders do in industry. 5,6,7,8 As Eric Bloch, former director of the National Science Foundation and Distinguished Fellow on the Council on Competitiveness, pointed out in his distinguished address at the University of South Carolina: 9 "While trade is a growing share of the U.S. economy, imports are growing at a faster rate than exports. There is amazingly little concern about this issue.…”

“…As Ferguson pointed out in 1993, although the 1945 report, ScienceThe Endless Frontier, gave the nation a superior model for scientific progress and a system of graduate education for academic scientific research, the 1945 report virtually ignored creative "engineering practice." 8 It placed singular emphasis on a simplistic model of research-driven innovation and scientific graduate education that is neither sufficient nor adequate to fully sustain the nation's future engineering progress for economic growth or to professionally educate the nation's engineers for leadership of innovative engineering practice for technological innovation. As Bloch and others have pointed out: "the innovation model is not sequential, but highly concurrent and parallel … and the flow of knowledge is not unidirectional.…”

Re Engineering Higher Education For Responsive Engineering And Technology Leadership

“…7,8 However, there is concern at present, that higher education is not consistently delivering careerlong learning that is aligned with actual industrial innovative technology development processes. 3 Sharpening the focus between what is required by ETL professionals and what universities are delivering to support the career-long development of ETL professionals continues to be an urgent strategic policy issue that is often unmet in universities' relationships with society generally, and the industrial community in particular. 9 Ferguson 7 reminds us that rapidly changing knowledge and requirements in engineering and technology requires employed professionals formally educated in an engineering, technology or science-related pre-professional program, to develop new skills and acquire more specific knowledge.…”

“…Ultimately, we are calling for a dialogue leading to the re-engineering of ETL graduate professional education and other continuing professional development so it is responsive to the needs of working ETL professionals and closely aligned with actual processes of industrial innovation and technology development. 3 We submit that re-engineering ETL graduate professional education is an appropriate and necessary engagement strategy for Page 6.829.1…”