STEAM without hot air: strategy for educating creative engineers

Abstract

At a time when the routine tasks traditionally carried out by engineers are being undertaken by either technicians or technologists with access to powerful IT systems or AI with machine learning algorithms, there is an urgent need to reframe the education of engineering students beyond rote learning. This involves providing a learning framework to support creative problem-solving as specified by many of the Graduate Attributes required by the Washington Accord for accreditation of tertiary engineering degrees. At the same time, there is a growing movement towards STEAM led education that couples the traditional STEM subjects with the Arts in order to produce more creative and innovative engineers. Based on experience of developing a new design paper for undergraduate students that meets the needs of a specific group of people in society, this paper explores options to incorporate STEAM style education into engineering degree programs that builds on lessons learnt from the best of professional practice. The result is a multidisciplinary framework coupled with pedagogical practices from the Arts and Design that focuses learning on the human sciences, natural sciences, craftsmanship and design thinking to provide holistic engineering education under pinned by technical competencies.

Benchmarking a Sustainable Energy Engineering Undergraduate Degree against Curriculum Frameworks and Pedagogy Standards from Industry and Academia

“…Further, the best available scientific evidence indicates that learner-centered teaching approaches have higher efficacy for helping students achieve long-lasting, meaningful, and significant learning gains, and a strong learner-centered teaching paradigm is a necessity for helping students become highly knowledgeable and skilled sustainability leaders [52]. In support of this, Dyer [53] discusses a STEAM-based strategy for educating creative engineers to support creative problem-solving as specified by many of the Graduate Attributes required by the Washington Accord, for accreditation of tertiary engineering degrees. The approach refers to a multi-disciplinary framework coupled with pedagogical practices from the Arts and Design that focuses learning on the human sciences, natural sciences, craftsmanship, and design thinking to provide holistic engineering education underpinned by technical competencies.…”

Engineers' education in digital era

“…Studies indicate changes that artificial intelligence will cause on engineers' education. Dyer (2019) shows that routines that have been performed by engineers up to then have been carried out by technicians and technical professionals, with the help of IT or AI systems with machine learning algorithm. Alternatives to incorporate education in the style of Science, Technology, Engineering, Automation, and Mathematics (STEAM) in engineering education courses are proposals based on lessons learned.…”

Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning on STEAM-Based student’s worksheet analysis With Ecoprint Technique

“…These 21stcentury skills encompass creativity, critical thinking, inquisitiveness, problem-solving, logical reasoning, collaboration, and self-assurance, all of which can be effectively nurtured through the STEAM framework (Allina, 2018). STEAMoriented learning empowers students to explore innovative and imaginative avenues for addressing challenges, presenting data, fostering innovation, and bridging diverse disciplines (Dyer, 2019). Artistry harmonizes with students' creative capacities and their ability to envision and innovate through technology, enabling the production of tangible creations and nurturing an artistic sensibility in their comprehension of science (Liu et al, 2023).…”