Innovative Integrated Curriculum
The inception of the HEQSF brought the opportunity to rethink and redesign higher education. In the particular case of Engineering, the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) , along with partners in the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) emphasize the importance of Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies. Furthermore, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are crucial additional factors to include as we teach our students. Embedding, assessing and imparting these attributes and goals require regular rethinking, redesign and updating of the engineering curricula.
SASEE is a proud collaborator on the Innovative Engineering Curriculum project, a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder initiative to develop ourselves, our students and engineering education for the future.
What is an integrated curriculum?
For innovative integrated curricula, the primary concern is not delivery of content but rather experience gained through the curriculum. In a society where information is readily available and workspaces are dynamic, the skills that need to be cultivated, in addition to technical knowledge and critical thinking, include:
- developing a mindset of growth and continuous self-improvement;
- valuing and seeking out a diversity of backgrounds, skills and perspectives;
- flexibility and adaptability when solving problems rather than working towards a fixed goal.
In the European context, the 2019 study “Science & Technology Education for 21st Century Europe: Discussion Paper” argues that fundamental curricular change is the only way to benefit from pedagogical and technological innovation and better prepare graduates for the changing demands of work. University College London is a leader among a number of engineering institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) which have successfully implemented integrated curricula . Aalborg University in Denmark bases their curriculum around Mega Projects that engage students from different disciplines to work on projects that link to the UN SDGs . These examples provide inspiration and guidance for South African engineering institutions, as we seek to transition to integrated engineering curricula.
Resources
Please see the website for resources: Workshops Series 1 | IEC and a very useful series of 1-pager Graduate Attribute summaries!
Funders
Partner Universities
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