Reviews
Engineering futures New audiences and arrangements for engineering higher education Gareth Parry (Editor) The Engineering Council in association with the Royal Society of Arts and the Training Agency. 1990 ISBN 0 9516611 0 8 76pp. A4
This slim, elegantly produced volume is well worth acquiring, studying and acting upon by all those concerned, not only with Engineering Higher Education, but in the Schools and Colleges which provide the input to and employers who require the output from Higher Education. Concern about the engineering Dimension in UK industry and society has been expressed since the 1850's and, despite the formation of the Engineering Council in the early 1980's (note the time lag) this concern has continued to deepen and sharpen rather than lessen. The fact that three eminent bodies should jointly sponsor a conference on Engineering Higher Eduation, the report of which is the purpose of this book, is abundant evidence of the extent of this concern. UK Government concern about the supply, education, continuing development and optimised employment of engineers is amply demonstrated by the, then (1990), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment, Robert Jackson in the Preface whilst, in the Foreword, Christopher Ball firmly places an onus of responsibility in raising the image and status of Engineering upon Employers and Professional Bodies. Whilst these may be regarded as anticipated exhortations much of the rest of the publication describes action currently in progress. The Chapter by Alan Smithers gives a valuable factual account of Participation in Engineering Higher Education including recruitment patterns and employment statistics for graduates. It is evident from the data on the 'traditional' route into Engineering courses, via advanced level School and College taught qualifications, that the percentage of students with mixed A levels (combinations of Art and Sciences subjects) is rising largely at the expense of Science and Mathematics subjects alone. Earlier awareness of
this trend has encouraged Universities and Polytechnics to widen recruitment beyond the Science/Mathematics cohort, to mature students and to students with different types of qualification. The Chapter by Barbara Bonwitt describes the scheme implemented on the initiative of the Engineering Professors Conference in a number of Universities (STEPS courses) to broaden access into courses extended by one year and illustrates the backgrounds, qualifications and student perceptions of such courses. Similar analyses for the Polytechnic and Colleges sector (HITECC courses) are provided in a Chapter by Clare Matteson and, in both cases, questions are posed upon future directions and the needs for cost-benefit analysis. Gareth Parry describes the position, in terms of numbers, sector of provision, target audiences etc of current provision of courses intended to provide alternative access routes into Engineering Higher Education. In addition to examination of the changing patterns of recruitment it is equally vital to be informed about students on- course perceptions in order that these may advise changes in course content and style to offer wider appeal to potential recruits. The Chapter on an evaluation of the experience and performance of Electrical Engineering students on seven different courses in Scottish Higher Education, by Cathlin Macanlay, is therefore illuminating. Both individual student views and overviews on questions such as the Transition from School, Course Content and Workload, Teaching Methods, Feedback and Assessment and Guidance and Support paint rather depressing pictures of somewhat less than exciting and stimulating courses and a number of interesting suggestions for change are proposed. Course structural innovation is described in the Chapter by Jack Levy who discusses the Integrated Engineering Degree Programme, now introduced into eight Institutions. The major premises of such courses are that they broaden the curriculum base for Engineering students, rather than concentrating on single Engineering disciplines and better prepare graduates for subsequent em-
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Rcvicws ployment in a variety of functions by deepening understanding of a defined range of fundamental Engineering and Science concepts and widening the competencies developed by students through a variety of teaching and learning modes. The final Chapter by Gareth Parry and Pat Davies surveys the operational procedures and attitudes of and to the UK Professional Institutions which accredit Engineering courses and pays particular attention to their perceptions and recognition of entrance requirements and access modes in the accreditation process. The conclusions are disturbing in that the Institutions perceive themselves to be open to innovative access programmes whereas course providers perceived them to be inhibitive. Gareth Parry not only contributed the Chapters indicated above but provided an Introductory Chapter on the scope of the conference and publication and edited, quite admirably, the book. Finally, therefore it is necessary to mention the Summary and Recommendations which is where it should be, at the start of the work, to capture the attention of the busy Executive and Manager. My advice to such readers is, as before, to read the rest of the text, discover that the system is in dynamic change and Take Action - before UK manufacturing disappears completely.
GCSE Technology: a project approach Phil Wild, and Tim Cambray, Macmillan Education Ltd., Basingstoke, UK. 1990. ISBN 0 333 43414 5 203 pp. s This book written by a university Lecturer in Education and a School Head of Technology Department falls into the same mold as some of the better quality Technology books recently produced. The book is divided into four main sections, the first section provides nearly 50 interesting Project areas is prefaced by an outline of the design process which is based round an unfamiliar model. Many of the project ideas will be familiar to Technology teachers, each problem being accompanied by 36 O TrenthamBooksSpring1991
suggested areas of research and cross-referenced to the appropriate sections of the book. The remaining three sections of the book are information resources to support the project ideas. The second section on Structures contains the usual structural concepts but this is linked with some materials technology and materials processing and a section on energy considerations in structures. The Mechanisms section is similarly structured with the usual mechanical concepts together with sections of energy considerations in mechanical and electromechanical mechanisms. It also includes a comprehensive coverage of pneumatic mechanisms and closes with a series of mechanical !investigations. The last section covers electricity and electronics with a mixture of analogue and digital electronics, closing with a series of electrical and electronic investigations. This book has eight appendices, some of which may have been better left out. They are so superficial as to be of little help, particularly the one on drawing which covers only three pages. There is little reference in the book to the National Curriculum in Technology for England and Wales, which I think teachers would have found useful. On the whole, the book is well illustrated with a mixture of line drawings and wellchosen photographs complementing the easy to read text. The book is aimed at Students studying for the English General Certificate in Secondary Education who will find it attractive and readable. Teachers will find it useful as another resource book which will appeal to some as a text book.
Stephen Lumb, Universityof Manchester.
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