Creating tomorrow's engineering designers

Abstract

In this paper, we identify serious shortcomings in the quality of current mechanical-engineering graduates from Australian universities. As a result, graduates exhibit a lack of understanding of: the basic sciences; engineering in the real world; and engineering professionalism. Whilst minor improvement can be achieved within current structures, we are convinced that only major restructuring, involving additional course length, changes in teaching methods, and renewed emphasis on professionalism in engineering, exemplified through the creative design procedure, can begin the transformation from student towards what we have chosen to describe as a `compleat engineer'.