IS THERE AN URGENT TASK OF EDUCATING ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO BECOME `REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONERS´?

Abstract

Societal dynamics recently undergoes deep stuctural changes. Integrative differentiation and commitment to `innovation society´ are becoming main overarching characteristics. Acquiring and widening core competences for sustainable applicability in work more than enhancing the knowledge base, new capacities have to take the central position. Experiential learning and (computer) modelling get new importance alongside the traditional way of developing theories and their application. Capacities of interpreting and `framereflection´, instead of routinized problem solving will get central position, not only in epochal issues but also in the issues of everyday life and production. All this puts emphasis on a new type of master and apprentice relation. Further, because the growing role of expertise reproduces the growing role of participation in a society where service gets the new central role instead of producing things adequate communication with experts and clients gets central role. To solve the task of becoming competent in a `service society´ needs enormous efforts in engineering education too. To become a co-evolutionary partner, education, including engineering education, has to proactively accomodate to these changes. In its essence this restructuration of engineering education needs to put back the inclusion of it into real practice. The article makes some comments on the basic reasons of why and how this putting back may be made when basic new requirements to engineering activity and its mental tools are emerging with an emerging `innovation society´.