A combined approach to engineering and architectural education
A combined approach to engineering and architectural education
The majority of students starting an engineering degree in the UK have studied mathematics and one or more of the science subjects with their knowledge assessed through closed book examination. They have little or no experience in applying the subject material to a project brief and, it is this application, mixed with many other considerations, that translates the understanding of science into engineering. Engineering and architecture are both design disciplines so why do we teach them so differently? Our four year integrated Masters programme in Civil Engineering and Architecture is aimed at those who wish to design structures; the core elements of the programme being Structure, Material and Place. This programme shares its first two years with our other civil engineering programmes. It was apparent that our design curriculum (across all civil engineering programmes) specified many of the expected key design skills but that it was not producing graduates who were agile design thinkers. During the last three academic years strategic investments have been made to improve our design curriculum, encourage design thinking within our students (and staff) and to foster a greater design culture within the Faculty. This paper will describe the rationale for the development of the curriculum and some of the issues encountered in its implementation with reference to recent student outputs.
439-451
Mcdonald, Alastair
b8a479e7-bf6f-458f-9703-79e0f1a7141e
7 April 2016
Mcdonald, Alastair
b8a479e7-bf6f-458f-9703-79e0f1a7141e
Mcdonald, Alastair
(2016)
A combined approach to engineering and architectural education.
aae2016: research based education 2016, London, United Kingdom.
07 - 09 Apr 2016.
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
The majority of students starting an engineering degree in the UK have studied mathematics and one or more of the science subjects with their knowledge assessed through closed book examination. They have little or no experience in applying the subject material to a project brief and, it is this application, mixed with many other considerations, that translates the understanding of science into engineering. Engineering and architecture are both design disciplines so why do we teach them so differently? Our four year integrated Masters programme in Civil Engineering and Architecture is aimed at those who wish to design structures; the core elements of the programme being Structure, Material and Place. This programme shares its first two years with our other civil engineering programmes. It was apparent that our design curriculum (across all civil engineering programmes) specified many of the expected key design skills but that it was not producing graduates who were agile design thinkers. During the last three academic years strategic investments have been made to improve our design curriculum, encourage design thinking within our students (and staff) and to foster a greater design culture within the Faculty. This paper will describe the rationale for the development of the curriculum and some of the issues encountered in its implementation with reference to recent student outputs.
Text
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Published date: 7 April 2016
Venue - Dates:
aae2016: research based education 2016, London, United Kingdom, 2016-04-07 - 2016-04-09
Organisations:
Faculty of Engineering and the Environment
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 397653
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/397653
PURE UUID: 0c93149c-1e33-41af-9090-816a138de05c
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2016 08:36
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 01:19
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