Title:

Mechanical Engineering Education: What Should We Teach and How Should We Teach It?

Speaker:

Dr. Al Ferri

Affiliation:

Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor, Georgia Tech

When:

Friday, March 18, 2011 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

MRDC Building, Room 4211

Host:

Bill Wepfer
bill.wepfer@me.gatech.edu

Abstract

Mechanical Engineering is arguably the broadest of all engineering disciplines. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fit all of the “traditional ME” material into a 4-year undergraduate program, and still leave room for students to pursue electives, minors, study-abroad, and other educational opportunities. Strains on the undergraduate curriculum are further increased by the fact that ME graduates go on to such varied career paths. Training students for every possible career eventuality is becoming more and more unfeasible, especially given the pace at which technology is advancing. Given these challenges, what should ME students learn at the undergraduate level? How should we teach them so that they are grounded in the fundamentals, but are also prepared to function on multidisciplinary teams and to become life-long learners? This talk will give some examples of educational approaches that have proven to be effective. The research methods used to assess these techniques and the prospects for technology-enabled innovations will also be discussed.

Biography

For information about Dr. Ferri, see: http://www.me.gatech.edu/faculty/ferri.shtml

Notes

Reception will follow.