How do we prepare future engineers to face 21th century challenges? This paper confronts the issue of what it really means to be an engineer and how to design a learning experience that influence the process of formation of one s identity, as a professional and as a human being. In this effort we have been deeply inspired by a pedagogy directed to preschool and primary education of Reggio Emilia (Italy): Reggio Emilia Approach. Starting from 2010, Project-based Learning was introduced in a MS&E capstone master degree class. New practices inspired by Reggio Emilia Approach were progressively implemented from 2011 to 2013. Every year, students completed a formal evaluation survey and answered to semi-structured interviews. The study reveals that there has been a significant increase of student interest toward the discipline. Students also showed to consider themselves more creative and confident about their capabilities. This experience shows that it is not enough to design the education of the engineer, but we must consider as equally important the education of the human being and of the citizen, by focussing on relations, on collectivity and on participation.

Reggio Emilia engineering education / Vignoli, Matteo; D'Onghia, Francesco. - STAMPA. - (2015), pp. 297-308. (Intervento presentato al convegno 20th International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED 2015 tenutosi a Milan, Italy nel Jul. 27-31, 2015).

Reggio Emilia engineering education

VIGNOLI, Matteo;D'ONGHIA, FRANCESCO
2015

Abstract

How do we prepare future engineers to face 21th century challenges? This paper confronts the issue of what it really means to be an engineer and how to design a learning experience that influence the process of formation of one s identity, as a professional and as a human being. In this effort we have been deeply inspired by a pedagogy directed to preschool and primary education of Reggio Emilia (Italy): Reggio Emilia Approach. Starting from 2010, Project-based Learning was introduced in a MS&E capstone master degree class. New practices inspired by Reggio Emilia Approach were progressively implemented from 2011 to 2013. Every year, students completed a formal evaluation survey and answered to semi-structured interviews. The study reveals that there has been a significant increase of student interest toward the discipline. Students also showed to consider themselves more creative and confident about their capabilities. This experience shows that it is not enough to design the education of the engineer, but we must consider as equally important the education of the human being and of the citizen, by focussing on relations, on collectivity and on participation.
2015
20th International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED 2015
Milan, Italy
Jul. 27-31, 2015
297
308
Vignoli, Matteo; D'Onghia, Francesco
Reggio Emilia engineering education / Vignoli, Matteo; D'Onghia, Francesco. - STAMPA. - (2015), pp. 297-308. (Intervento presentato al convegno 20th International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED 2015 tenutosi a Milan, Italy nel Jul. 27-31, 2015).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1082416
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