Complete thesis - Murdoch University

for the landscape is SE 3 . As noted in Chapter 2, there is a proliferation of Engineeringdegrees of software. The suitability of this Engineering ethos for learning RE requires greaterexamination.Most Engineering instruction is oriented toward Masterminds – introverts (lecturing and individualassignments rather than active class involvement and cooperative learning), intuitors(emphasis on science and math fundamentals rather than Engineering applications and operations),thinkers (emphasis on objective analysis rather than interpersonal considerations indecision-making), and judgers (emphasis on following the syllabus and meeting assignmentdeadlines rather than on exploration of ideas and creative problem solving). In addition, traditionalEngineering education does little to provide students with the systemic perspectiveon individual subjects (a global perspective) they need to function effectively, and the oneswho take too long to get it by themselves are at risk academically (Felder and Brent, 2005).Holt and Solomon (1996) point out that, while Engineering education relies heavily on problemsolving and engineering science (Kolb’s Convergent and Assimilators), it tends to excludeDivergent and Accommodators from effective learning, and limits the opportunities of alllearners to develop the skills required for proficiency in two other key areas of Engineering:design and invention (requiring a divergent approach), and business management (requiringaccommodative skills). The work of Lumsdaine and Lumsdaine (1995) suggests that between20 and 40% of student intake to Engineering is lost through not catering for studentswith strengths in communications and team work or creative problem solving, synthesis anddesign.However, as discussed briefly in Section 9.4.3 below, the focus of Engineering education inAustralia has been changing to include equipping graduates for lifelong learning as well asproviding a broader education with a wider range of backgrounds. This change was advocatedin the mid 1990s (IEAust, 1996), and is an acknowledgement that the development of studentskills and understanding in generalisable and transferable skills is a necessary dimension ofprofessional education (McLaughlan and Kirkpatrick, 2004).The Studio Learning model suggests that the Engineering environment that was the contextfor this study (described in Appendix A) is neither appropriate nor inappropriate for REeducation. Studio Learning transcends the limitations noted above, so that the imaginativeability of the Diverger and the intuitive problem solving of the Accomodator are activelyencouraged. In addition, the cohesion provided by the professional accreditation requirements3 however it should be noted that the model is not validated. This could be considered as future work, asis the extension of the landscape to encompass the soft and cognitive skills identified as part of the landscapeof RE410