Design-Led Engineering Education, Industry Links and Product Innovation- a Global Imperative

Over the past 30 years, Engineering education has encompassed advances in engineering science and analytical techniques, greater engagement with societal and management issues, and increasing globalisation through mobility of academics and the advent of the Internet. In an environment of reducing per capita government funding of university students, this paper advocates design-centred Engineering education grounded in fundamentals of engineering science, and increasing engagement with business and industry. It also emphasises the importance of an entrepreneurial culture among our engineering graduates and the value of a strong ethos of commercial research and commercialisation of intellectual property. At the undergraduate level, the beneficial use of industry-linked and co-supervised student team final year projects is described, with reference to the Mechanical Engineering Honours project system at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and similar systems developed by universities in the UK and USA. The case is also made for running Engineering postgraduate research degrees as a combination of theoretical study, system design, computer modelling and prototype development. The value of international travel and exchange fellowships for academic staff is illustrated by a teaching partnership developed between the University of Canterbury and the University of Bath which led to Internet-based collaborative design projects between final year students. The value of student international study abroad experience as also emphasised