Study says U.S. engineering schools lack hands-on coursework

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching studied 40 U.S. engineering schools last month and found that most schools heavily emphasize textbook learning rather than hands-on experience, leaving students unprepared for the real world.

But while some School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students say this is the case, others say they are happy with their courses' practicability.

Engineering freshman and former Daily Pennsylvanian marketing staff member Alp Kutlu, who studies Chemical Engineering, said he would like more practical work in his current classes because he sometimes has difficulty picturing "what to do with material."

"We need some sort of practical exposure, even if it is a computer simulation showing atomic balances or changes in recycling streams," he said.

Likewise, Swathi Madaiah, pursuing a Master's in telecommunication and networking engineering, described a need to do tangible work, rather than learn from textbooks.

She said her projects require summarizing research papers, but "some industry-linked projects would be more helpful."

Professors with industry experience also "give a different perspective and help us learn about the real world," she added.

Both Madaiah and Kutlu said a lack of hands-on learning can cause a variety of problems.

Problem sets discourage many students, Kutlu said, and a more hands-on approach will keep them engaged.

And lacking hands-on experience can make exam questions based on real-world situations difficult, Madaiah said.

Engineering freshman Noah Granieri, who has not chosen a major yet, may avoid these problems by studying Mechanical Engineering because, he said, it offers more hands-on experience.

He said one of his courses, "Introduction to Mechanical Design," requires "dissecting different cameras [and] robotic arms, modeling each component on the computer and then reassembling the device digitally, as well as by hand."

George Pappas, Deputy Dean of Engineering, said different departments have different teaching styles and develop their own ways to incorporate hands-on experience into "traditional" teaching methods.

He added that SEAS offers courses in which students participate in hands-on activities like building cardboard bicycles and programming robots.

And Systems Engineering senior Shana Hoffman, president of the Engineering Dean's Advisory Board, said she likes the designed curriculum.

"Learning why science is important is the main freshman experience," said Pappas.

"We are taught the building blocks in freshman year, and that is important before working on projects," said Hoffman. "Students cannot comment on the functioning of a system unless we know what we are looking for."

But Kutlu described friends at other engineering schools who have more hands-on experience at the beginning of their academic careers, "so it is definitely possible to incorporate practical work in the courses."

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