Teaching and studying technology Teaching and learning methods in modern engineering education: experiences from regional and international projects

Work and technology are - at least in all industrialized countries - characterized by continuous and fundamental change. This change has to be reflected in the education of technical workers. Engineering pedagogy must identify new demands and ensure that they are addressed in the design of technical education. To this end, engineering teachers in businesses, universities, schools and at other educational facilities discuss and test modified or new technical education concepts. This paper argues for an educational approach in which the focus is on the cooperative development of course content with the learner and the regional relevance of what is taught and learned. Engineering and other technical education and training must be demand-driven rather than supply-led. The paper examines how this can be achieved. The discussion is based on experiences in regional and international projects for the advancement of technical education and teacher training.