A systems thinldng approach to the paradigm shift in engineering education

Changes in economical, political, technological, social, cultural, and environmental life have necessitated a paradigm shift in engineering education. Two different views provide thought for the paradigm shift strategy: reductionist and holistic. This paper uses a systems thinking approach to describe the current conditions and suggests an appropriate model to further the current paradigm change. A historical overview of the systems thinking approach is provided, along with a consideration of the possible limitations on modern engineering education. A model where the stakeholders (ie employers, administrators, instructors, learners, citizens arid politicians) are engaged in the decision making process is the core of the paper. Each stakeholder has different priorities and the model's goal is to find an optimal compromise between the two views. However, an interesting quandary remains in academia: there is still a strong incentive to be engaged in cutting edge research. This, by its very nature, encourages a quest for deep (but narrow) knowledge, ie reductionism in its broad sense. A possible compromise is suggested through a curriculum that starts with a holistic approach but closes with a learning environment in which the virtues of both views are integrated and appropriately extolled.