The problem - You are considering studying
engineering in the United Kingdom. You contact the British Council
or your careers advisor and you are confronted with the UCAS directory
listing dozens of universities offering the same or similar engineering
courses. How do you choose?
Everybody "knows" the "good" universities for
engineering - or do they?
The reputation of many universities has been based upon their research
output. This is quantified by the Government through the Research
Assessment Exercise (RAE). This is useful if you require a research
post, but it is NOT a measure of a university’s ability to
deliver an effective and high quality undergraduate degree programme.
Fortunately, there now exists an objective measure of how "good"
each University actually is in terms of its undergraduate programme
as opposed to its research programme. It is this measure which will
enable you to make a sensible and informed choice.
The Solution - The British Government, through the Quality Assurance
Agency for Higher Education (QAAHE), is providing an objective measure
of the quality of each university’s undergraduate engineering
provision. This measure can be used to help you select "Which
Engineering Department" to study at. It is a particularly valuable
measure because from 1998/9 onwards, you and/or your parents will
have to contribute financially towards your course. Clearly, you
will be demanding value for money and good job prospects to enable
rapid repayment of loans and the best possible career progression.
The QAAHE assessment of the quality of education, grades and reports
on 6 areas of undergraduate provision. Each of the areas is graded
between 4 (the highest) and 1 (the lowest), which gives a maximum
possible overall score of 24. Before making any decisions you should
contact the university department of interest and request either
a verbal report on its grades, or request a copy of the QAAHE Report.
If the department has not yet been assessed then you should ask
the university questions related to each of the 6 areas and draw
your own conclusions. Each of the 6 areas, together with some of
the features you should expect from a good engineering department,
are considered below.
Area 1 - Curriculum Design, Content, Evaluation
A good department should offer a range of undergraduate degrees
which offer cater for a range of entry qualifications, allowing
students to maximise their potential, providing support in areas
of weakness and challenge in areas of strength. Courses should be
practical and industrially based to satisfy both national and industrial
needs. Routes to both chartered and incorporated engineer status
should be available.
Additionally, courses should focus on integrated activities, for
example, students on automotive courses should design, build and
race cars, while students on aerospace courses should design and
build aircraft and satellites, etc.
Students should work both individually and in groups on industrially-based
design projects such as the Thrust Project and one year industrial
training programmes should be strong feature of the department.
Area 2 - Teaching Learning and Assessment
The standard of teaching should be good and appropriate for students
of varying abilities. The delivery should be responsive to areas
of the curriculum which the students find difficult and the teaching
should impart the transferable skills so sought after in industry.
Area 3 - Student Progression and Achievement
A good department should offer a comprehensive portfolio of courses
which ensures that students leave with an appropriate qualification.
If one course proves to be unsuitable then an alternative can be
offered.
The ultimate measure of a department’s undergraduate programme
must be the level of appropriate employment of its graduates: a
good department should be able to demonstrate good links with industry,
high levels of relevant employment and good career progression.
Area 4 - Student Support and Guidance
A caring attitude should be demonstrated with a good tutorial system
and student services provision. Facilities to cater for special
needs and disability should be available as well as support for
students on industrial training. An established tradition and experience
of dealing successfully with overseas students should be clearly
demonstrated.
Area 5 - Learning Resources
There should be modern, spacious and well equipped accommodation,
including lecture theatres, laboratories, equipment, library etc.
Staff should be well qualified, both academically and as teachers,
with substantial industrial experience. They should be actively
engaged with industrial projects.
Area 6 - Quality Assurance and Enhancement
Good quality assurance procedures should be well established. Course
monitoring and development procedures should be clearly defined
with student input.
In a recent QAAHE inspection, Kingston University’s School
of Mechanical Aeronautical and Production Engineering was awarded
the maximum score of 24 out of 24 for the quality of its provision.
University departments offering provision of this quality make an
excellent choice and offer extremely good value for money, maximising
your chances of success and a good career in engineering.
Contributed by: Dr Peter Mason, School of Mechanical Aeronautical
and Production Engineering, Kingston University, London, England.
Please visit: http://www.kingston.ac.uk/~mapeng1/
This article first appeared in Educational Courses in Britain
