Curiosity and a desire to learn for life. Profound understanding of the importance of teamwork. In order to satisfy the demands of the industry and the new economy, engineering education is changing, from the old teaching model to the new one. A brief comparison of the old and the new model of engineering education is presented below. Old Model New Model Classroom Lectures Individual exploration Passive absorption Apprenticeship Individual work Team learning Homogeneity Diversity Contrary to the popular belief, in the old model of engineering education, the capabilities of all the students are not the same in any class.
Students learn at different rates.
Some students excel with their analytical abilities, while others excel at the integration of diverse sets of information. Thus, teamwork plays an important role in the new education model. The increasing importance of collaborative work has lead to an important realization - the ability to work independently and excel. Progressive educators are using computer mediated communication technologies to establish on-line learning networks that enhance collaborative learning while also enhancing individual capabilities. From the above discussion, it is clear that engineering educators are realizing that the use of information technologies allows them to impart education in a manner and rate that best suits the abilities of various students.