Blogging the future of practical engineering education

We are the department of Multidisciplinary Engineering Education at the University of Sheffield, a team of engineering educators specialising in teaching practical engineering skills. We want to use this blog to showcase our engaging teaching methods and stimulate debate on best practice in practical engineering education.

We think that our approach is globally unique in concentrating on practical skills, cutting across themes and departments to produce truly multidisciplinary practical experiences. We operate a range of laboratories, workshops and facilities, from a biological wet lab through a clean room to a pilot plant, and we also host the UK's first student-run makerspace.

Our departmental vision underpins everything we do:

We collaborate to deliver excellent teaching and memorable learning experiences that transform students into independent, practical Engineers.

Collaboration is key to all of our work, both within our own department to create truly multidisciplinary experiences, and with the rest of the Faculty of Engineering to integrate our practical teaching within full programmes of lectures, seminars and assessments.

Our academic, technical and administrative staff cover a broad range of engineering specialisms, with a dedicated focus on teaching. Creating unique and engaging practical experiments is central to our mission, to not just illustrate theoretical concepts from lectures, but investigate the most interesting and exciting topics in "learning by doing". This will enable us to inspire our students to always independently explore their subjects further, while building and developing their practical skills.

Our aim is that on completion of a programme of laboratory exercises with us, students can independently design and perform thorough experimental investigations while working across the traditional engineering discipline boundaries. Our curriculum design work also ensures students receive a thorough training in transferable skills such as report writing and presentation, creating engineers ready for the workplace. This blog will share our methods and thoughts on the best ways to achieve our aims.

Our staff, students, colleagues and guests will use this blog to share our ideas and stimulate debate around our teaching practice. We’ll present our most innovative laboratory activities in these blog posts, alongside our higher level visions for embedding practical experiences at the heart of engineering programmes. Our research and publications into practical engineering teaching will be highlighted, alongside rapid dissemination of topical information - such as practical hints and tips for online and remote practical teaching. 

We hope to inspire colleagues with our innovative strategies, and we want to lead discussions on the very best methods for practical engineering teaching. Students may be interested in our methods and the reasons why we teach the way we do – and are encouraged to help us shape their future learning experience. We want to show industrial partners how our methods prepare students for the modern workplace, and open up debate on the next steps. This blog will offer something for everyone interested in the future of practical engineering education.