Engaging with Industry to Improve Student Learning on Undergraduate Engineering Programmes

Abstract

Despite the many opportunities offered in engineering programmes for active student participation, a significant proportion of undergraduate students fail to complete their studies. This paper describes how faculty staff have implemented an active participation approach in a second year module in industrial engineering through a series of industrial student visits. Students’ participation during the visits and their perceptions of industry before and after the visits are described. Practical suggestions on how site visits to manufacturing companies might be incorporated into the undergraduate engineering curriculum are provided.