Bury the Cold War Curriculum

U.S. educators should instead stress qualitative thinking skills.

THE ENGINEERING curriculum is broken, and despite action by the National Academy of Engineering and National Science Foundation, repair efforts are scattered, misdirected or ineffective. Prescriptions to date focus more on teaching methods than on correcting errors in content. Conventional wisdom says experiential learning can cure what ails the curriculum, and injection of real-world design experiences can cover curricular shortcomings. But experiential learning works best with small groups, not large student bodies. It also gives short shrift to lectures, which, when done well, can both inspire and inform.

A …