Arnold Pears

Engineering education research contributes to a better understanding of how engineering should be taught in the context of the needs of our world's societies and cultures. Engineering education is so much more than technical knowledge, it is an array of professional practices, competences and the ability to apply technical knowledge in the workplace to the benefit of humanity and society at large.

In a world where in many places engineering remains a male dominated area of human endeavour one of the major challenges is to render engineering a more inclusive enterprise, and to better understand the factors which young people associate with engineering. My research focuses on understanding the learning experience from a learner perspective, both in terms of the learning of specific technical concepts, and more broadly in terms of engineering skills and competencies.  A major current challenge is to explore mechanisms to connect more young people with technology and engineering and help them to find the study of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) more meaningful and relevant.