Abstract
Mining engineering involves the design, planning and management of operations for the development, production and eventual rehabilitation of resource extraction. These activities draw on a diverse set of skills. University of British Columbia mining engineers have traditionally been highly regarded for their strengths in the technical aspects of mining and mineral process but also for their understanding of the application of principles of sustainability and social responsibility. The current view of the UBC Mining curriculum demands the integration of aspects of environmental and social sciences shaping the future of tertiary engineering education. The solution is developing a curriculum that is focused on key learning objectives that are a reflection of all these external pressures. This paper examines the challenge of curriculum reform and the emergence of learning communities at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Highlights
THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF HIGHER LEVEL TECHNICAL EDUCATIONIn engineering education, there are several challenges that educators face in the development, course delivery and student assessment of their courses
We move on to a discussion of how curricular learning communities were applied to a mining engineering department at the University of British Columbia; Canada’s second largest comprehensive university
In this paper we have introduced the NBK/UBC context and the whys and wherefores of curriculum learning communities
Summary
There are several challenges that educators face in the development, course delivery and student assessment of their courses. There is distinct pressure on the curricula taught from such quarters as national accreditation boards, Applied Science faculties, Industry advisory boards and student exit surveys. These driving forces and personal convictions about the importance of engineering education have led to widespread questioning of the viability of the way engineering has historically and is currently taught. An innovative approach to curriculum reform was incorporated acknowledging the challenges and opportunities that mining engineers will face as they enter the workforce and pursue rewarding careers
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