The Future of Engineering Education: Where Are We Heading?

The Nordic Engineering Hub has conducted a study on what engineering education
will consist of in 2030. The study, conducted by universities in five different countries,
focuses on the educational content and the pedagogical methods. Three major
challenges have been identified as being crucial for the development of future
engineering education: 1) sustainability, 2) digitalisation and 3) employability.

The first challenge is related to climate change and the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations (UN) that are vital for the future of the
globe. The second challenge is derived from technology and science. With an
expected increase in the use of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things and
artificial intelligence, digitalisation will saturate all corners of society; it will also affect
the engineering disciplines. The third challenge is about future conditions for
employability, including the need for innovation and entrepreneurship.

For this study, professors from various engineering disciplines were interviewed with
the aim of understanding their perspectives on how their discipline will be developed
in the future, and what trends will dominate engineering education in 2030. The study
adopted a phenomenographic approach, and, in this paper presents the initial
analyses of the first five interviews. The initial analyses identify two categories: the
importance of change and the role of the university. The discipline each interviewee
belonged to is hypothesised to be an important factor for variations, an indication that
will be followed up in future quantitative measurements. While the study is exploratory,
the theory about tensions between the academic, market-driven and communityoriented modes within universities is used as a theoretical framework. The
methodological approach is discussed, and it will be further emphasised during the
presentation.