European engineering educators

Female students have long been underrepresented in engineering. However, the increasing use of project- and problem-based learning (PBL) approaches raises new questions regarding how power dynamics shape their lived experiences during collaborative teamwork. This episode features Sandra Ireri Cruz Moreno and Shannon Chance (Technological University Dublin). We talk about the winner of the ‘Best Re...

Engineering students are increasingly expected to work towards solving ‘wicked’ problems. Tacking such complexity can invoke a range of emotions and educators are increasingly required to support students in situations when they are confronted with uncertainty and value conflicts. In this episode we speak to Johanna Lönngren, Associate Professor in Science and Engineering Education at Umeå Univers...

Feedback and peer review is a key part of university life for both educators and students. Despite this, there are still gaps in our understanding how to best provide and make use of feedback. This episode features Ruth Fisher and Divya Naya, both from the University of New South Wales. We talk about the winner of the ‘Best Practice Paper’ at the SEFI 2025 Conference entitled “Using multistage pee...

Concerns for student mental health have grown over the last decade, particularly within engineering disciplines, which are often associated with heavy workloads and difficult assessment. There is subsequently an increasing need to understand the stressors that impact engineering students, and the ways in which we can support them to thrive. In this episode we speak to Karin Jensen, an Assistant Pr...

Despite the increasing magnitude and frequency of disasters, it remains unclear whether civil engineers possess the ability to understand disaster risk and design resilient infrastructures.    This episode features Anup Shrestha from Water and Development Research Group, School of Engineering, Aalto University (Finland).    We talk about the winner of the ‘Best S...

The rising complexity of modern societal challenges has intensified interest in interdisciplinary engineering education. In this episode we speak to Professor Anette Kolmos (Professor in Engineering Education and PBL) and Dr Henrik Worm Routhe (Postdoctoral Researcher) from Aalborg University (AAU) in Denmark, about InterPBL and the different approaches that can be taken to interdisciplinary learn...

 Although recognised as a priority for engineering education, implementation of Sustainable Development (SD) in curricula has been mixed and limited.    This episode features Marie Paretti from Virginia Tech and Maya Menon from the EdTech startup NextWork. We talk about a paper published in the European Journal of Engineering Education entitled “Understanding instructor decisio...

Engineering is a global profession, with various efforts focusing on the globalisation of engineering practice. However, there are many differences between engineering education systems in different contexts. In this episode we discuss what we can learn by comparing engineering education across contexts with Professor Roger Gonzalez from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), author of the mon...

This is our first episode which takes the new format which we will be released at intervals along with our normal longer length shows. In these episodes we will be bringing you up to date with some of the latest work within engineering education by speaking with authors of recent publications. For our first episode of this I am speaking with Madeline Polmear from Kings College London, who featured...

We can't really talk about engineering education without talking about engineering students. But in this episode we talk to them! We attempt to bridge the gap between engineering educators and students by directly asking them what they think. In so doing, we welcome Katrijn Vandenborne (current President of BEST) and Nadica Koloska (co-ordinator for the Educational Involvement Department) from the...

Welcome to the highlights episode for season 6! We have reached the end of season 6 and 3+ years of podcasting. Neil and Natalie would like to thank all listeners and guests for their continued support in making the podcast a valuable source of information regarding contemporary topics in engineering education. Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Professor Neil Cooke (University...

Attracting students to study engineering, and helping society understand what engineers do, are ongoing challenges within engineering education. In this episode we spoke to Mariana Velho, Communication, Education and Outreach Manager for CERN openlab. Mariana draws upon her background in psychology, education and outreach, to manage various communication projects and campaigns, and manage stakehol...

Feedback is a somewhat perennial topic within higher education (HE), with increasing emphasis on students as independent learners who should engage as active participants to fulfil the role of a self-regulated learner. In this episode we speak to Dr. Kurt Coppens who works within the ETHER (Engineering Technology Education Research) research group, at the Faculty of Engineering Technology, KU Leuv...

There continues to be a growing focus on the need for engineering students to develop transversal skills. There are a number of barriers which can stifle efforts in teaching such skills and approaches increasingly focus on developing engineering educators’ ability to integrate a diverse set of skills with technical knowledge. In this episode we speak to Siara Isaac and Joelyn de Lima, part of the...

Welcome to the first episode of season 6 of the podcast! The Archimedean Oath, first developed in 1990 and inspired by the Hippocratic Oath, was promoted as a reflection tool during SEFI 2024. Historically, the oath was read and signed at the end of master’s level study and allowed engineers to emphasise their commitment to their institution and global responsibility. Taking an oath was viewe...

We have reached the end of the fifth season! Neil and Natalie would like to thank all listeners and guests for their continued support in making the podcast a valuable source of information regarding contemporary topics in engineering education. Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Dr. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) for this episode in which they summarise the recent interv...

Welcome back to the podcast! Engineering education is home to many different learning approaches including problem, project, and challenge-based learning, as well as studio learning. At the same time, technological advances mean that there is an increasing focus on virtual learning, and collaboration across geographical contexts. The wide variety of approaches at our disposable necessitates choice...

Welcome back to the podcast! The isolation felt by engineering educators who are passionate about teaching and learning, but who reside in technically focused engineering departments, is widely reported. The case is no different in Africa, where few institutions recognise educational research as a valid research focus in engineering, this resulting in lack of capacity for engineering education res...

Welcome back to the podcast!   As the problems that society faces become more complex there is increasing emphasis on the need for engineers to work across disciplines, with a focus on taking interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to engineering education. However, there can be a lack of clarity about how such terms are conceptualised within the engineering classroom, this resulti...

Welcome back to the podcast!   Discussion around the need for engineers to navigate increasingly complex and uncertain challenges (e.g., climate change, digitalisation) features heavily within engineering education research and leads to questions pertaining to the abilities of engineering graduates. Despite this, little is known about the way in which engineering programmes support students i...

Welcome back to the podcast!   Since the start of 2023, Chat GPT, and the use of generative AI (Gen-AI) more generally, has been the topic of much discussion, advice and debate within engineering education worldwide. Despite a proliferation of guidance, awareness raising and information, there has been little empirical evidence pertaining to the impact of Gen-AI on integrity of assessment and...

Welcome back to the podcast!   Terms such as inclusion, diversity, equity, and equality, have long featured in discussions relating to engineering education, and are often used interchangeably. Their meaning both evolve over time and vary significantly across context. Such changes and variation have implications for the areas in which efforts towards DEI, are focused, as well as to learn from...

Hope you are having a great Summer ... We originally conceived the podcast as a project which would run for two years with monthly episodes. As we approach its second anniversary, Neil and Natalie would like to thank everyone listeners and guests for their support in making it into a valuable source of information about the SEFI community and contemporary topics in engineering education. In this e...

Welcome back to the fourth episode of this fourth season of the SEFI podcast!   In this first episode we talk to Professor Tim Drysdale, Chair of Technology Enhanced Science Education in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. Tim is responsible for developing an entirely new approach to online laboratories to support non-traditional online practical work activities across m...

Welcome back to the third episode of this fourth season of the SEFI podcast!   In this first episode we talk to Dr. Diana Martin, a Senior Research Fellow within the Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) at University College London (UCL). Diana applies knowledge obtained during her study of both philosophy and liberal arts in her work into the implementation of ethics, sustainability and so...