Adrift in the curriculum

As with any voyage, the successful transit of a university engineering educ ation requires foresight knowledge of curricular objectives and structure. This simple requirement, which often seems overlooked, is especially import ant at the undergraduate-degree level, where contemporary engineering curri cula are becoming increasingly complex in order to provide greater opportun ities for subtrack specialization, degree miners, and joint degrees with no n-engineering programs. This paper argues that, without foresight explanati on of curricular objectives and structure, significant numbers of students soon find themselves effectively adrift in the curriculum, unsure as to whe re they are headed, undermotivated, and, consequently, underperforming. For esight explanation also benefits faculty engaged in curriculum subtracks. I t prompts them to monitor sequencing of course contents, to better apprecia te the context of their own courses, and to coordinate textbook use. Two fa irly straightforward ways are suggested to augment student-guidance techniq ues already used by colleges: course-direction lectures to indicate whence- and-whither guidance at key points throughout the curriculum; and an Intern et Web site to help guide students (and faculty) through the curriculum.