Editorial

As I write, the COVID-19 pandemic continues, war is in Ukraine, and floods, earthquakes and famine jeopardise lives. The responsibilities of engineers are immense. Educating engineers is critical and challenging.

1. In this issue

This first issue in Volume 27 of the Australasian Journal of Engineering Education presents five papers, and a heartfelt piece in memoriam of Lyndal Parker who will be deeply missed by members of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Authors contribute to understanding how to teach online, how to enhance work placement experiences, how to develop multidisciplinary capabilities, and how to teach school students science concepts that they will need for engineering education.

Universities have now been adapting to COVID-19 for 2 years. The Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference 2020 in Sydney was themed ‘Disruptions in Engineering Education’. The first two papers in this issue are aligned with this theme and will be valuable to educators considering online teaching and learning, and guiding transitions in the mode of curriculum delivery. We have learned much about online delivery. Although health risks due to the virus persist, educators are designing future curricula taking advantage of expanded capability to teach and learn online, and evidence of success of teaching and learning remotely.

Caldera, Desha, and Dawes (2022) in ‘Applying Cynefin framework to explore the experiences of engineering educators undertaking “emergency remote teaching” during the COVID-19 pandemic’ interviewed six engineering educators about the transition to emergency remote teaching. The results reveal opportunities for readers interested in increasing the numbers of students studying engineering. Valentine, Belski, and Hamilton (2022) in ‘Influence of using a pen-and-paper or computer-based approach on engineering students’ self-efficacy during idea generation’ tested paper-based and online modules designed to enhance students’ creativity, and report that students’ idea generation and self-efficacy were as strong for the students who completed the learning activities online as for those who used pen and paper.

The Australasian Journal of Engineering Education publishes research that informs development across the lifespan of an engineer. Ladachart, Chaimongkol, and Phothong (2022) in ‘Design-based learning to facilitate secondary students’ understanding of pulleys’ demonstrate efficacy of their approach with 25 eighth-grade students.

Ngonda, Shaw, and Kloot (2022) in ‘The pitfalls of work placement learning: perceptions of mechanical engineering students from a South African university’ report studying the work placement experiences of 34 students. Ngonda and co-authors’ findings about the importance of the allocated responsibilities, quality of supervision, and attributes of students, and the authors’ recommendations to enhance students’ and supervisors’ preparation for placements, are consistent with the international literature on work integrated learning.

Irvine et al. (2022) in ‘A multidisciplinary approach to authentic learning experiences for nature-based solutions design: broadening the monkey cheeks’ share their experience of multidisciplinary design-based engineering education involving landscape architecture and environmental engineering students. The capabilities for multidisciplinary practice are developed in too few engineering programmes. This paper will be inspiring and informative for educators rising to the challenge of designing and implementing multidisciplinary learning activities for students.

The final words in the issue are by Dr Keith Willey (2022) in memory of Lyndal Parker, a committed and valued member of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, who sadly died this year.

2. Special issues

Two open calls for contributions to special issues aligned with conferences are current. Manuscripts on ‘Engineering Education Research Capability Development’, the theme for the Research in Engineering Education Symposium – Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference 2021, should be submitted by 31 July 2022. Those on ‘The Future of Engineering Education’, which is the theme for the Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference 2022, are due by 31 July 2023.

3. Editorial team: introducing Andrea Goncher and farewelling Julia Lamborn

It is my pleasure to share that Dr Andrea Goncher has accepted my invitation to become an Associate Editor for the Journal, having served until recently as an Advisory Committee Member. Dr Goncher is an Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Florida (USA) in the Department of Engineering Education. Dr Goncher has held postdoctoral and faculty positions at Queensland University of Technology and Charles Sturt University. Dr Goncher’s research interests include international engineering education with approaches to facilitate student development through design thinking and human-centred engineering. She has worked with Engineers Without Borders- Australia and Unbound to provide students immersive learning experiences in humanitarian engineering. Dr Goncher teaches first-year and capstone design courses and elements of electrical engineering. She integrates her teaching and research practices by using machine learning to improve conceptual understanding and personalise learning. Dr Goncher is an honours graduate of Duquesne University, where she earned her BS in Physics. She was awarded a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and received her PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech.

Professor Julia Lamborn has stepped down from the Editorial Team. I am grateful to Professor Lamborn for serving as an Associate Editor. She brought a wealth of practical experience related to curriculum development and accreditation.

Acknowledgments

I sincerely thank the Editorial Team, the Advisory Committee, all reviewers, and the authors.

Cheryl Desha and Griffith University are gratefully acknowledged for the photograph on the front cover of Volume 27.