Developing Robot-Proof Engineers in the Classroom

By Dora Smith

Innovation in the Classroom by Siemens explores best practices to empower the next generation of digital talent. In this podcast, I interview McMaster University’s Dean Puri on how the school is disrupting the engineering education classroom.

Ishwar Puri is the Dean of Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University. Hear how this leading academic institution develops robot-proof graduates through disruptive innovation in the classroom that closes the skills gap and strengthens graduate employability.

Dean Puri was originally drawn to academia through a love of problem solving he applied to research. Learn how he is transforming engineering education at McMaster through a massive change called The Pivot. Through redesigned curriculum focused on multidisciplinary design thinking in an industry-relevant context.

Summary

800 years ago, the purpose of getting a university-level education was vastly different from what it’s become today. Back then, everybody was seen as a generalist. Now, everyone is hyper-specialized in one or two areas, yet many are not able to recover from the inevitabilities of disruption.

The only way to offset disruption in employability is by helping students understand humans. To make real change, it’s crucial to leverage the real disciplinary competencies that we have in the humanities, arts, professional disciplines like business and engineering, social sciences, and sciences.

Ishwar Puri is the Dean of Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University. Together, we discuss how the school is disrupting curricula to improve engineering education, and how he’s helping lead academic institutions to develop robot-proof graduates through disruptive innovation, closing skill gaps, and strengthening graduate employability.

So, tune in to hear some of the brightest minds in engineering education share insights and best practices to empower the next generation of digital talent.

Some Questions I Ask:

What made you pursue engineering as a degree and choose academia as your profession? (1:26)
What are the key ingredients to making “The Pivot” program a success? (15:36)
What gets you most excited about the future of engineering education? (20:50)
From your perspective, how can a company like Siemens help schools more? (30:25)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What future universities need in order to tackle change. (10:57)
How “The Pivot” will prepare students to face disruption in the workplace. (13:50)
How Ishwar inspires engineering students. (21:57)

Connect with Ishwar Puri:

Resources:

“How the university can save itself – from itself” by Ishwar Puri and Leonard Waverman

Stay tuned for our next podcast. Subscribe to the full series.

Innovation in the Classroom

Innovation in the Classroom by Siemens explores best practices to empower the next generation of digital talent. In this podcast series, Dora Smith takes you through discussions with leading voices from the world of engineering education who are preparing future engineers in Academia 4.0 to shape the world of innovation.