Abstract:

We report engineering and science curricular analysis results emerged after a two years study performed within the FP6 project UPDATE. The research was triggered by the need to frame out the status of specialist's training programs in the sphere of science and engineering, in order to identify barriers and motivation that lead young people to interrupt or abandon their studies. It also aimed to underline those curricular aspects that will lead to the enhancement of the structure and content of engineering education, strongly urged by the social and economic circumstances in Romania.
One way to approach the dramatic decrease of enrolments in science and engineering studies is to induce a higher level of responsibility for accuracy in defining the existing and the growing problems of engineering education. Since the scientific and technical higher education in Romania is mainly governmental, when developing educational state standards of a new generation, it is advisable to ponder previous experience and eliminate contradictions for further improvement and implementation of the system, adjusted to the international practice of specialist's training.
The instruments used in this research were questionaires built on multiple psychological dimensions and applied to students, high school pupils and university staff, semistructured interviews and interactive mixt activities with high school pupils and students. This paper presents the conlusions drawn from the correlations analysis regarding the curriculum (performed on the questionaires data base) linked with teaching methodological aspects, as emerged from direct experience of the teaching staff. A thorough analysis of the syllabus and the current teaching methods critics outline the timing, scientific content and pedagogical factors that define the existing engineering and science teaching system. Correlation analysis enhance the obtained data with reliable information about curriculum components, as perceived by the students while making further choice for studies or careers.
The authors were able to provide 20 indicators on the status and condition of engineering and science curriculum. The indicators refer to five main areas: (1) syllabus scientific content; (2) learner outcomes; (3) teaching methods; (4) the contexts of secondary education; and (5) graduate professional performance. Based on this metrics, a set of eight recommended changes in the curricular area is provided, to ease the transformation of the engineering and science education system into the sphere of cognitive and specific activity development.

Keywords:

engineering and science training programmes, career choice, curriculum, correlation.