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Find out more about the people and organisations that support the UCL Centre for Engineering Education
The Brilliant Club
Over the past 3 years, the Faculty of Engineering at University College London (UCL) has been working in partnership with The Brilliant Club on the design and delivery of a university-style bite-size syllabus for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 pupils based on ice-cream and toothbrushes to get children and teenagers interested in engineering. “The IEP Bite-Size”, the university-style bite-size syllabus is aligned with UCL Engineering’s innovative undergraduate teaching programme, the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP).
The IEP was designed to include new and exciting ways of teaching so that all of our students get the chance to develop and practice their own skills while learning all about their technical subjects. The opportunities our students have to work on real world problems and scenarios gives them insight into the type of work professional engineers really do and how the problems they solve and the solutions they come up with can change lives. Similarly, the IEP Bite-Size gives pupils the opportunity to experience engineering, to put their learning into practice by working in an interdisciplinary, problem-based learning, industry linked and design focused environment.
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o practice by working in an interdisciplinary, problem-based learning, industry linked and design focused environment. At its core, is the deliberate attempt to make use of and explore the creative and stimulating aspects of design as practiced by ‘real’ engineers and computer scientists in industry and the professional skills needed to be successful in the enticing and highly competitive working world. The course has been running in schools across London over the past 2 years; pupils in Years 5 and 6 learn about ice-cream and the different types of engineers involved in its manufacturing and production; pupils in Years 7 and 8, use toothbrushes, sensors, motors and micro-chips to get to grips with engineering basics in order to build robots and smart devices to improve, protect and even save lives. As well as being a challenging academic project, the IEP bite-size course gets pupils thinking about how engineering can change lives, for example how the actions of a robot might make life easier for a person with limited mobility.
For UCL Engineering and The Brilliant Club it is important as this is part of a wider programme, which sees pupils write an assessed report on their topic and visit highly-selective universities. After three very successful years, the IEP bite-size has helped open pupils’ eyes to the many applications of engineering and how much of their lives it touches. It also enables them to meet exciting role models and be mentored by young engineers, our very own UCL Engineering PhD students and researchers.
Recently the Brilliant Club launched its new five-year strategy, The Path to Outcomes, following a series of fantastic results from the UCAS Control Group Evaluation study. The UCAS data showed that pupils who completed The Scholars Programme were more likely to progress to a highly selective university (58% of Ever6FSM progressed to a highly-selective university; 57% from total cohort of pupils). Furthermore, pupils who had completed The Scholars Programme were significantly more likely to apply to a highly selective university; receive an offer and progress to a highly-selective university.
Royal Academy of Engineering
The Centre works closely with the Royal Academy of Engineering on a number of issues. Most recently we have collaborated on a report considering the elements that make up an inclusive and diverse engineering curriculum. The Centre is currently work with the Academy (and the EPC) to support the development of the HE Focus resource centre.
Engineering Professors Council
Staff across the faculty are engaged with the Engineering Professors Council, in particular support the work of the Engineering Education, Employability and Skills working group.
European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI)
UCL Engineering is pleased to be an institutional member of SEFI and a number of Centre staff support its work through the conferences and other events run by SEFI.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a charity and owner of the Lloyd’s Register Group Limited (LR). LR is a 257-year-old organisation providing independent assurance and expert advice to companies operating high-risk, capitally intensive assets, primarily in the energy, maritime and transportation sectors. It also serves a wide range of stakeholders with distributed assets and complex supply chains such as in the food, healthcare, automotive and manufacturing industries.
Aston STEM Education Centre (ASEC)
Launched in June 2016, Aston STEM Education Centre (ASEC) acts as the focal point for the Engineering and Applied Science Education Scholarship and Research being conducted at Aston University. The School of Engineering and Applied Science has a long tradition of exploring innovative ways to engage students in learning. ASEC encourages, supports and promotes this work with the intention of developing greater understanding as to ‘what works’ and ‘why’.
The Centre’s inclusive remit includes: Innovation, Scholarship and Research. Their work aims to impact the complete student learning journey – from seeking to enhance the STEM Education of 5 year olds in Primary School, through to leading Scholarly Education Projects aimed at improving the learning experiences of University Students and including Mature Professionals engaged in lifelong learning.
BuroHappold Engineering
Buro Happold Engineering maintain a strong group of core services in the London office including an award winning structural engineering group, building services, infrastructure, transport and environment, project management and cost engineering, as well as a research and development arm. Matthew Harrison, Group Director, chairs the Centre’s Advisory Group.
Atkins
Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies. Phil Davis, Director of Technical Learning and Development, is a member of our Advisory Group
SEMTA
SEMTA’s role is to transform the skills and productivity of the people who power our engineering and advanced manufacturing technologies sectors, enabling UK industry to compete on the global stage. They bring together employers and education to focus action on skills. Ann Watson, Managing Director is also an active member of our Advisory Group.