Getting students hooked on systems engineering!

During IS2012 a report was made about initiatives in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology to help students learn about systems engineering by doing systems engineering. In this paper, the authors address the question, “lacking a degree program in the university dedicated to systems engineering, what is the best way to give students a taste that makes them want more?” The success of the efforts to date has been indicated by the rapid employment in Norway of students who demonstrate an awareness of and willingness to learn more about systems engineering. The paper describes three initiatives: results from two courses – a PhD level course that has run for 12 years and a master level course on Industrial Design-Systems Engineering that is in its fourth year – and a university project that has experienced recent success attributed to the inclusion of a systems engineer on the project team since 2011. The conclusion is that letting students ‘try out’ systems engineering practices in a laboratory/project classroom environment offers them learning experiences that clearly demonstrate the value of systems engineering practices and theory to both the students and potential employers.