Redefining the theory of engineering for relevance in the 21st Century in Africa

Abstract

Academia and professionals’ attention has been drawn towards redefining theory of engineering for relevance in the 21st century. This has become an imperative as it has brought changes in engineering courses, and yet engineering curriculum have not been modified to accommodate these changes. With increased intellectual demand for ground-breaking engineering performance in Africa, African engineering institutions are still lagging behind as they are yet to meet up with the 21st century needs; hence the crux of this paper. This paper was guided by Jean Piaget’s constructivism learning theory, focusing on individual’s understanding and knowledge, rooted on one’s experience erstwhile to learning setting. This paper takes a broad look at the overall investigation of redefining the theory of engineering for relevance in 21st century in Africa. The specific objectives explore the principles of theory of engineering as well as its applicability and to examine how theory of engineering can be improved for contextual relevance, as well as its implications for 21st century engineering curriculum. Thus, to address this gaps, recommendations on redefinition and relevance of theory of engineering pertaining to curriculum revision and providing adequate staff development for engineering educators with intellectual capacity and skill improvement were recommended.