The Changing Nature of Students and Universities: Opportunities for Timber Engineering Education in the U.S.

Engineering educators in the U.S. have witnessed changes both in their students and in their universities. Students' interests, career goals, perspectives, and study habits have changed. As well, universities at all tier levels have put increasing pressures on faculty research productivity; and they, under the pressure of increasing tuition and fees, have often sacrificed some scientific and technical detail to the point of alarm. This suggests that old pedagogies and traditional teaching approaches may not sustain, through the next decade and beyond, some engineering areas; and especially one often viewed as so minor as timber engineering education. These changes, as well as the restricted budget environment and the emphasis on research, present challenges to timber engineering education; but also the opportunity to choose a different path. Reflecting on more than 50 years of university in-the-classroom teaching experience, short course experience to both the consulting world and government agencies, the authors examine the role of universities, industry, and government agencies in seeing that the structural engineering community maintains the professional knowledge base for continued successful design of wood structures and an understanding of their behavior. Several ideas are proposed as well as new educational strategies for all stakeholders.