Yasar Ersoy – författare

There is a gap between the mathematics taught to engineering students and the mathematics that engineers use in practice. The mathematics presented to undergraduates is often already in modelled form, there is always enough data, the solution is known, there is a preferred technique, and the students are expected to work by themselves. In practice the engineer will work on an ill-formulated problem and be expected to produce the model, will never have enough data, will never be perfectly sure if the solution is correct, and will be part of a team. Written by internationally renowned engineering scientists and researchers, this volume in the NATO Special Programme on Advanced Educational Technology addresses this gap by discussing the design of modelling courses. Fluid flow and heat transfer serve as examples.

As the role of the modern engineer is markedly different from that of even a decade ago, the theme of engineering mathematics educa­ tion (EME) is an important one. The need for mathematical model­ ling (MM) courses and consideration of the educational impact of computer-based technology environments merit special attention. This book contains the proceeding of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop held on this theme in July 1993. We have left the industrial age behind and have entered the in­ formation age. Computers and other emerging technologies are penetrating society in depth and gaining a strong influence in de­ termining how in future society will be organised, while the rapid change of information requires a more qualified work force. This work force is vital to high technology and economic competitive­ ness in many industrialised countries throughout the world. Within this framework, the quality of EME has become an issue. It is expected that the content of mathematics courses taught in schools of engineering today have to be re-evaluated continuously with regard to computer-based technology and the needs of mod­ ern information society. The main aim of the workshop was to pro­ vide a forum for discussion between mathematicians, engineering scientists, mathematics educationalists, and courseware develop­ ers in the higher education sector and to focus on the issues and problems of the design of more relevant and appropriate MM courses for engineering education.