Evolution of the didactic and educational profile of engineering professors

Abstract

This literature review has sought to analyze and understand the evolution of the didactic and educational profile of engineering professors in Brazil, and has identified that their didactic and educational profile has not changed over the history of engineering courses. The teaching-learning method is characterized by traditional practices, which involve lectures and laboratory practices, and students are evaluated through tests. Similarly, the Brazilian industry has not changed significantly throughout history, and has been characterized by the reproduction of consumer goods. However, the employer market in Brazil requires a technical and scientific education based on an ethical and humanistic view, which enables understanding and developing new technologies, acquiring a critical and creative sense, and identifying and solving the problems and demands of society. Such professional competences are observed only in developed countries which have globalized higher education, which prioritizes the international mobility of students, professors and professionals. This means that those competences are incompatible with the Brazilian reality, which does not practice technological innovation and focuses on the reproduction of manufactured goods. The government has implemented both educational legislation and aid programs for industries in order to meet the demands of the employer market. However, results have been unsatisfactory due to the reproductive profile of the industrial sector. Nevertheless, professors need to acquire new teaching-learning methods, which enable the construction of knowledge rather than its reproduction. The objective is to enhance student learning, improving their professional education, which results in technological advancement, even if it is within the scope of the reproduction of manufactured goods.

Engineering professor; Didactic and educational qualifications; Engineering education