The computer is the essential tool for most design work today. Programs are analogous to the computation methods that were the critical components that I learned when I was in school. What a good education these days should do (in part) is
- Teach engineering critical thinking which involves
- Learning the limits of computation tools
- Identifying when each is appropriate
- learning how to check the output in a meaningful manner - usually by hand, but not always
- Learn the variety of tools that are available
- Learn how to adopt new tools
- Understand the principles that lie behind each of the tools
- Learn common methods and assumptions that extend across tools
- Learn data transfer methods
- Learn how to present data to others in a way that is meaningful
If students can learn these skills I think we’ll have served them well.
To do so we probably have to learn several tools in a shallow manner to address learning techniques and at least one in depth to be able to assess limits.
I’d argue at the moment that these ideas should apply to my study of design for the sabbatical.
