Assistant principal redesigns ARU’s Engineering curriculum

Encouraging students to take a holistic approach to solving engineering challenges, Dr Norton also aims to provide ARU’s engineering intake with the professional skills they need to tackle 21st century challenges.

In a statement, Dr Norton said: “A common misconception is that we just need engineers who are really good at maths, but this isn’t the case. The world needs engineers who can communicate, who can problem solve, work as a team and appreciate different perspectives. There are so many examples of bad engineering design because of a lack of diversity of thought in design teams.”

The assistant principal sees maths as one of the barriers to people considering a career in engineering, so she has developed the course’s entry criteria to not include A Level maths.

“We do require a good pass at GCSE but that is purely to show that you can do maths,” said Dr Norton. “An effective engineering team requires a wide range of skills, including creativity, and I would urge anyone who has studied arts focused or humanities subjects to consider a career in engineering.