Book Information and Opinions

"...This book is one important step of many.  It provides an interdisciplinary, accessible framework that broadens the conversation to include all stakeholders needed for change: practicing professionals, firm owners, educators, administrators, future engineers, and policymakers.  Without the entire community engaged in this conversation, we will not be able to meet the challenges of this new century..."

Jeffrey Russell, Ph.D., P.E., Dist. M.ASCE
Professor and Chair
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
University of Wisconsin, Madison

"... But I believe that current pedagogy and a rigid engineering curriculum play an important role, as well.  This rigidity, in my opinion, not only discourages underrepresented students but also tends to deter white males who are creative and artistic.  I just finished reading Tomasz Arciszewski's book "Successful Education. How to Educate Creative Engineers".  I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a genuine interest in a fundamental change in engineering curricula.  In order to make engineering education more inclusive, we must be able and willing to create a culture of acceptance that not only embraces students with different learning styles but caters to them"

JP Mohsen, Ph.D.
Professor and the President of ASEE
February edition of PRISM, the magazine of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 

"My dream is to again educate engineers who are creative and successful leaders in our society.  The key for success is engaged, challenging and relevant education.  Therefore, I propose the concept of a new form of engineering education called ‘Successful Education,’ based on Sternberg's Theory of Successful Intelligence.   Successful Education requires a new teaching/learning environment that I call the ‘Successful Department.’ ”

from Successful Education: How to Educate Creative Engineers
by Tomasz Arciszewski, Ph.D.

About the Book

The time for change in engineering education is now. To that end, the aim of the Successful Department is to educate Successful Engineers, i.e. engineers who not only make a good salary, but who also have political influence and prestige, are in a high social position and, most importantly, are doing deeply satisfying and inventive work for the benefit of society.  There was a time in our history when engineers were the thinkers, artists and leaders of society and now is the time for them to be once again. Successful Engineering Departments should be able to attract the best and brightest students who go on to become the best and brightest leaders in their communities.

This book provides a conceptual foundation for a Successful Department and provides specific recommendations on how to create it.  It is based on the following assumptions:

• A fundamental transformation of engineering education is not only possible, it is necessary.
• The concepts of Successful Engineering Education and a Successful Engineer are based on Sternberg´s Theory of Successful Intelligence.
• A new learning/teaching environment can be created to educate Successful Engineers and is based on ideas from cognitive psychology (Theory of Successful Intelligence, Sternberg 1985, 1996), engineering (The da Vincian Principles, Gelb 1998), political science (Creative Environment, Florida 2002) and history (The Medici Effect, Johansson 2004).

• Successful Departments attract the best and brightest students. 
• The overall success of the engineering profession is measured not only by the size of salaries but also by its political influence and prestige, the social position of its members and  the reestablishing of engineers as leaders and inventors in society who provide essential services and in the process build satisfaction and pride in their work.