The Engineering Academy is a collaborative initiative to improve the quality of engineering education, ensure the next generation of engineers and promote the topic. This week the parties involved in the activities of the Academy of Engineering at the university held a development seminar and gave an overview of the successes achieved in 2024 and presented plans for the current year.
"Cooperation" was a recurring keyword at the development seminar. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Fjodor Sergejev stressed that no one can achieve the big goals set by the Engineering Academy alone, it requires continuous cooperation between several parties in the university. At the same time, he pointed out that Tallinn University of Technology alone cannot bring about the needed changes in society to popularize engineering education and ensure the next generation of engineers. This requires a joint effort by the Estonian state, various educational institutions, many companies and professional associations.
"The activities of the Engineering Academy at TalTech are driven by three big whales - the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Studies and the Open University," opened her presentation Betra Leesment, Director of Studies. The cooperation between these parties is a daily process, as improving engineering education and increasing the number of students is a common goal. For example, the first experiments in the form of additional maths courses have helped engineering students to be more successful in maths subjects. The aim is to integrate mathematics more efficiently into the subject to make it easier for students to link theory and practice. The department is carrying out a range of studies and pilot projects to ensure the success and sustainability of engineering studies.
The Engineering Academy also focuses on working with high school students. E-learning courses are being developed to high schools and vocational schools students to offer learnings related to engineering subjects. Young Engineer Program is designed to offer technology and engineering interested pupils in-depth knowledge of engineering under the guidance of TalTech researchers, lecturers and students. Unicorn Squad PRO program helps girls to practice different IT and technology fields. By the end of 2026, the aim is to have 1000 girls graduated from this program. From this year onwards, school pupils will also be actively involved in our student projects.
10 curricula from Tallinn University of Technology are include in the Engineering Academy. The development and popularization of these curricula is a top priority and the program leaders presented the innovations already introduced in the curricula. The aim is to improve the quality of learning, help students to make better progress in their studies and thereby reduce the number of interrupted studies. Activities planned for this year include a wider implementation of problem-based and project-based learning, the activation of communication activities and the development of cooperation with businesses and partners. The Engineering Academy includes one IT curricula beside the engineering curricula, as IT and engineering are increasingly intertwined. The Engineering Academy has a lot to learn from the IT Academy program, which has been running for many years, and as a result, cooperation between the faculties of IT and Engineering is constantly evolving.
"It is extremely positive that the Engineering Academy has highlighted the area that creates the most added value and synergies with all other areas in the economy. The development seminar of the Tallinn University of Technology team gave a clear message - on the one hand, the initiative offers serious challenges, but at the same time it motivates the parties involved to achieve faster developments than previously. It is a great pleasure that experts and companies from outside the Engineering Academy have expressed their willingness to contribute, collaborate and share their knowledge. The Engineering Academy is strongly shaping the mindset of society as a whole," summarized Triin Ploompuu, the Development Manager of the Engineering Academy at TalTech.
The Engineering Academy’s activities period is 2023-2029 and are implemented by the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of IT, the Faculty of Science, the Department of Studies, the Open University and the support structure. You can read more about the Engineering Academy here.
