Impact of Modern Learning Theories on Engineering Education

Engineering education in India is still based on the age-old model of the teacher regarding the head of the student as an empty pitcher into which he/she pours knowledge, without bothering much about how much of the knowledge impact is absorbed and utilized by the student. However, in the past two decades, significant research has been carried out on how students learn, and new theories of so-called Active Learning have gained acceptance. This paper introduces these active learning theories. It then draws attention of engineering educators to the need of reorienting engineering education in the light of these active learning theories. It shows the teacher may modify his/her present method of teaching so as to enable the students to learn better and to utilize the knowledge gained in a much more effective manner.