Reflections from Pacific Crest

Category: newsletter

  • Becoming an Engineer: A Course in Engineering Realization

    Becoming an Engineer: A Course in Engineering Realization

    The Introduction to Engineering course launching in Fall 2026 at Eastern Michigan University is taking a new approach to engineering. Rather than serving as a survey of the field, this course is designed as the first step in developing an engineer of the future. We’re developing a book for the course and are pleased to share the book’s Forward to The Student

    Most students begin engineering by asking, “How do I solve this problem?”

    Fewer ask, “How do I become someone who can solve problems well, consistently, and with purpose?”

    This book, Designing Engineers of the Future, is built around the second question.

    Engineering is about realization — moving from ideas to outcomes, from uncertainty to decisions, and from initial attempts to improved performance. It is also about becoming someone who can do this work effectively, responsibly, and with increasing independence.

    You will not simply learn about engineering. You will learn how to:

    • think like an engineer
    • work like an engineer
    • and develop yourself as an engineer

    Throughout this experience, you will engage with engineering through five lenses:

    • Identity & Responsibility – understanding who you are becoming and the role engineers play in society
    • Disciplined Engineering Thinking – structuring problems, making decisions, and using models effectively
    • Development & Validation – designing, testing, and improving solutions
    • Accountable Engineering Practice – working in teams, communicating clearly, and making responsible decisions
    • Continuous Improvement & Self-Directed Development – learning how to learn, reflect, and grow over time

    These lenses are not separate topics. They are different ways of approaching the same work — the work of becoming an engineer.

    How You Will Learn

    This book is not meant to be read passively. It is designed to be used.

    You will learn through a variety of activity types that structure your experience:

    • Workshops introduce key ways of thinking and working
    • Competency activities ask you to demonstrate what you can do individually
    • Team-based realization activities engage you in designing, testing, and improving solutions
    • Design reviews provide opportunities to present your thinking and receive feedback
    • Reflection activities help you learn from your experiences and improve over time

    Many of these activities will take place in class with your team and with guidance from your instructor. Other parts will require you to think independently, reflect on your performance, and take responsibility for your own learning.

    At times, you may feel uncertain or challenged. This is not a sign that something is wrong — it is a sign that you are being asked to think in new ways. Engineering is not learned by following steps alone. It is learned by working through ambiguity, making decisions, and improving over time.

    Your Role

    In this course, you are not just completing assignments. You are developing capabilities that will carry into the rest of your engineering education and beyond.

    You are expected to:

    • engage actively with your team and your instructor
    • prepare for class and contribute to shared work
    • reflect on your performance and use feedback to improve
    • take increasing responsibility for your learning

    You will be supported throughout the course, but you will not be given all the answers. Instead, you will be asked to develop them, test them, and refine them.

    What You Will Gain

    If you engage fully in this experience, you will leave with more than an introduction to engineering.

    You will develop:

    • the ability to approach unfamiliar and complex problems
    • the discipline to evaluate and improve your own work
    • the skills to collaborate and communicate effectively
    • the capacity to direct your own learning

    You may also find that this course feels different from others you have taken. It is designed not only to help you succeed here, but also to help you navigate the broader challenges of the engineering curriculum — where expectations are high, problems are not always clearly defined, and persistence is essential.

    This book is an invitation to take ownership of your learning and your development.

    The work may be demanding, and at times uncomfortable, but it is through that work that you begin to build the habits, judgment, and independence that define effective engineers.

    We look forward to seeing what you realize — and who you become.

  • Special Interest Groups for Advancing Process Education

    Special Interest Groups for Advancing Process Education

    The Academy is forming Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in the areas of lifelong learning, self-growth, and AI in the classroom. These SIGS will bring together members with shared passions in Process Education. These groups are envisioned as vibrant spaces where “birds of a feather” gather to explore cutting-edge questions, develop tools, incubate innovations, and generate collaborative scholarship that advances our field.  A SIG provides opportunities for: Distributed leadership across interest areas, Focused inquiry aligned with practitioner needs Mentorship pathways for members new to PE scholarship, and Greater visibility for emerging projects and scholarship-in-progress.

    During this year’s PE Conference, on Thursday, June 4, at 9:30am Pacific (12:30pm Eastern) a Plenary Session “PE Special Interest Groups” will be facilitated by Steve Beyerlein, Kathy Burke, and Cy Leise.

    This session is an opportunity to test interest levels, identify core collaborators, and co-define the purpose and structure of each SIG.  The three pilot SIGs will be introduced in parallel working group meetings during the second half of this session. An agenda for periodic SIG meetings throughout the rest of 2026 is planned with the following outcomes in mind:

    • Deepen community connections around each SIG theme
    • Incubate innovative models, tools, and frameworks aligned with PE philosophy
    • Identify research opportunities and practitioner projects
    • Launch collaborative pathways for publication and resource development
    • Support resource sharing, mentorship, and cross-institutional collaboration

    Please consider joining us either in person or online!

  • Designing Engineers of the Future

    Designing Engineers of the Future

    This fall, a new Introduction to Engineering course will launch in the Mechanical Engineering program at Eastern Michigan University. Rather than serving as a survey of the field, this course is designed as the first step in developing an engineer of the future.

    At its core is a guiding idea:

    Engineering is the disciplined practice of altering reality by design—and engineers are developed through engaging in that process.

    A Realization-Centered Framework

    The course is grounded in Mohamed El-Sayed’s Theory of Realization, which frames both engineering work and human development through stages of inception, conception, maturation, and becoming. Students experience realization not only as a process for creating solutions, but also as a pathway for becoming an engineer.

    To make this actionable, the course is organized around five lenses:

    • Identity & Responsibility
    • Disciplined Engineering Thinking
    • Development & Validation
    • Accountable Engineering Practice
    • Reflective Development

    These lenses emphasize both what engineers do and who engineers become, providing a consistent framework across activities, discussions, and assessments.

    From Exposure to Formation

    Many introductory courses emphasize exposure—what engineers do or what tools they use. This course instead emphasizes formation.

    Students engage in multiple realization cycles where they:

    • structure problems before solving them
    • develop and test design ideas
    • use evidence to guide decisions
    • refine solutions through iteration

    In doing so, they encounter three fundamental modes of engineering activity:

    • Problem Solving – altering the state of a situation
    • Design – altering physical reality
    • Research – altering our understanding of reality

    All three involve decision-making and movement from unacceptable to acceptable states, but differ in what aspect of reality they transform.

    Learning to Learn as a Core Capability

    A defining feature of the course is its emphasis on learning to learn. Through structured weekly reflection and improvement planning, students develop the ability to assess their performance, interpret feedback, and direct their own growth.

    This supports a critical transition:

    from following instructions to becoming a self-directed learner.

    Professional Practice from Day One

    Students also develop habits of accountable engineering practice, particularly in team settings. They learn how to conduct effective meetings, make and document decisions, and align their work with defined criteria—skills central to professional engineering.

    An Invitation

    This course represents an effort to rethink the role of introductory engineering education—not as content coverage, but as the beginning of professional formation.

    For faculty interested in integrating learning to learn into technical programs from the start, this approach offers a model worth exploring.