ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the historical background for and implications of what learning engineer means in the context of course design, development, and support. The growth of technology development, an exponential increase in our scientific understanding of the world, and the resulting specialization of faculty, particularly at research-intensive institutions, challenge the model of the Renaissance person commanding all they need to design and build courses in today’s university environment. Most faculties in disciplines other than cognitive or educational psychology find themselves in the classroom with no background in learning sciences. Designing engaging learning experiences demands a motivational context grounded in the identity of the learner and a grasp of technical, psychological, disciplinary, and practical group management knowledge that exceeds what can reasonably be expected of the academic training of today’s instructor or tenure track faculty member. Four themes shape this analysis of learning engineering as a response to this challenge: the history of learning technologies; recognition of what an engineering skill set brings to course development; the role of learning sciences in the design of learning activities; and how the art of design deals with the complexity of real-world situations and their resistance to experimental control.
