BRITO, Claudio da Rocha1 & BRITO, Melany M. C. T. da Rocha2
1Av. Conselheiro Nebias, 595. 11045-003 - Santos - SP - BRAZIL,
Catholic University of Santos,
cdrbrito@unisantos.com.br
2Av. Dr. Epitacio Pessoa, 248 - 33. 11045-300 - Santos - SP - BRAZIL,
University Center of Lusiada,
cdrbrito@lusiada.br
Abstract: To the future generations Education is the key for surviving. It is due to the Educational Institutions to prepare the new professional for next century that is close to start. Humanity has never watched such changes in all levels of life as it has been happening lately. Technological development has increased the quality of man life. There is no doubt that modern man lives more and better. In the future men will not only live more and better but will also work less and will have more time for entertainment. The future professional of any area has to be prepared to face a world of no borders extremely dynamic and competitive. Added to this particular aspect there are the Global Economy and the formation of Economic Blocs. In this context emerged the Mercosul, which is the South America Economic Bloc. A singularity of this agreement is the concern about Education by the four participants Countries that are Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The Engineering Faculty of University Center of Lusiada - UNILUS - in order to prepare a new Engineer capable to face the next century work market has developed a new Engineering Course. This work will show some details about the Engineering Course that has included in the curriculum some extra subjects of Social Sciences. The subjects are Philosophy, Human Resource besides Development of Projects, Assisted Training Period, Management Strategies and for 1999 the inclusion of Sociology. This is an effort to increase the general knowledge of the students so that they can develop a larger perception of the world that surround us. To get as much information as possible and the use of them is equally important. The objective is first of all to propitiate the students the knowledge to increase their creativity, how to use the information to improve their work and the adoption of a strong ethics.
Keywords: ethics, creativity, research, environment, social
Meditating about future taking into account the present quick changing global world it is possible to picture what XXI century work market will demand. Motivated, experienced and enterprising professional, creative and ready to face challenges.
In Brazil presently University lives a profound crises that is expressed not only in the dismantlement of its material and infrastructure and devaluation of human resources but also in the production of knowledge.
The University reform of 1968 directed the education toward technology to satisfy the necessity to implement a modernization that would respond the interests of international capital. Modern ways of doing, living and thinking were imported. They had to live with ancient power structures and concentrated richness that has determined the growth of poverty of most Brazilians.
Research Institutions and Universities had to offer support for this conservative modernization. Presently the neo-liberalism is keeping the same plans, although in a new political circumstance.
The model of University has been designed aiming the formation of technocrats prepared to the demands of a rare and competitive work market.
The division of courses has provided the formation of true manors, getting difficult the interaction of subjects for research and extension programs. The scenery that there is now is: Professors realizing their individual works responding to interests and personal relations without promoting thoughts and the producing of a collective knowledge [01].
Seeking for a new kind of Engineering education the Engineering Course of University Center of Lusiada has implemented a course which prepares Engineers to face new global work market of Mercosul. More creative and committed with the environment [02].
In 1967 the Lusiada Foundation was created and it started its activities with the Medical Science College.
In 1969 Management College began and after having consolidated the two Colleges other Colleges has come. Finally in 1993 the Education Ministry of Brazil recognized the Lusiada as an University Center.
The main characteristic of University Center of Lusiada is the preoccupation with the excellence of education that it offers. This characteristic is expressed in its modern and well-equipped laboratories, libraries and research centers.
Besides a high level of Faculty with 400 members, the University Center of Lusiada also maintain services to the community. By an agreement between the University and the city Hospital, the "Guilherme Alvaro Hospital" can receive around 11 thousands patients per month. It has 220 places and 22 are reserved for Aids patients. All its Research Centers develop a kind of work to the community, which enriches their work too [03].
Philosophy and Sociology has been discussing Science for years. And a lot has been said about it. Discussing it under a practical perspective it is easier to understand its importance to humanity that has received all the benefits and bad effects of Science and Technology advancements.
Considering Science as a process of creation of new concepts elaborated by the observation and quantizing of the phenomenon, we can say that Science is the "Why to do".
Technique is basically the manner in which technical details are treated. It is about the basic physical movements that are used to realize any plan. It is what we name "How to do".
So Technology that is the manner of accomplishing a task using technical methods or knowledge, we can say that it is the sum of "Why to do" and "How to do" or it is the sum of Science and the Technique.
Thinking about Engineering Education presently and what it can become in a near future, as well as to realize the space dimension that exceeds the Campus. It is important to consider the dynamic of the relations between space and time. The connection with society, with the College and the person that have been and can become in the future.
The Long Formation courses have to consider the necessity of preparing a professional who is able to deal with the instability because it is not possible to use the same practice for new situations. To deal with the new, the different and the movements requires a reflexive action that questions the stabilized, that reforms the problem building and testing new broaches [04].
This consideration does not happen only, and does not finish in the formation itself but it extends in the professional practice as a continuous feedback of knowledge. It also happens with partnerships and the exchanges with theorists and students. It is necessary an analytical look over the action before, during and after it (considering the perspective of what it can be).
Observing the difficulties that the future Engineer will face it is interesting to make him to look inside himself and view the process in which he is inserted. So he will be able to resist the pressures of fashions. He will learn how to consider and to act in each moment in according to his own singularities.
In this case the globalization does not mean to grind neither homogenizing but to approach the contact with the differences so that new diversities can emerge to attend the necessities and singularities of the person.
The purpose of the Project we have developed is in essence the inclusion of some subjects of human sciences with the goal to stimulate our students so that they adopt a strong ethics and also to increase their creativity.
To get this goal the following subjects have been included in the curriculum: Philosophy, Development of Projects, Assisted Training Period, Human Resource and Management Strategy.
In 1999 the subject Sociology has been included because the coordinating group considered the necessity to increase the importance sense of Engineering for society and humankind. The goal is to show the students the commitment of Engineering with society, humankind and environment.
These subjects allied with the basic science can provide to our Engineers a new view and a new way "to make Engineering".
The Professors have elaborated the content of each subject avoiding unnecessary information in a way not to overload the students and also to keep their interest. The objective is basically to stimulate their creativity and the adoption of strong Ethics models [05].
Sociology the most recent subject included in the Curriculum will provide the students an opportunity to discuss the science and technology commitment with environment and humankind in a large way. The main goal is to show them the importance of new policies of producing taking in account not only the environment but also the relation of man with nature.
Philosophy is a very important one principally because it is a great opportunity to the students discussing all those matters. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle gives them a whole spectrum of political philosophies.
This subject will provide the students not only how to deal with others ideas but also to increase their creativity, that is fundamental for any activity. Besides it enriches the conception of Ethic that is so important to the development of Science and Technology in according to environmental necessities.
Human Resource shows and discuss human behaving topics in Human Resource Management offering the students the most recent aspects of it, as well as to put them in touch with executives of enterprises by means of meetings and talks. This subject presents the students how to deal with people while human being, mates, consumers and clients learning about the human resource management in different realities in different organizations. They can view a whole universe of possibilities and success since they learn about their own limits and how to work as a team.
Development of Projects can count with an advisor Professor who accompanies the student, during last two years of the course. This subject gives the students the designing, the execution and the interpretation of the results of a project.
It can be a little hard in the beginning because of the lack that exists between second grade formation and University formation. Anyway they learn how to propose, to develop and to present their projects, which is an important achievement for their careers in the future. When they finish the course they will be able to report to everyone with confidence, no matter the number of people.
Assisted Training Period, which is basically the experience of working in an Enterprise. The student works effectively fulfilling a program developed by the Faculty and the Enterprise. The student is assisted by a Professor and a supervisor of the enterprise until to complete the work.
This subject gives the practical experience that show the student not only the "know how to do" and the "Why to do" but also the practice.
Management Strategy provides the future engineer a good skill of Management Theories, the old and the newest ones. They have a wide discussion about the latest models of strategies and as much as possible, the opportunity of applying some of them. This is very important considering that a big amount of Engineers has to deal with management.
The main objectives as related above, are to give the students the basic knowledge about Philosophy and Science and the development of a strong Ethics as well as "learning to learn" [06,07,08,09].
The subjects are offered along the five years of course. For 1999 a new distribution was adopted.
The suggested distribution of the subjects was conceived taking into account the considerable number of Basic Science, Basic Science of Engineering and Specific Subjects of Specific Areas, which are essential [10,11].
The goal is to improve the Engineering Education modifying those aspects that make the course so much and only technical. This distribution has to be made without to overload the just heavy and tight schedule of most Engineering Courses [12].
As in any subject the students have to get a minimum score to be approved for next year.
The evaluation criterion is up to the Professor responsible for each subject. It can be done by means of works, seminars and tests or any other method. This flexibility is important because of the subjects' objective that is to give the student an opportunity to meditate and think about and not only to achieve knowledge.
It is important to emphasize that the students can count with well-equipped Libraries, Internet accesses and a staff specially trained for helping to solve doubts. A special schedule has been elaborated so that the students can have as much attention as possible without overload the schedule.
Every year the Professors and the students have a questionnaire to answer. It is supposed that they answer it honestly so that it is possible to make an evaluation of the quality of the contents and the adjustments or changing that must be done to get a better result for next years.
An evaluation of some subjects has showed positive results like Philosophy that has causing a good impact in the students. On the contrary of what was expected they like it because it is a very relaxing class comparing with others. Assisted Training period has also given them the experience of working as Engineer and it helps them to get more confidence. Besides they have an opportunity of feeling what is to work as Engineers. The subject Development of Project works better if they have it in the last two years when it is possible for them to have a better performance.
The technological process has caused deep transformations in the producing system and as a consequence in the work relations. What occurs is that an increasing number of people have work and not job. This situation demands extra abilities to succeed.
The adoption of a new kind of education becomes necessary because it is not possible to solve new problems with old solutions. Some aspects of Engineering have been changing quickly and so a new kind of professional is coming up.
The Engineering Course of University Center of Lusiada has been working to form the new kind of Engineer. A professional committed with environment and with a strong ethics. An Engineer prepared to overcome the challenge of the Mercosul and global work market.
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