Are Engineering Students Engaged With Their Learning?

There have been considerable changes in Higher Education in the UK over, particularly, the last two decades. Universities today continue to face key challenges in order to maintain standards and to provide business and industry with the necessary skills and knowledge for the future economic wellbeing of the country.The key recipients of higher education, the undergraduate students, also are facing key challenges which directly impact on their learning. The higher education theory and literature tend to tacitly assume a desire to learn and a thirst for knowledge which drives engagement on the part of students. The actuality is somewhat different; the key motivator for students is the exchange value of the qualification and as a result, learning is pragmatically strategic.This study sets out to determine, of engineering students, the degree to which they engage with their studies.Organisational differences can influence student behaviour and learning patterns. Although universities superficially have identical objectives, as organisations they can differ significantly. The context of the university, the formal and informal structures, the lines of authority and the relative emphasis on key activities impact on the degree to which objectives are attained. Consequently, this study examines the same issues across two universities with different historical backgrounds. The same data will be collected from students at similar stages of study in the respective institutions to determine any significant institutional differences.