Encouraging Lifelong Learning for Engineering Management Undergraduates

The current ABET guidelines place an emphasis on life-long learning for our undergraduate students. What is life-long learning? How can we encourage students to consider global issues, current events, or even anything "that isn't going to be on the next test"? In this paper we present survey results evaluating habits of undergraduate students entering an engineering management program and seniors related to life-long learning including attending professional society meetings, reading trade publications, reading business related books, and other learning outside of the classroom activities. This paper also presents a two semester effort to increase life-long learning activities among undergraduate engineering management students. Changes were made to an introductory sophomore level EM class. Students were required to participate in lifelong learning activities including reading business books and interviewing managers. These activities were graded as part of the required course. Additionally, the students were asked to identify learning activities they would complete the semester following the course - which would not be reflected in their grades. Recommendations for incorporating life-long learning initiatives in the engineering management undergraduate curriculum are also presented.