Lifelong learning for creativity and innovation

Lifelong learning skills have always been important in any education and work setting. However, recently there is a new focus on these skills in engineering education. The expectation that engineering graduates must have “a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning”. The paper first defines a set of attributes / skills, which are necessary for students to develop as lifelong learners. It is postulated that the “recognition of the need” requires skills in the affective domain, while the “ability to engage” requires skills in the cognitive domain. Next, the paper offers course design elements, which help students develop lifelong learning skills. Keywords: lifelong learning skills, learners, engineering education.