A strategy for increasing undergraduate power engineering course enrolments

Over the last decade student enrolments in electrical power engineering subjects at the University of Canterbury have been falling. This paper discusses changes in courses designed to stimulate interest in power engineering. One significant change has been to introduce modern applications of electrical power engineering into the compulsory Year 2 courses. A number of other strategies, such as use of practical assignments to stimulate interest, team teaching, industry relevant lectures and fields trips have also helped increase the number of students enrolling in power engineering courses at the University of Canterbury. If electrical engineering education is looked at from an international perspective then there are many different stages in an undergraduate degree programme in which electrical engineering subject areas are introduced. Based on a 1996 survey of power electronic and electrical machine courses in North American and Australasian universities it was found that these courses are taught in different levels of detail at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels (3). It was found in North America that electrical machines is usually a required part of the undergraduate program, but that power electronics is optional, and in some cases only offered at a postgraduate level. This is in contrast to Australasia, where power electronics often forms part of the required course content at the undergraduate level. These two aspects, the dominance of traditional undergraduate electrical machines courses in North America and the dominance of the general undergraduate power electronics course in Australasia, provide a basis to develop a strategy to increase enrolments. 93% of universities in Australasia offer at least one undergraduate power electronics course, whereas the equivalent course is offered by only 39% of North American universities. Power electronics is perhaps the most recent power engineering discipline and it pervades all modern applications and advances in power systems and electrical machines. Student perceptions are that power electronics is a new and exciting technology, as opposed to traditional electrical machines and power systems that are both considered well established with little scope for innovation. By spreading power electronics throughout our courses we figured that students' interest could be restimulated. Other strategies have also been implemented and these are discussed at various stages in the paper.