Ergonomics and Human Factors in Engineering Undergraduate Education: The Canadian Case
摘要
Professional engineers must ensure public welfare and environmental protection. Their undergraduate training, however, may not include the necessary Ergonomics and Human Factors (EHF) knowledge to succeed. This study describes the sufficiency of EHF presentation based on an international survey of professors with knowledge of EHF offerings in engineering undergraduate programs and the EHF presence based on relevant keywords in undergraduate university engineering course descriptions in Canada. Twenty-nine of the 37 survey respondents were affiliated with “systems” or “industrial” engineering programs and 36 believe EHF is at least “somewhat important” to engineering professionals. Perceived EHF presence by institution ranged widely from “insufficient” to “excellent” with the mid-point “good” appearing most frequently. A subset of 167 Canadian accredited undergraduate engineering programs showed wide variation of EHF keywords in course description with 144 (86%) programs having none, and “Industrial” and “Systems” programs having most relevant elective and required courses. Greater understanding of actual EHF presence across engineering undergraduate programs is required to ensure engineers have knowledge required to meet their professional obligations.