WIP: Lifelong Learning in Electrical Engineering: Courses to Support Professional Competence Development in Electrification in Transportation- and Aviation Sectors

This innovative practice WIP paper describes the ongoing development of lifelong learning education in electrical engineering. There is a transition in society and industry towards more electrification of the transportation sector, requiring new knowledge. Three lifelong learning courses on electrification of the transportation sector at Uppsala University are described. The courses consist of an introductory course on electric vehicles, a more technically advanced course on electric vehicles and charging systems, and a course under development on electric aviation. The work is ongoing, and the method includes analyzing the course syllabus, the views from summative course evaluations, and the views from a teacher in the course. The preliminary results include opportunities and challenges identified when developing lifelong learning courses. From the preliminary results of this work in progress, it is concluded that the learners appreciate the courses and take an active part in the classes, but that the reasons for participating in a lifelong learning course vary. Specifically, the learners might not be interested in gaining a high grade on, or even passing, the final exam, but rather interested to gain personal knowledge from the classes. The lifelong learner may need enhanced flexibility in terms of scheduling, and the teacher needs to be able to adapt the content of the course to the participants' wide range of backgrounds. It is concluded that lifelong learning in electrical engineering could be particularly interesting due to the rapid changes in industry and society towards enhanced electrification.