When I teach the introductory engineering class, I am mindful of what it means to be an engineer, and that engineers may look and think in ways that are not necessarily consistent with my idea of what engineers or engineering is. However, there are some universal characteristics, such as the need for engineers to be ethical. Some students strike me as not cut out for engineering. I reflect often on how to best serve these students. This is not the same as not being cut out for college, but that might be the case too. It’s not for me to decide who gets to be an engineer and who doesn’t. (Or is it? As a licensed professional engineer whose engineering practice is teaching new engineers, one may argue that I am obliged to “hold paramount safety and welfare of the public” by admitting only qualified members to the profession.) I don’t know the answer to the professor as gatekeeper issue. All I can do at the moment is avoid being judgmental, assess the students fairly, and have faith that it will sort itself out, with students who are not “cut out” for engineering arriving at their own conclusions and eventually finding their way along their educational and career path. Thank you for your thought provoking post.

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