I paper presented at the 25th annual conventior,of the American Institute of Electrical En.gineers, Atlantic City, N. J., Jnly 2, 1908.

Copyright 1908. By AI.EE.

THE NEW METHOD OF TRAINING ENGINEERS

BY MAGNUS W. ALEXANDER

A century ago higher education in American colleges anduniversities aimed primarily to develop a man for the pro-fessional life of a preacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, awriter, or a philosopher. Colleges and universities respondedto the demands of the life of that time. A college bred manoccasionally, from choice or througlh circumstances, enteredbusiness activities, but the direction of the commerce andindustry of the country rested chiefly with those wvho hadworked their way up to important positions through all the stepsof practical commercial and industrial life. The advantages ofthe broad culture and of the power of observing and reasoning,seculred and developed in institutions of higher learning, werevery little recognized in commercial and industrial work; andthe mathematical and physical knowledge withl which the col-leges equipped their graduates found comparatively little callin the business activities.The invention of the steam engine ushered in the wonderful

industrial development of the world, strikingly manifested inthe extensive building of steam railroad systems all over thecountry. This activity, requiring the construction of loco-motives and rolling stock, called also for the surveying of land,the building of roadbeds, the spanning of rivers and valleys bybridges and viaducts, the leveling of hills, and the tunneling ofmountains. A fair knowledge of the mathematical and physicalsciences became a prerequisite of the equipment of the menwN:ho were to take charge of this kind of work. Colleges anduniversities, wisely then began to pay particular attention tothe teaching of mathematics and physics, which were expanded

1459

1460 ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGINEERS [July 2

until they became part of special courses devoted to instructionin civil engineering. The further development of the industriesthrough added inventions and the extended use of machineryreacted on the colleges in demanding of some of the graduatesan enlarged engineering knowledge that became an importantfactor in the various indlustrial activities. This call of the in-dustries. le(d to the establishment of mechanical engineeringcourses in many of thc colleges, finally resulting in distinctivetechnological schiools for thle teaching of thec various branchesof the then known engineering sciences. At first, most of thegraduates of the scientific courses and technological school.sdevoted themselves to the-teachiing of the sciences; or enteredpractical industrial life, in positions connected with railroadsystemns where a knowledge of civil engineering was required.Those who went into the workshops, however, found it necessaryto acquire a knowledge of industrial processes and the art of theapplication of the sciences to the practical problems of thefactory before they could assume responsible positions; and theyeven found that their colleege training workcd rat-her againstthan for securing an opportunity of studying the practical sideof industrial lifc.A further marked change in the relation of the colleges to

the industries became apparent some twenty-five years agowhen electricity began to play an active part in daily Efe.The call for college men wiho lhad received a tlhorough trainingin the mathematical and physical sciences underlying electricalengineering now grew imperativc, as such men were needed inthe (lesigning of electrical apparatus and in is manufacture, aswell as in the technical management of electric street railw'ayswhich were replacing tlhe old transportation methods. Manycolleges responded to this new demand by the establishmentof electrical engincering courses. The rapidly changing con-ditions of the electrical industry, on the one hand, required thecolleges to watclh closely the practical applications of electricalengineering theories in the factories, and the remarkable de-,Telopment of new theories in college laboratories, on the otherhand, obliged the manufacturers to kceep in close touch withthe work in the colleges. These conditions brought about agreater cooperation between engincering colleges and technical in-dustries than had ever been the case beforc; and witlh this,grewv the interdependence of tlhc two institutions.

Graduates of electrical engineering courses more than any

1908] ALEXANDER: TRAIiNING ENGINEERS 1461J

other engineering graduates felt the necessity of securing agood deal of the practical side of their profession in the work-shops before they could become effective economic units in anindustrial organization. The electrical industry had called intoplay many new processes of manufacture with which the studentwas not made familiar at college, nor had he even that generalknowledge in regard to them which most young men acquire asboys in regard to ordinary mtechanical processes, either by ob-servation or by actual contact wNith the work. Realizing thegap between the theory of the college and the practice of theindustry, some colleges added courses in practical slhop andfield work to their curricula. They established and main-tained college work shops for that purpose.The machine equipment and manufacturing methods of to-day

soon become those of yesterday. This applies especially tocolleges which neither have the resources to keep their equip-ment up-to-date, except at comparatively long intervals, norfor obvious reasons, can adjust their processes and methodsquickly to thle rapidly changing industrial conditions. Manyof the men in charge of the practical shop courses, to be sure, aretaken from practical life, but even they find it difficult to keepabreast of the development in the industries.

Wh-iile this process of adjustment on the part of the collegesto tlhe new industrial life was going on, manufacturers of steamengines, locomotives and similar devices, and especially manu-facturers of electrical apparatus, evolved thcir own methodstlhrough which the college education of the young man wasrounded out by practical experience in the industry before hecould be placed even in a minor position of responsibility.These " student courses " proved vcry valuable from the bc-ginning, and became so important that in most cases they wereplaced under the supervision of men especially selected for thetraining of students. The general aim was to give the student anopportunity during a two years' course, to apply the theorieslearned at college to the practical problems of daily industriallife, to acquaint him with factory conditions, and, as far astime would permit, with some of the factory processes; he wasusually required to work regular factory hours and to submitin general to the rules governing the conduct of men in the shop.

AVith all due recognition of the excellent systemo-:s for trainingcollege graduates thlat have been developed in many establish-ments throughout the country, it mnay not be amiss to outline

1402 ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGINEERS [July 2

here bricfly the system that was evolved a few years ago by theGeneral Electric Company in the Works at Lynn, Mass., wherethe effort for a well conceived and well conducted student coursehas resulted in a system of recognized efficiency. The stuudcntcourse at Lynn is planned to meet the requirements of theGeneral Electric Company for dcsigning and cstimating, con-struction and commercial engineers, and technical salesmen.The company takes graduates of technical schools and trainsthem during a period of two years, giving them during thlistime practical experience in the handling and testing of appa-ratus, in order to fix in the studcnts' minds the practical appli-cation of engineering theories, to enlarge their engineeringknowlcdge in general, to acquaint them with the competitivevalue of the product of the factory, and to develop them alonglines of their future usefulness to the company.

In order that each student mig,lht receive careful individualattention thereby directing himn into the field of his great-est capacity, a supervisory committee was organized a fewyears ago, consisting of four members of the engineeringcorps of the Lynn WVorks, one being the superintendcnt of thetesting department. The committee meets citlher weeklyor fortnightly. Each new student is called before the com-mittee sometime during his first three monlths of service withthe company in order that the committee may get acquaintedwith him and he with the comnmittee. Ile is questioned as tohis future plans and is advised as to the best way of carryingthem out. Proper record of the student and hiis aims and of theimpression that he has made on the committee is kept in theminutes of the meeting, to be referred to again when the studentis called the second time within the next six months. lIe isthen examined quite fully with regard to his theoretical andapplied technical knowledge, his alertness in following up theapplications of engineering theories and in taking advantageof the educational facilities offered by the course. The examina-tion is of a more or less informal character, but of eminentlypractical value; it does not aim to find fault with the studentbut rather to assist him in his work and point out to him theway to success.As a rule, the young man is not asked to recite theories and

formulas, but is rather tested as to his power of comprehensionin explaining the reasons for certain actions in engineeringwork. A question as to whether a constant current trans-.

1908] ALEXANDER: TRAINING E.NVGINEERS 1463

former should be short-circuited or open-circuited so as to pro-tect the station equipment, if in case of an emergency quickaction in the power house is imperative, will bring out moretruly the student's real knowledge of transformer design thanany question as to the theory of transformers; it will also give aclue to the student's mental alertness and his ability to thinkfor himself. Similarly, a question as to the proper apparatusfor lighting a city under stated conditions or as to the reasonsfor the superiority of certain motors over those of competitorswill open an almost unlimited field for teslting the student'sengineering knowledge, his understanding of electrical apparatus,and his native ability as a technical salesman. These examina-tions are repeated two or three times during the studentcourse. Those who do not come up to the standard, afterthey have been warned by the committee, are dropped from thecourse. Those who give a satisfactory account of themselvesare usually placed in suitable positions as soon as they graduatefrom the course.The efforts of the supervisory committee have resulted in

encouraging the students in their work and in giving the com-pany a fair idea of the value of each candidate for an engineeringposition. This system has also stimulated in the students adesire for increased engineering knowledge which has manifesteditself in the formation of students' clubs to compare notes andto discuss the various problems. It has even led to the publica-tion by two students of a very interesting booklet on " Questionsand Answers about Electrical Apparatus ", a valuable aid tothe young men in the course. The members of the committee,on the other hand, have been kept informed, through close con-tact with the students, of many matters with which they wouldnot have otherwvise become familiar, on account of the com-plexity of the company's business, and some of the ideas ad-vanced by students have led the committee to adopt methodswhich have proved of advantage to the students and to thecompany.As a member of this supervisory committee, I have had an

unusual opportunity to study at close range several hundred ofthe graduates of technical schools, and to follow their earlycareers as junior engineers in various positions with the com-pany. Although the present system of engineering trainingpossesses many points of merit and has turned out engineers ofhigh rank, nevertheless I have become convinced that this

1464 ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENVGINVEERS [July 4.

combination of four years of mental activity in college with twosubsequent years of practical shop work in the student course,calling for physical exercise to a large extent, is not the mosteffective method of training designing, commercial, and con-struction engineers. It fails to give that insight into the practicalside of electrical engineering and into the proper relation of taheeconomic forces of an industrial organization that is more andmore demanded of those who wish to take leading positions inthe industrial field. Moreover, the atmosphere at college ischarged with little of the seriousness of business. The correla-tion of theory and practice is not sufficiently close to facilitatethe proper appreciation of the s iences in their concrete applica-tions. While slhop practice courses at college endeavor toapproximate the desired condition, it must be admitted thatthey can give at best only a faint idea of the real industrial sittia-tion. The truth of this statement will be readily admitted bythose who have employed many college graduates in engineeringpositions and have followed rather closely their early careers asengineers. The college has initiated the young men only in avery general way into the practical processes, and has given thembut a speaking acquaintance with machines and materials; ofcourse, hardly more can be expected of the colleges in view oftheir limited equipment and the brief time available for thispurpose. Moreover, consideration of the elements of time anidmnoney in carrying out practical work is entirely neglected atcollege, although the proper appreciation of economic values isthe important factor that makes for success in industrial life.Only extended experience in practical work in which time andmoney play leading parts can instill a proper conception of thesevalues. It is natural, therefore, that colleg,es leave to subse-quent practical life the young men's development along theselines. Similarly, no amount of the study of political econonmyat college alone can give the student a true perspective of therelation of employer to employee and of the many economicand sociological phases that prove more and more perplexingin our complicated industrial system; a thorough knowledge arndappreciation of these forces, however, are to-day considered essen-tial for those who are called to positions of responsibility in theexecutive and administrative departments of industrial life.A serious study of this situation has led me to believe that the

best engineering education can be obtained under a plan whichprovides that the teaching of the theory and practice should go

1908] ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGINEERS 1465

hand in hand, and, so far as practicable, successive steps in theone should be based on similar advances made in the other,at such intervals as to permit of the most advantageous interplayof the two; and further, that the colleges devote their wholetime to the teaching of the theory for which they are so eminentlyadapted, leaving it to real workshops to initiate the student intopractical work, for which they in turn are best equipped. Froman educational standpoint, this plan should prove efficacious,for mental conception of any activity is facilitated by thephysical perception of a given process, as illustrated in the wholedevelopment of the human being; and on the otlher hand.,mental visions are more firmly clinched by concrete application.Moreover, under such a plan, the freedom enjoyed by studentsduring the college career is happily interrupted by the sterndiscipline that must prevail in a business organization; theadvantage of this college freedom in the development of theyoung man's character, in the spreading of his wings, so tospeak, is not lost, but his freedom is regulated by frequentlyrecurring intervals of discipline in the factory, so that he maybe prevented from soaring to the skies in his fanciful ideasengendered by his personal irresponsibility and after four yearsfind himself all too rudely pulled back to earth by the stern callof practical life with its demand for cooperation of all forces.This plan also trains and develops the young man in the verylife to which he will devote his future efforts and gives him thelove for it, which, after all, is necessary for his success. Eco-nomically this cooperative education is sound in principle, inthat it will give to the industries engineers who are known tobe capable of assuming responsibility and can therefore beplaced in positions of leadership. An arrangement of this kind,carrying with it financial remuneration during a part of the time,will attract to engineering work young men who are mentallyand physically adapted to it but who at the present time do notenter college for financial reasons or for lack of appreciation ofthe value of higher education. The poor boy, if otherwise fittedfor it, will be given a chance to acquire a college education by"6working his way " through college in activities that have adirect beneficial bearing on his future career. The influence ofthe college will therefore, be extended and in no way restricte(dby the cooperative plan as contemplated.

It is obviou-s that only those should be permitted to enjoy thebenefits of cobperative education who can prove both their mental

1466 ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGTINEERS (July 2

fitness for a college training and their adaptability to the re-quirements of practical work. The test, therefore, should be asuccessful passing of entrance examinations into an engineeringschool and satisfactory service during a trial period in thefactory. The former should precede the latter, so that theworkshop may not be put to any expense for the preliminarytraining of young men who could not enter upon the course onaccount of educational deficiency. The trial period should beof at least three months' duration, which I consider neces-sary for a fair judgment in regard to a young man's abilityfor, and right attitude toward, practical work. If properlyconducted, the trial period will afford a splendid opportunityto differentiate between those who give fair promise for asuccessful career as engineers and those who show a lack of theessential qualifications for " making good ". The cooperativecourse, involving as it does the expenditure of money on thepart of a business organization, should of course be open only topromising young men, especially since the demand for admissionto the course will undoubtedly many times exceed the availableopportunities.

After passing a satisfactory educational and practical test, theyoung man begins a cooperative course of six years, correspond-ing to the six years at present occupied by the engineering collegeeducation and the factory student course. Under either plan,therefore, the junior engineer will start his life's work after thesame length of preparation. The plan which I have in mindprovides that the first five years be spent in alternating periodsat the college and factory, leaving the sixth year to be de-voted entirely to college work. Under this arrangement, co-operative students will be taught in separate classes for thefirst five years at college, but in their senior year, theymay be merged with the regular seniors. The advantage of thelatter provision lies in the opportunity which it gives to theengineering apprentice for uninterrupted attention to his thesisand original research work and for forming wider college associa-tions by coming in contact with the larger body of regular collegemen. This plan has an economic value to the college andplaces both classes of college students on the same plane withregard to their final examinations and the attainment of theircollege degrees. The fact that the last year is spent away fromthe factory will strongly appeal to manufacturers in that thoseengineering apprentices who upon completion of the cooperative

L9081 ALEXANDER: TRAINTING ENGINEERS 1467

course enter the engineering staff of competing firms will notpossess the data relating to the latest deve'lopments and experi-ments. For myself, I rather believe that the last year at collegewill be interpreted by most students as a leave of absence atthe expiration of which they will gladly return to the establish-ment which made it possible- for them to receive an engineeringtraining, and which in turn will willingly offer adequate inducc-ments to secure the services of those with whose special apti-tudes it is familiar.As to the length of the alternating periods during the first

five years of the course, extended experience alone will be ableto determine the most efficacious arrangement. We may in themeantime, however, consider various proposals, and, by theprocess of elimination, narrow our consideration down to thefeaw which in the light of logical reasoning might appeal asefficient. The length of the alternating period is a very im-portant element in this plan, for too long or too short a time maydefeat the very objects which the cooperative course seeks toaccomplish. In the light of the aims of the course previouslyadvanced, short periods seem to recommend themselves to us.A year or even six months spent alternatingly at college and atthe factory would, I think, fail to give that close coordination oftheory and practice that is an essential feature of the plan; norwould it establish that balance between the college freedomand the factory discipline which has already been referred to asvery desirable. Short periods, on the other hand, will developthat facility in the young man's physical and melntal make-upthat will enable him to adjust himself quickly to the interactinginfluence of the college and the factory. The engineering ap-prentice should enter upon his factory work as a collegeboy with all the mental alertness and the inquiring mindfostered by the college; and he should return to the collegeas an industrial worker with the physical energy and the deter-mined spirit of achievement that will be developed in a hustlingfactory organization. The attainment of these characteristicswill to a large degree determine the success of the plan. Alter-nating periods of a day or even a week, to take the other extreme,might keep the young man's mind in a rather chaotic state,might not give the seed sown in the class room and factory,respectively, a fair chance to take root. Such time arrange-ment, moreover, would seriously intertere werith the best economyat the factory, and largely forfeit that sympathetic interest of

1468 ALEAANDER: TRAINING ENGIANEERS [July 2

the shop foremen and workmen which seems to me not onlydesirable but decidedly necessary. Periods of such short dura-tion would prevent also the complete carrying out by the samemen of many pieces of work which should form part of tlheirpractical education. The finishing of such work by another setof men might ofteln entail loss of time and even spoil the workitself.As already stated, any estimate arrived at now in regard to

the length of alternating periods must be looked uponl as experi-mental; different factory conditions might lead to differentconclusions. Personally, I believe in the efficacv of an arrange-ment under which the periods increase in duration from the firsttoward the last year of the course, beginning perhaps withalternations of four or five weeks' duration and ending with timeelements of college semesters. In that wTay, all the advantagesof the cooperative course would be emphasized strongly at thebeginning when they are of determining influence, and the eco-nomic consideration of the college and the factory would receivegrowing attention in latter years as justified by the increasingimportance of the work. An important advantage under asystem of alternating periods lies in the fact that one set ofstudents can work in the shop while the other set is elngaged atthe college, and vice versa, tlhereby keeping the educationaland physical equipment employed practically at all ti-nes.This plan, of course, presupposes that during the college summervacations, all engineering apprentices will be utilized at thefactory, one-half of them during the first part of the summerwith a vacation following dur'ng the latter part, and the otherhalf enjoying a rest at the close of the college year and enteringupon practical work again dulr'ring the idldle of the summer.

It goes without saying that engineering apprentices shouldreceive a fair compensation for services in the factory, whilethey woul(d, oL course, pay a tuition fee for their college training.In the latter case, they receive education from the college wvith-out giving anything in return; qutite differently, howvever, atthe factory where they receive a practical education, they nalkeimmediate returns in the commercial work which they perform.I believe, and in fact from similar experience, I know, that ifthe factory end of the ccoperative course is well organized andefficiently conducted, anl astonishing amount of good com-mercial work can be turned out by engineering apprentices,which will compensate fully for the -vrages of the apprentices

1908] ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENVGIN\EERS 1469

and for the expenditures for special supervision, materials spoiledwork, and other incidentals. Considering that the young menadmitted to the cooperative course will be at least eighteen yearsof age, possessing a high school education and that, furthermore,they will be selected according to a rather high standard, Ishould advocate an initial wage which would make them entirelyself-supporting while they are at the factory. Their remunera-tion should increase at yearly or semi-yearly intervals bothto give incentive and stimulation to the young men and tokeep pace with the increasing value of their work; in that way,they would also be enabled to lay up a sufficient amount forthe payment of their college tuition and for .other necessaries.The exact amount of the wage will, of course, depend some-what on local conditions as to the prevailing average compensa-tion for work and the educational and living expenditures of theparticular commulity. As a general proposition, I might sug-gest a starting wage of $6 a Nweek with a yearly increase of $2 aweek, amounting therefore to $14 a week during the fifth year ofthe course, when the shop work ceases. On this basis, engi-neering apprentices would earn in the neighborhood of $1.300during the entire course as against expenditures of $600 to$1000 for the college training, according to the tuition fee pre-vailing at the different engineering schools.The college as well as the industrial establishment must, of

course, have the right, fully understood beforehand, to terminatethe course of any engineering apprentice at any time for goodreason, and discharge from one institution for unsatisfactorywork or conduct must be followed by discharge frorm the coopera-tive course by the other institution. Either institution, how-ever, may make any special arrangements with such student,and if he is transferred to the regular course at college, he shouldreceive credit for studies already pursued.The administration of the cooperative course -would involve

the appointment of a supervisory board with representation fromeach institution. This board would work out and supervisethe details of the course of study both at the college and at thefactory, and have general charge of the social and cultural needsof engineering apprentices. It would be an interesting matter tolay out a course of study which would cover the present fouryears' college course and at the same time lay particular stresson those subjects that may be classed under the general head ofapplied economics. In view of the elimination from the college

1470 ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGIN\TEERS [july 2

course of most of the time now -devoted to shop practice.,mechanical drawing, and electrical testing, to which subjectsthe factory will give particular attention, and also on the assump-tion that the coordinated practical work in the shop will make itpossible to cover more ground at college in a given time, it wouldseem that the present four years' college program could be verynearly covered in the first five years of the cooperative course.The sixth year, which is entirely spent at college, might, there-fore, be devoted to thesis and research work and to special lec-tures both by the college instrtuctors and by men of affairs in prac-tical life on such subjects as business law and business organiza-tion, cost-keeping and factory accounting, the economics of pro-ductioll and methods of equipping and laying out of manufactur-ing establishments. Seminars for cooperative students in theselatter subjects and in many more of a similiar character whichwill take the place of some of the regular fourth year subjectsalready covered, will prove most interesting and instructive,because practical, and the presentation and discussion of such.matters by men of affairs will bring the latter into contactwith the student body to the advantage of both. The super-visory board will also from time to time confer and advise withthe officers of the college and the industrial establishment as totheir respective work, but thley shall have no authority or re-sponsibility in regard to the wvork of either as long as the courseis carried out in conformity wvith the general plan approved byboth institutions.

This cooperation between the college and the industry willundoubtedly produce that kind of engineering education whichwill adequately meet the de:mands of changing industrial con-ditions, for engineers capable of filling executive and administra-tive positions. It will result in giving college instruction just ascomplete, thorough, broad, and cultural as in regular collegecourses, and a practical traiining in the factory infinitely morethorough and practical than can be given in any engineeringcollege or can be obtained as advantageously in present studentcourses. Above all, it will produce engineers, technical in theirspecific knowledge, cultured in their usefulness in life's activities,sympathetic in their understanding of the aspirations and needsof men, and broad and enlightened in their conception of theirown obligations as engineers and as citizens, This may soundlike a very idealistic forecast', yet I fully believe in its realiza-tion under proper conditions. Furthermore, it is well that we

1908] ALEXANDER: TRAINING ENGINEERS 1471

set up for ourselves an ideal of achievement in all our work andthen endeavor to approximate it as far as our own strength andcircumstances will permit.About a year and a half ago the University of Cincinnati and

the manufacturers of Cincinnati arranged for a cooperative coursesomewhat similar to the one outlined in this paper, the principaldifference being that the students at the university are spendingevery other week at the factory or college, respectively, and thatit is contemplated to maintain this arrangement throughoutthe six years of the cooperative course. For reasons which Ihave already given, I do not agree with these features andbelieve that especially the short periods will give way to longerones before the experiment has gone much further.

Manufacturers are agreed as to the advantage of interweavingthecry and practice in the training of engineers, and manyeducators are looking in the same direction for an advance inengineering education. It is significant that a technologicalcollege of the very first rank has recently expressed willingnessto establish a cooperative electrical engineering course alongthe lines which I have set forth in this paper, and there is goodreason to believe that a very prominent concern manufacturingelectrical apparatus will soon join in such an undertaking.

I trust that I have explained the advantages of the new methodof training engineers in such a way as to induce action by col-leges and manufacturers in various parts of the country. Mem-bers of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, most ofwhom have received a college education, and are, therefore, ina position to judge the case broadly, can do a great service tothe rising generation of engineers and to the industries of thecountry by deliberating over this problem of engineering educa-tion, so that a safe and sane policy may be adopted regardingthis matter.