In my discipline, structural analysis of structures, computer software can give the solution to your problem in no time provided you formulate the problem correctly. How does this affect the teaching of conventional methods, such as moment distribution, slope-deflection, etc.? I am sure this is a common problem in other disciplines of science and engineering. What are your views? Do you see computer software a threat? why? or is it an opportunity we should seize upon and there is nothing to worry about? What do you think? what is your experience in your own discipline?
You just need to read some of the questions that are asked on this site to see that good software added to ignorance does not usually get a good answer. To get the best results, or make the best engineers, start with a good grounding in the basic methods so the student knows what the software is doing for them, and they know what electromagnetics are.
Years of seeing the results of (sensible) simulations gives insight (colour plots, power flow, absorption) that is hard to get with the actual hardware, and is very valuable experience.
Someone who can get a result by trial and error using software is unlikely to have found the best result. I have seen this in Electronics Letters where genetic algorithms have come up with wire antenna shapes (with small angles between all the segments) that are not quite the simple top-loaded monopole with straight wires that would have been the best starting point for the algorithm, and probably the best solution, and the person running the code does not recognise the similarity to this standard solution to the problem.
Malcolm, you are absolutely right. The biggest problem is when people use a software to perform a certain task, and when it gives them an answer that does not make sense, they are not even equipped to make a judgement and decide on the validity of the results.
Computers and software are great and can do wonders BUT only if the user is well equipped to interpret the results.
Academic institutions are squeezed, with syllabi becoming shorter and condensed. The unfortunate result is that curricula are trimmed, and the temptation to replace what has been lost with using computer software is great.
It seems we all suffer from the same problem, to varying degrees.
It will be nice to hear how others are coping.
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