The current status of laboratory-based teaching is reviewed, and found to be in decline. It is argued that in educational terms, this trend is undesirable and threatens the quality of engineering courses. The effectiveness of laboratory work can be assured by adopting an appropriate methodology, and an attempt has been made to identify its key elements. A class currently operating at Strathclyde is described as a case study. It is concluded that laboratories are at present under-used and under-valued but, if exploited imaginatively, they can make a major contribution to engineering education.
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