Challenges in the Teaching of Electrical Power Engineering - Motivation of Students and Change of Paradigma

1 Jorma Kyyrä, Helsinki University of Technology, Power Electronics Laboratory, Espoo, Finland, [email protected] Abstract  Teaching and research in electrical power engineering has a long history and it is still the cornerstone of the modern society. Since the early days of electricity there has been major development especially in electronics and information technology. These changes have had and are having a dramatic impact on electrical power engineering. It is our feeling that the needs to check the curricula have not yet been realized in a sufficient level. We believe, that it is necessary to think the content of the basic courses appropriate for the modern needs and to attract more students. The paper discusses the background of the changes and describes some actions done at Helsinki University of Technology. One of these has for example been enhancing the natural link between teaching and research.