Teaching and Learning: Botany Students at work in the Laboratory, 1939.
Throughout the history of the college, the courses provided for students have always comprised a variety of study formats in order to teach the students both theoretically and practically.
For example the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department provided in 1918-1919 a course that consisted of lectures, drawing office work, laboratory work, and workshop practice.
Teaching and Learning: Engineering Society Programme, 1906-1907.
Academic Societies have always been a big part of University life; dedicated to furthering the educational and social experience of the students. The Engineering Society was established in 1909 and provided lectures and visits as shown above, as well as social events such as concerts and dinners.
Teaching and Learning: General Honours Degree Timetable, 1932-33
The timetable here from 1932-33 shows a general degree for a third year student, who would have been doing three of these subjects. Compare this to today, where each degree has very specific modules and subjects according to the chosen degree programme.
Today, students choose one subject for single honours, or two for a joint honours degree.
Facilities and Equipment: Computer Sciences, 1980s.
It can be seen clearly that as technologies advance and become the core of our society, educational institutes lead that innovation.
Facilities and Equipment: The Nucleonics Laboratory, 1979.
‘[Experiments] fell into two basic groups, the first group being routine teaching type experiments (eg approaches to critical, shutdown capacity measurement, control rod calibration etc), and the second group being various experiments associated with final year or research student projects.
Facilities and Equipment: The Nuclear Reactor, c.1970s.
Expansion of the college grounds was continued through the purchase of the Cripplegate land, lying to the West of the new People’s Palace.
Facilities and Equipment: The High Voltage Laboratory, 1938.
‘Impulse flash-over of a string of suspension insulators at a voltage of 600,000 volts. The apparatus used to produce the impulse voltage (the 'lightning generator') is seen on the right.’
In December 1934 the University decided that the college theatre should be adapted to become the high voltage laboratory, and so provided £12,000 to make this possible.
Facilities and Equipment: The High Voltage Laboratory, cartoon from ELC magazine, 1935.
In 1928, whilst in the USA, Professor MacGregor-Morris inspected High-Tension facilities. The College realised it was a desirable facility to house, and would make them stand out from other universities in England.
‘The laboratory would be used for two purposes.
Facilities and Equipment: The Aeronautic Wind Tunnel, 1909.
The College had the opportunity of housing several ground-breaking facilities such as an Aeronautical laboratory, in 1909.
‘MY DEAR SIR
My name being known to you as a patron of Aeronautics, and at a time when such serious endeavour is being given to the development of Aerial Navigation, may I have the honour of presenting the enclosed cheque towards founding an Aerodynamical Laboratory at the East London College….
Yours faithfully,
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Facilities and Equipment: The Anechoic Chamber, c.1960.
As well as having adequate laboratory and lecture rooms, it was important for the College to have specialist facilities that allowed them to carry out research in the correct environment.
One example of this is that c.1960 it was decided that the Department of Electrical Engineering would carry out a programme of research into the acoustical noise produced by electrical plant-transformers and rotating machines – with the aim of ultimately making it possible to design to specific noise limits.
