An introduction course would be the first course in a series of related coursework, like an Introduction to Chemistry or Introduction to Literature course.

I’m guessing they’re just mispronouncing it or simply using the wrong word. Some places have weird colloquialisms like that because one prominent but senile professor started using the word incorrectly and everyone else just blindly jumped on the bandwagon, and everyone just takes it for granted and it becomes part of the community vocabulary. Happens in politics all the time.

For example, you “induct” someone into the army. Within a few hours of the person arriving at the military base they understand the basics of what goes on at the camp and how they are expected to act. This is an induction. If you are in college and you are beginning a course of study in your chosen field, you sometimes are expected to take induction type classes. These classes prepare you for the career you are about to embark upon. It helps you decide if this field is something that you really want to spend the next four years pursuing. As in your example of electrical engineering, an induction class might include workshops that required you to work with finite objects (fine motor skills), a mathematics course (ablility to do mathematical calculations) that included terminology (ability to relate to the language about to be used on a daily basis) that an electrical engineer should know. It might even contain a component which requires the student to seek out some field work experience such as a mentorship program or work/study situation in the field of study.

An introductory course would give an overview of the general area that you are studying. For example, for the history major it would be important that the student understands when different events occur in a general sense before delving into specific areas. It is important for students studying World War II understand the events that lead up to the war, what our country was doing in its history before this time and how it interacted with other countries (especially different European countries) before concentrating on the specifics.

Induction introduces you quickly to subject area, introduction touches on a bunch of the parts of a subject but only briefly (comparatively speaking) and more gently. In swimming pool metaphor, induction is the cannonball approach to getting wet while introduction is the wading into the pool from the shallow end and stopping to let you body adjust to the water temperature before proceeding. Does that make sense?

He was inducted into the Army last month.

She was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Introduction is when you are being introduced to something or someone new.

I had to take the introduction course in math.

I was pleased to have an introduction to the fine gentleman.

Introduction then denotes familiarization.

introduction pre or present tens