A need for Restructuring of Engineering Education

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A need for Restructuring ofEngineering Education

• Saad M.A. Suliman and Hussain M.N. Al-Madani
• College of Engineering, University of Bahrain

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Contents

• Introduction
• Current Assessment of Engineering Education at
  UOB
• Degree Structure
• Pre-engineering component
• Engineering component
• Professional Engineering Component
• Conclusion

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1. Introduction

• Accusations
• Engineering education is accused for
• poor teaching,
• low productivity,
• decaying infrastructure,
• out dated curricula, and
• lax management.

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• Challenges
• Education is exposed to
• Economical pressure
• increased cost, and paradoxically increased
  competition
• Technological pressure
• rapidly evolving applications of
  information-related technologies, increasing pace
  of technological change
• Social pressure
• growing need for "professional" engineers
• need for relevant and life-long learning programs

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• Other Challenges include
• declining quality of high-school graduates
• weak link between academia and industry.

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2. Current Assessment of Engineering Education

• For reassessment of its academic programs,
  curriculum, and teaching practices, College of
  Engineering of UOB carried out surveys to seek
  feedback from
• enrolled students
• graduates
• faculty
• industry
• The data showed strengths and weaknesses of the
  current engineering education system.

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• Results are more disappointing with the students'
  background in mathematics, basic science and
  English language.
• This is basically due to the low standard of
  intake to College of Engineering from secondary
  schools.

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• Feedback from both alumni and industry showed
  that students are short in
• practical engineering knowledge and
  hands-on-experience,
• information technology and computer usage,
• management skills
• environment and safety awareness.

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• Evaluation results of the engineering programs
  were presented and debated in the Symposium on
  Development and Enhancement of Engineering
  Education (24-25th February 2004)

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• The symposium concluded that there are pressing
  needs for revision of curriculum and other
  components of the engineering education system,
  i.e.
• teaching methods and style, and
• quality assurance.

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3. Degree Structure

• An integrated six-year program leading to M. Eng.
  Would be desirable to respond to the growing
  need for professional engineers.

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• The six-year program is to be partioned into
  three components
• a two-year pre-engineering component taught by
  community colleges
• a three-year engineering component Leading to B.
  Eng.,
• one-year professional engineering component
  leading to M. Eng.

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3.1 Pre-engineering component

• Pre-engineering program is intended to provide
  better qualified and mature juniors to enter a
  professional engineering program.
• To curb the growing costs challenge it is run by
  community colleges under the umbrella of the
  universities or independently.

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• It is devoted to fundamental courses in
  mathematics, science (Physics Chemistry),
  computing, English communication capabilities,
  and basic courses in design and analysis.
• Introduction to humanitarian and social sciences
  that are related to engineering studies.

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3.2 Engineering component

• To overcome the weaknesses of the current
  engineering education system, its major
  constituents are revised
• specialty structure,
• curriculum structure,
• course structure, and
• learning methodology and style.

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Specialty structure

• Current system focuses on graduating and training
  of engineering personnel of general specialties
  within specific disciplines.
• Current programs are less attractive because of
  their
• overemphasis on disciplines,
• too elaborate division of specialties with too
  narrow range of coverage, and
• the lack of elasticity in the curriculum.

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• A growing need for renewing or reforming old
  specialties and programs to meet the new
  challenges.
• Rather than current traditional engineering
  programs in mechanical, electrical, electronic,
  chemical, and civil engineering, programs that
  are directed to fulfill the needs of specific
  sectors in industry and society are needed.

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• Programs that qualify engineering graduates in
• Power generation transmission
• Water production
• Aluminium and steel processing
• Petroleum petrochemicals
• Communications electronics
• Roads and transportation
• Buildings, construction and refrigeration
• Sewage water treatment

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• Each of the above areas is a multi-disciplinary
  area requiring resources from different
  engineering departments.
• Such structure resembles a cellular structure of
  a production system in engineering management
  terminology.
• Other areas of interest to community can be added
  to the above list, or alternatively some of the
  traditional programs may run in parallel with the
  proposed programs.

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Curriculum structure

• The engineering component is divided into three
  phases
• first year for engineering science and design
  phase
• second year for industry exposure phase and
• third year for professional skills phase.
• A PBL modular structure is recommended for this
  three years sandwich program.

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• Modules of the first phase may be allocated along
  the following scheme
• Statistics, differential mathematics numerical
  methods group 1 to 2 modules
• Basic engineering group 4 to 5 modules
• Design group 3 modules
• Production and operation group 4 modules
• maintenance group 2 modules.
• Each module includes three problems with duration
  of one week per problem.

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• Inclusion of the industry exposure modules is
  needed to overcome the following difficulties
• The classroom environment is organized and
  structured in different way from that of
  industry.
• Engineering courses present information
  structured in terms of single disciplines while
  industry problems are solved with
  cross-disciplinary techniques.

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• In this phase of curriculum, students undergo
  supervised industrial training periods in related
  industries.
• Industry exposure phase covers three groups of
  modules with an average of five modules each
• design focused projects.
• production focused projects.
• operation and maintenance focused projects.

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• The success of the whole program depends on
  sponsorships provided by industry to accommodate
  engineering students during exposure to industry
  component.

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• Professional skills phase continuation of
  engineering science and design phase.
• Nine modules are assigned to
• specialized subjects
• soft skills, environment and safety awareness
  subjects.
• Six modules are allocated for graduation project.
  

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Course structure

• In view of the sharp paradox between ever
  increasing course content and the relatively
  fixed teaching time, the following measures
  should be taken.

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• Discarding or merging courses and adding new
  topics. Focal point of course construction
  should shift from reform of single courses to
  development and construction of a series of
  course modules.
• Provision of multi-level modules for some core
  courses, i.e. basic modules, expansive modules,
  and improving modules.

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• Strengthening the internal links between courses.
• Expanding module-based structure to include
  major-minor system, so that students can become
  of compound personnel.
• Emphasis is laid on application of theories
  rather than deduction of theories.

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3.3 Professional Engineering Component

• The final stage of the integrated 2-3-1
  engineering education program is the professional
  engineering component in which 10 - to 12 modules
  are offered.
• Each module is four weeks length.

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• Modules include
• Selected advanced topics.
• Training in scientific experimentation and
  engineering practice.
• Soft skills and management courses of advanced
  contents.

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4. Conclusion

• Though the current curricula of engineering
  education conforms to international standards,
  nevertheless reform is needed.
• Reform of current engineering education system
  call for revision of curriculum, teaching methods
  and styles, and quality assurance.

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• Other issues that to be considered, during the
  revision process, include
• alternatives to traditional engineering programs,
  
• education of engineers for international
  practice,
• university-industry interaction, and
• social status of engineers.

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• Thank you for listening.