Ecdeast: Eur-Ace Standards as a Framework for Engineering Curriculum Design (original) (raw)

Challenges of Creating a New Engineering Education Model in Russia

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

The engineering education model in the Russian Federation has its roots in the Soviet system of higher education where students would study for 5, or even 6, years according to a very strict predetermined curriculum which earned them a diploma of engineer in a narrow area of specialization, e.g. polymer engineering or petroleum engineering. Today, after signing the Bologna agreement which is aimed at standardizing the rigor of the bachelor and masters degrees in Europe, the Russian Federation is transforming its system to meet the requirements of the declaration. Universities are developing four year bachelor curricula and two year masters curricula. This implies a restructuring of the sequence and content of courses which will form a new generation of engineers having a solid foundation in engineering principles plus the soft skills needed to meet the challenges of this global world. This paper concentrates on the development of a new engineering education model in Russia and the challenges that universities face in this process. Areas where the best practices of the U.S. engineering education system could benefit and shorten the process are suggested in the future.

D. Sapikas ,E. Bocaj , K. Ntoutos-Oikonomou ,D. Pantelis , C. Patrikakis (2014). An approach for structuring and operating curriculum of engineering faculties based on international standards.

It’s a known fact that some Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) from all over the world approach the structure of their faculty's curriculum on a different basis. In latest years student mobility has been increased. Thus, the need for a common language between universities created prototypes for the recognition of the courses. In several countries, as part of the nation's culture, university courses aren't offered in foreign language and most importantly in English. In such way, many benefits regarding students discretion in mobility, professors teaching abilities and university's international partnerships are compromised. A new approach should be taken into consideration changing the previous faulting situation based on international standards. Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) and Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) two well known international research organizations focused on computer science and engineering in general suggested modern curriculum for engineers based on the market needs and latest research edge. HEIs should take in consideration the suggested changes to modernize their engineering faculties curriculum. Additionally, e-learning techniques have been radically improved over the latest years, offering numerous advantages for distance learning, cost reduction and program flexibility. A joint approach of standards and new technologies may leverage up HEIs and consequently professors and students.

Sociocultural competence-oriented curriculum for engineering education in Russia

SHS Web of Conferences, 2016

Presently engineering education standards undergo vast changes due to the need in preparing "global" engineers. In the 21st century engineering education needs to adapt to the rapidly changing technical and sociocultural context. This need requires engineering education institutions to alter curricula on a regular basis. Universities tend to change curricula to meet the requirements of employers, industry and society because today engineers need to possess knowledge and practical skills not only in technical issues, but they also need to be competent in economics, ethics and social communication etc. Incorporating the competence and module-based approach along with accrediting engineering curricula also contribute to the transformation of higher engineering education in Russia. This matter is topical because today an engineer needs to acquire certain social and humanitarian qualities and skills specified by the requirements of Russian and international certification and accreditation organizations for engineering education. We suggest incorporating modules in humanities and social sciences into the structure of engineering curricula to make the process of forming sociocultural competence in Russian higher education institutions more efficient.

Engineering Education from the Standpoint of Curricular Structure and the Challenges of the End of the Century

1998

This study sets out the institutional educational project for undergraduate students. At the same time, the authors have tried to adapt the current study programs to the extraordinary scientific and technological development in the second half of the 20th century. The paper tries to integrate various sources. Written documents and the structure of the Undergraduate Curriculum of Universities in some European countries have also included the opinions given by graduates, professors and professional people related to engineering. The authors have chosen different points to be taken into account through the analysis of the Undergraduate Curriculum. These points comprise the following: length of the engineering studies courses, credit-designed curriculum and the criteria to assign those credits, cycle division, distribution of subjects and akin activities in the Curricular Structure, Thesis in Engineering, the responsibility of connecting the student to the social situation, and the characteristics of their degrees and teaching methods. All these points have been taken into account to make a proposal to adapt the current syllabus to the social demands and production challenges. The conclusions of the paper are a synthesis of the different perspectives and the authors' views, which are not only open-ended but also try to foster an unpostponable debate about the teaching of engineering in a complex and changing world. (Contains 11 references.) (SAH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

a Proposal and a Tool for a European System for Accreditation of Engineering Education

2007

programmes in the “Bologna process ” area (EHEA) at the First and Second Cycle level (but including “Integrated Programmes”, i.e. programmes leading directly to a SC degree). In this system, “national” engineering accreditation agencies would continue to award their accreditation certificates and give them an added European value by the EUR-ACE quality label, recognized by all participating agencies. As a basis for this system, the EUR-ACE project elaborated, through a wide consultation, and published appropriate “Framework Standards for the Accreditation of Engineering Programmes”, that should be respected by all participating agencies, and a proposal for the “Organization and Management of the EUR-ACE Accreditation System”. Also, an International non-profit association (ENAEE: European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education) has been established to run and guarantee the quality of the system). Two new EU-supported projects (“EUR-ACE IMPLEMENTATION ” and “PRO-EAST: Prom...

International Recognition Of Engineering Education – Best Practice

Balkan Region Conference on Engineering and Business Education, 2014

The paper presents a case study of the implementation of the European Framework Standards for the Accreditation of Engineering Programmes in Russia. After describing the importance of the international recognition of engineering programmes a short presentation of the EUR-ACE system follows as well as the measures undertaken by the project consortium to adapt the quality standards of Russia to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The opportunities and benefits for engineering education in Russia are presented at the end of the paper.

Curriculum analysis process: Analysing fourteen industrial engineering programs

University of Minho, 2019

The fourth industrial revolution is demanding for new competences, thus requiring curricula redesign. A comprehensive analysis of current curricula contributes for the design of the new foreseen curricula. According to Hoffman (1999, p. 283): "the design of learning programs may be based on the inputs needed or the outputs demanded". Thus, curriculum analysis is helpful to identify aspects that are working and those that need a change (Wolf, Hill, & Evers, 2006). This purpose is crucial in the context of Industry 4.0, in order to prepare future engineers to face the challenges of their practice. Considering that in Europe, in general, formal curriculum level presents the structural aspects (e.g. hours and number of courses) and the learning outcomes of each course, it is possible to identify the areas of knowledge and the competences students are expected to develop. This paper aims to make a curriculum analysis, based on areas of knowledge and learning outcomes. This was based on a process exploring information from the formal level of curriculum that can be replicated in other contexts. Additionally, the process was applied to fourteen European Industrial Engineering master programs. The results show that there is a high level of diversity regarding main areas of knowledge and technical competences of each program. Moreover, it showed an enormous lack of attention in terms of transversal competences in all programs.

Designing new Curricula According to the Needs Expressed by European and Local Industrial Environment

According to the new Finnish polytechnic act given in year 2003 there are three separate tasks which any polytechnic (university of applied sciences) should give answers to. These tasks are education, R&D work and regional development. It is a great challenge for any engineering educator to develop any curriculum so that the needs stemming from the local environment as well as the needs expressed by the wider European context will all be met. In Turku University of Applied Sciences a lot of effort has been put to exploring the needs of as well the surrounding industry as the global and other economic environment. During last year the structure and content of all our engineering programs were checked and made new. In this paper we will first explain the needs expressed by the different interest groups. After that we will explain the process of designing totally new curriculum in Turku University of Applied Sciences.

EUR-ACE and ENAEE: a Proposal and a Tool for a European System for Accreditation of Engineering Education

The EUR-ACE Socrates-Tempus project (September 2004/March 2006) proposed a decentralized European system for accreditation of engineering programmes in the "Bologna process" area (EHEA) at the First and Second Cycle level (but including "Integrated Programmes", i.e. programmes leading directly to a SC degree). In this system, "national " engineering accreditation agencies would continue t o award their accreditation certificates and give the m an added European value by the EUR-ACE quality label, recognized by all participating agencies. As a basis for this system, the EUR-ACE project elaborated, through a wide consultation, and publis hed appropriate "Framework Standards for the Accreditation of Engineering Programmes", that should be respected by all participating agencies, and a p roposal for the "Organization and Management of the EUR-ACE Accreditation System". Also, an International non-profit association (ENAEE: European Networ...