The research of the concept of global engineering education –case st

udy in Tsinghua University

Yu Shouwen Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084,

ChinaIn 2008-10-19~23, Cape Town, Sout

h Africa

Outline

• The research of the concept of global engineering education

• --Knowledge based economy , Tomorrow’s engineering workforce

• --Global excellent engineers and global engineering education

• --A great development and disequilibrium of the engineering education in China—data analysis

The research of the concept of global engineering education

• Educating the Next Generation of Engineers for the Global Workplace 

• The world is rapidly transitioning from one of nationally differentiated organizations and cultural identities to one increasingly characterized by transnational institutions and multicultural communities.

• Global competence • Global engineering excellence depends• critically on a mutual commitment to partner

ships, especially those that link engineering education to professional practice

• Is tomorrow's engineering workforce—whether in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North or South America—being well prepared to meet the demands of the global economy? What new skills are required to be a good engineer as well as a global engineer?

Global Engineers—Global Engineering Education

• Technically adept, culturally aware, and broadly knowledgeable, as well as innovative, entrepreneurial……

• flexible, and mobile—are we seeking global engineers or “super engineers”?

• we expect even more from engineering graduates?

• The Global Engineer is: • technically adept• multilingual • broadly knowledgeable• culturally aware• innovative and entrepreneurial• knowledgeable about world markets• commercially savvy professionally flexible and mobility

• Globalization is radically changing the way national economies around the world design, produce, distribute, and consume goods and services.

• Engineers are in the midst of this dynamic development.

• Universities evaluated global engineering and engineering education and identified the critical factors necessary for educating tomorrow’s engineering workforce. They focussed on the following questions:

• Are new skills required to be not only a good engineer but also a global engineer

• Engineering education need to change for the global age

• Globalization lead to a status gap between engineers who comfortably manoeuvre in an international environment

• Foreign language skills and cross-cultural competence important for future engineers

The Local within the Global• China’s population offers tremendous long-term engineering human

resource potential, but the country’s near-term industrialization needs and environmental concerns demand attention. While Chinese engineering graduates today could benefit from more innovation and creativity, their strong academic skills are highly valued

• The ability to live and work in a global community is—today—an important requirement for engineering graduates. They need to have broad engineering skills and know-how, be flexible and mobile, and be able to work internationally.

• Providing these competencies will require the collaborative actions of industry, government, academia, and engineering-related agencies and organizations to address four critical challenges.

• First, preparation for global practice is generally not viewed as central to the education of an engineer

• Second, international mobility remains a challenge.

• Third, globalization and collaboration go hand-in-hand.

• Fourth, there is a significant lack of knowledge about proven theories and effective practices for instilling

In China---Data Analysis

• China is largely an agrarian society, with nearly half of the working population in agriculture.

• Approximately 29 percent of the workforce is in services and 22 percent in industry,

• China’s economy has experienced accelerated growth in recent years

• Even if the GDP were to quadruple between 2000 and 2020, the GDP per capita would still be only about 3,000 USD

National Developments in Engineering – China

• Society and professional trends as they relate to engineering

• Its GDP has increased from 1978 till 2004,Increasing rate ~10% per year

• “New type of industrialization”• New requirements to the engineering educ

ation. • Chinese engineers-- respected by the soci

ety in terms of their social status

Engineering Workforce Development and Challenges

• Transform the R&D system from a type of “following up” to a type of innovational

• In the recently announce China’s scientific and technological development plan of the period 2006-2020, the R&D investment will be increased to 2.5% of its total GDP.

• Many Chinese enterprises will have to establish their R&D departments to have their own ability of technological innovation.

• The basic goals of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), include reducing energy consumption and developing new energy sources, protecting the environment, and improving information technology, finance, and equipment manufacturing. These efforts will reshape China’s industrial profile and increase the demand for engineers.

The Chinese engineering workforce

• Some estimates suggest China has only 2 million engineers,

• The ever-increasing influence and rapid advancement of technology globally requires that China continue to invest heavily in developing a skilled and highly educated technical workforce.

• The impact of globalization on Chinese engineering education is demonstrated by a variety of programs

• Joint education programs

• At the undergraduate level, research experience is also being emphasized.

• trying to increase international internships and summer school opportunities for their students.

• Several promising trends have already laid the groundwork

• First, powerful and portable communication and collaboration technologies are transforming the educational environment

• Second, many institutions are recognizing the pedagogical value of learning experiences beyond the formal curriculum . Cooperative education, internships, research experiences, service learning, study abroad, and similar experiential programs

• Third, and perhaps most significant, is the trend toward competency-based education, where student performance—not “seat time”—becomes the focal point of the educational experience

• Global competence needs to become a key qualification of engineering graduates

• Transnational mobility for engineering students, researchers, and professionals needs to become a priority.  

• Global engineering excellence depends critically on a mutual commitment to partnerships, especially those that link engineering education to professional practice.

• There is an urgent need for research on engineering in a global context.

Global-Local; Data Analysis

• Higher requirements for engineers and technicians.

• “Big Engineering”.• A large number of manufacturing businesses • It is definitely important to train out a large num

ber of high-quality engineers and technicians in China.

• China’s industrial structure is bound to be changed

The Data analysis of Chinese Eng.Education:

• Table . Number of total graduates and engineering graduates in China between 1949 and 2008 (*---approximate estimation )

• year total number engng. Graduates• (Thousands) (Thousand

s)• 1949 --- 21 5 • 1979----- 85 21 • 1999----- 847 326 • 2007------- 1996* ~650*• 2008-------- 2325.5 * ~810*

Strengthen university-industry collaboration

• Collaborative projects between universities and industries

• National centers for university students internship

• University science parks----44 • National centers of engineering research-

--48• Professional training and career orientatio

n

Graduate Students

• 1999—up to 2004:—average increasing rate of total number V=30.2%

• 2000—V=40.0%• 2003---V=32.7%• Enrolments of freshman ( Candidates):• 1999—92 thousands• 2004---326 thousands• 2007---419 thousands

Enrollments ( Mil.)

• Year Univ. college Total Ma. Dr. Total• ( Undergraduates) ( Candidates )• 2005 2.30 2.35 4.65 0.316 0.054 0.37• 2006 ~ 2.60 ~ 3.00 ~ 5.60 0.344 0.056 0.40• 2007 2.82 2.84 5.66 0.361 0.058 0.419

Strengthen the engineering education in China

• In general, the engineering education programs compose about 30~40% in China’s higher education system.

• With the rapid development of science and technology, and with the awareness of the importance of technological transfer, the role and position of engineering education will become more significant.

•

Different level:

• Doctorial programs may focus on research on engineering science

• Master’s training should fixate itself on engineering technology, and on the abilities to solve engineering problems and to manage large-scaled engineering projects.

• Bachelor’s training—”Semi-finished” engineer• Vocational education should focus its training o

n technical engineers, It will be developed very quickly in the recent years

• 2, The practice of the research of the concept of global engineering education—Case study in China and Tsinghua University in Beijing

• Two approaches: • Approach A:• --Joint programs of interdisciplinary and new specialties • --A new Master of Engineering program • --Bachelor-Master consecutive pursuit system • --Practical activities: “ Challenge Cup” and students research

training ( SRT Program) and practice oriented training • --Distance education system—CERNET and application of IT • --Graduate student: “ Dual degree” Program of Tsinghua-RWT

H Aachen • --Enhance foreign language

Encouraging Outstanding Young People to Be Modern Engineers in the 21st Cent

ury• ‘Better Engineers and Better Professionals”• Some outstanding Chinese youths in current so

ciety didn’t want to choose engineering technology as their major

• They were unlikely to be cultivated to be engineers and professionals.

• The preferred majors of many young people included such hot specialties as: finance, commerce, administration, foreign language, law etc.

• * The major problem presently existed in the technological activities of large and intermediate scale enterprises is the problem of talents.

• The most central problem in the near future, however, lies in the technicians’ lack of abilities of independent development and innovation.

• Case study in China and Tsinghua University—the practice of the research on concept of global engineering education

1)--Engineering specialties

• Firstly, many engineering colleges have offered some engineering specialties to meet the demand of the new requirements;

• Industrial engineering • Financial engineering • ……..• Other interdisciplinary specialties such as sy

stematic engineering, industrial engineering, distributive engineering and technology, social engineering science etc,

2)--Master of Engineering Program

• Since 1984 China has begun to carry out Master of Engineering Program. mid-1990s, Master of Engineering was set up.

• Up to ~80 thousand per year now, covers dozens of fields of engineering. For candidates had practical experience concerning engineering of more than 3 years

• Two-year period of courses learning and thesis writing, finally achieve ME by passing the oral defense.

• As one of feasible ways to cultivate modern engineers as the society requires thesis papers regard to such enterprises’ urgent needs as design, technique, experiment, development of new technology and so on;

3), B.-M.-integrated Degree Program

• Thirdly, schools of engineering at some Chinese universities, Tsinghua University’s engineering departments, have carried out Bachelor-Master consecutive pursuit system.

• However, duo to time limit, most graduates are no more than “semi-finished engineer”.

• If students only take ~6 years take one or one and a half year to put what they have learnt into engineering practice during the phase of graduation design thus they will be advanced talents with engineering expertise.

4)– Practical Activities

• Fourthly A recent survey revealed that “UROP” and “UPOP” developed by MIT,

• In china, Tsinghua University’s “Students’ Research Training”(“SRT”) program and national “Challenge Cup” of science and technology contest also appeal to a great number of undergraduates (1996~2006,3500 projects) and even postgraduates to participate in such activities.

• Till 2007—11,500 students has participated in more than 5300 SRT projects, more than 50% of all undergraduate students participated in the program

• Most Chinese universities encourage students to involve themselves in such practical activities as science and technology innovation or establishment of enterprises.

• Current Programs and Practices• Graduate Education • For instance, Tsinghua has dual-degree

master’s programs in industrial engineering and automotive engineering with RWTH Aachen University

• Foreign Language Education --English is becoming a common language for cross-cultural communication.

• Continuing Education

• Tsinghua has formed the International Cooperation and Exchange Leading Group

• The need for practical preparation has led to the development of experience-based programs at all levels—undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education.

• International student competitions, design projects, research experiences, or internships

• Tsinghua’s five-week summer semester is intended largely for internships or community-based practice.

• Preparing the next generation of global engineers

• It requires the collaborative involvement of all the stakeholders: government, industry, engineering-affiliated agencies, and others.

Approach B: Continuing education

• --Long distance training network• --Distance education system-CERNET • --Continuing education• Engineering technology circles distance education system,--Contin

uum Education• To accomplish course concerned with engineering technology and

administration or courses for postgraduates• Such a distance-education approach important form of further edu

cation for engineering technicians• Offering continuing education principally on-site is falling by th

e wayside, as modern electronic communication makes it possible and attractive

• Tsinghua provides extensive educational offerings through its Continuing Education School, UNESCO Teaching Staff in Continuing Engineering Education, and the Engineering Management Certification International Training Program.

Continuing Education in Tsinghua University

• School of Continuing Education ( SCE): • Department for management training; • Dept. of technical development; • Department of distance learning;……. • --High quality education and training resources • --Committed t cultivating advanced professionals • --Take the form of short-term training courses, visitin

g scholar programs • ( In past 5 years, 20,000 students participated )

• --SCE is also home to the UNESCO Chair of Continuing Engineering Education:

• 2003—The Educational Aiding the poor project on the SCE system platform;

• 2005—participated ~30,000 person times • 2006—SCE carries out 20 educational aid programs,~5

7,000 person-times• Poverty alleviation Project: ( 2003- now) • By end of 2007, established 217 modern long-distanc

e training station in impoverished counties in 27 provinces, region and municipalities in China  

• --2006,organized “ Sino-American University student Summer Vacation Poverty Alleviation Social Practice”--~ 800 Tsinghua Students and teachers + 160 volunteers from United States University participated.

3, Discussion and concluding remarks

• 1, The concept of global engineering education

• 2,Globalization and localization—Balance

• 3.Developed counties (region) and developing countries ( region )-collaboration

• 4, The diversity of needs of human resource in engineering.