Transcript case study in Tsinghua University

The research of the concept of
global engineering education –
case study in Tsinghua University
Yu Shouwen
Tsinghua University, Beijing
100084,China
In 2008-10-19~23, Cape Town,
South 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
partnerships, 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 crosscultural 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
education.
• Chinese engineers-- respected by the
society 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 FiveYear 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
number 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)
(Thousands)
•
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
orientation
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
on 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 TsinghuaRWTH Aachen
•
--Enhance foreign language
Encouraging Outstanding Young People
to Be Modern Engineers in the 21st
Century
• ‘Better Engineers and Better Professionals”
• Some outstanding Chinese youths in current
society 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
systematic 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, engineeringaffiliated agencies, and others.
Approach B: Continuing
education
• --Long distance training network
• --Distance education system-CERNET
•
--Continuing education
• Engineering technology circles distance education system,-Continuum Education
• To accomplish course concerned with engineering technology and
administration or courses for postgraduates
• Such a distance-education approach important form of further
education for engineering technicians
• Offering continuing education principally on-site is falling by
the 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,
visiting 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,~57,000 person-times
• Poverty alleviation Project: ( 2003- now)
• By end of 2007, established 217 modern longdistance 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.