Tuning engineering education into the European higher education orchestra

The ‘Bologna process’ is promoting fundamental changes throughout European higher education. Education ministers appear determined to reach, by 2010, a significant convergence of the national educational systems. This implies the necessity of adapting curricula in terms of structures, contents, learning attributes, learning tools and assessment methods. The EC ‘Tuning’ project was set up in order to investigate the feasibility of this process on the basis of ‘available experience and recent developments in several of the Member states… particularly from previous and on-going European co-operation in the context of the Socrates programme’. The Tuning project, initially aimed at five areas only (mathematics, geology, business, history, educational sciences), was later extended to other areas, including engineering: synergy groups were formed for this purpose. This paper summarizes the final report of the Engineering Synergy Group, which examined the ‘tuning’ of engineering education (EE) into European higher education, taking advantage of the work of previous and current thematic networks, such as H3E, EUCEET and E4. A set of recommendations is presented in the final section of the paper.     

The impact of the Bologna Declaration on European engineering education

The Bologna Declaration will lead to fundamental changes of the architecture of European higher education. The paper analyses possible consequences for Engineering Education and describes some of the different ways in which European countries have implemented the Declaration. How the application-oriented shorter engineering education should fit into the Bologna scheme remains a major problem.     

北欧高等工程教育考察

本文介绍了全国工程硕士专业学位教育指导委员会北欧考察团在 2 0 0 4年 8月访问芬兰、瑞典和丹麦等国四所著名工程类高校的有关情况 ,包括调研的背景和目的、所访学校概况、考察调研体会 ,以及值得我国工程教育工作者借鉴的经验和做法等     

Quality assurance in engineering education on a national and European scale

Activity 2 of project E4, “Quality Assessment and Transparency for Enhanced Mobility and Trans-European Recognition”, included the working group on “Quality Assurance in Engineering on a National and European Scale”. Its report can be found in Part 2 of Volume D, final report of the E4 Thematic Network (Firenze University Press 2003).

The Report of this Working Group is formed by three parts.

Chapter 2 explores the horizon of evaluation, and briefly summarizes evaluation mandate, focus and procedures in the light of quality and quality assurance, accreditation, responsibility, with particular reference to higher education.

Chapter 3 explores the ideas from a number of European evaluation models for higher education, and shows that their contents can be read in the frame of four fundamental “aspects” or “dimensions” of quality:

• –?Requirements, objectives

• –?Teaching, learning, assessment

• –?Learning resources

• –?Monitoring, analysis, improvement

Chapter 4 underlines that a Programme should be evaluated on the basis of its ability to put into effect a policy focusing—clearly and distinctly—on the external and internal efficacy of the learning process: specify worthwhile learning goals and enable most students to achieve the established objectives. The set of “aspects” examined in Chapter 3 is expanded into a minimum set of “factors”, that the Programme should address in a stable manner before it is submitted to an external evaluation.

In developing this activity, a selection of a few representative models was examined, bringing out the essential structure that they have in common. The reference documents can be found in the References section of this article.

What follows is extracted from the conclusions of Chapter 4.     

International dimensions: A challenge for European engineering education

Internationalization of higher education is a concept that often is transformed into a set of activities that has a certain international dimension. This can be done more or less consciously. Issues such as development of skills and knowledge, creation of an international culture on campus and the involvement of an international dimension in all activities concern university management. These are issues university managers have to deal with. But it also opens up new opportunities. The broader issues of internationalization require a strong involvement of the academic leaders and of senior officers. This contribution describes how changes around us force universities to take action and introduce clear policies for internationalization of higher education, based on the needs institutions for higher engineering education should respond to. Special attention is given to a recent Swedish evaluation on the effects of student exchange. This study is compared with experience at Chalmers.     

欧洲高等院校工程实践教育的发展现状与体会

创新人才的培养需要高校、企业以及政府的共同努力。高等人才培养的核心在于创新实践能力的提升,既要科学引领,又能造福于民。结合欧洲高等院校实践人才培养的做法和特点,深入剖析了我国高等教育当前面临的问题和发展方向。     

远程教育给成人教育所带来的影响

本从学生在数字化环境下如何学习，教师在数字化环境下应该做什么，成人教育开发适合远程教育CAI课件面临的问题，网络技术的发展为成人教育提供广阔的空间及网络教育对成人教育产生的负面影响等方面论述了现代远程教育的产生和发展给成人教育所带来的影响。     

Notes on advanced engineering education

This article reviews history, analyses principles and presents a modern interpretation of advanced engineering education (AEE). AEE originated in France, was adapted in Germany and reached its zenith in the second half of the twentieth century as part of technological efforts induced by the space race. AEE is an enhanced form of education aimed at producing inventors, thinkers and leaders capable of bringing new technological changes and scientific revolutions. AEE introduces a challenging educational environment that is generally addressed to the most enthusiastic and capable students; it is not necessarily suitable for the mainstream education. The role of AEE is projected to increase as the world becomes a global knowledge society.     

浅谈建筑工程项目管理

建筑工程项目管理是建筑企业发展战略的要求,其目的是使生产过程中诸多要素的优化配置和动态管理,以实现工程项目的合同目标、工程经济效益和社会效益,是建筑企业生存和发展的命脉,但目前许多建筑企业工程项目管理还处于粗放型的阶段,仍存在机制不活,责任不明,约束不严,不确定因素过多等诸多因素,不能适应形势发展的需要。本文结合近年来工程项目管理的实践,就加强工程项目管理问题,谈谈自己的一些想法。     

以现代工程为背景,进行生动有效的工程教育

从新生入学起．就以现代工程为背景．以信息技术为手段．开设工程概论课．对学生进行工程教育．对工科学生建立工程意识、增强学习动力效果显著。而且,此课也可作为文、理科学生的选修课。     

Environmental engineering in mining engineering education

In this paper, the current profile of the environmental engineer and the programming of the subject “Environmental Engineering and Technology” corresponding to the studies of Mining Engineering at the University of Oviedo in Spain, is discussed. Professional profile, student knowledge prior to and following instruction as well as available teaching time, are taken into account in order to define the subject objectives. These objectives were the starting point for the design of the program. Information regarding the student perspective is gathered by means of anonymous surveys at the beginning and end of the teaching period. Some of the results are collected in this paper.     

基于工程教育专业认证的工程训练教学的改革

工程训练中心根据测控技术与仪器专业对工程训练指标点的要求(理解测控仪器或系统的制造工艺,掌握电子线路的基本理论与设计方法),确定以企业的真实产品——注射泵为教学载体。以产品为教学目的,将金工实习和电工实习有机地结合在一起,努力构建实景式工程训练环境。实训中深度融合了信息技术,突出了学生的主体地位,实现了工程训练的工程性、应用性,激发了学生的学习热情和潜能,使学生受到了全面的训练。     

高校远程教育试点的实践与思考

本文通过对全国31所开展现代远程教育试点的高等院校的调研，从网络教育的学历层次类型、专业设置情况、学制、学费、网络教学模式和网络教学平台建设六个角度分析了我国现代远程高等教育的现状，并提出了我国网络教育面临的主要问题及目前亟待研究解决的几个课题，展望了未来的发展趋势。     

Ethics and engineering education

In the US, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) recommends the study of ethics so that students acquire ‘an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility’. For the most part, teaching of the subject relies upon the use of scenarios – both hypothetical and ‘real’– and open discussion framed by the codes. These scenarios and this framing are seriously deficient – lacking in their attention to the complexities of context, almost solely focused on individual agency, while reflecting too narrow and simplistic a view of the responsibilities of the practicing engineer. A critique of several exemplary scenarios, and consideration of the demands placed upon today's professional, prompt reflection on the need for, not just a more expansive reading of the codes of ethics re what it might mean to be ‘responsible’, but a substantial reform of undergraduate engineering education across the board.     

机械制造技术基础课程在工科近机类专业教学中若干问题的思考

针对工科近机类专业机械制造技术基础课程内容与学生的学习现状,结合近几年的教学实践,就教学过程中学生工程意识以及创新意识的培养等若干问题进行了探索。     

谈工程教育

首先,我对高等工程教育研究会(按:已更名为中国高等教育学会工程教育专业委员会)换届、确定新的领导机构表示祝贺。对于教育,我是“圈外人”,了解情况有限,但“圈外人”有两个好处:一是看问题的角度不大一样,在“圈内人”看来,“圈外人”的看法也许有些可取之处。二是有些话比较好说,“圈内人”不便说的,站在“圈外”就没有那么多顾忌了。这些年来,跟我们教育界的同志在一起,学到了很多好东西,也受到很多教育。今天上午启迪同志讲的那些话,许多同志反映,多年来没有从教育部的领导那儿听到。98年我们工程院的第一个课题研究结束,当时政府正在…     

Process-oriented knowledge-sharing platform for chemical engineering design projects

A process-oriented knowledge-sharing platform is studied to improve knowledge sharing and project management of chemical engineering design enterprises. First, problems and characteristics of knowledge sharing in multi-projects of chemical engineering design are analyzed. Then based on theories of project management, process management, and knowledge management, a process-oriented knowledge-sharing platform is proposed. The platform has three characteristics: knowledge is divided into professional knowledge and project management knowledge; knowledge sharing is integrated with the project process, which makes knowledge sharing a necessary part of the project process and ensures the quantity of knowledge shared; the platform provides quantitative measurements of incentive mechanisms for knowledge providers and users which ensures the quality of knowledge shared. This knowledge-sharing platform uses two knowledge management tools, a knowledge map and a knowledge base, to support the platform.