Meeting New Education Requirements

by Andrzej Rucinski

Education at UNH, despite its tradition and reputation, requires continuous improvement. Today, there is widespread agreement among educators, employers, government agencies and the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) that engineering education must change. The new ABET accreditation standards, the recently released Boyer Commission report, the needs of industry, and the pioneering efforts for educational reform at a number of universities all provide a catalyst for a serious examination of engineering education. The need for systemic educational curriculum reform in engineering is also stimulating funding opportunities for testing new concepts. The basic direction for change is summarized in a recent document from the National Science Foundation.

"Employers emphasize that success as an engineer increasingly requires, in addition to strong technical capability, skills in communication and persuasion, ability to lead and work effectively as a member of a team, understanding of the non-technical forces that profoundly affect engineering decisions, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Acquiring such characteristics is unlikely with traditional, lecture-based instruction. A new engineering education paradigm is needed, characterized by active, project based learning; horizontal and vertical integration of subject matter; introduction of mathematical and scientific concepts in the context of application; close interaction with industry; broad use of information technology; and a faculty devoted to developing emerging professionals as mentors and coaches."

According to ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 our graduates must demonstrate the ability to:

  • apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  • design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  • design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs
  • function on multi-disciplinary teams
  • demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  • communicate effectively
  • understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context
  • engage in life-long learning
  • show a knowledge of contemporary issues
  • use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University: Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities in 1996. The Boyer commission's ten major recommendations are:

  • Make Research-Based Learning the Standard
  • Construct an Inquiry-based Freshman Year
  • Build on the Freshman Foundation
  • Remove Barriers to Interdisciplinary Education
  • Link Communication Skills and Course Work
  • Use Information Technology Creatively
  • Culminate With a Capstone Experience
  • Educate Graduate Students as Apprentice Teachers
  • Change Faculty Reward Systems
  • Cultivate a Sense of Community

Dr. Roy Torbert, the Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) has recently formalized an ad-hoc Collaborative Engineering Committee charged with the mission of meeting new ABET accreditation criteria. The Committee took a "Grass root" rather than a traditional approach that requires participation of our customers: students and industry. We are using a web site http://www.unh.edu/ccec/ as a discussion forum and we are inviting the readers of Signal and Noise to monitor our progress and provide us with your feedback. The Committee believes that another important ingredient of a new curriculum is to create an interface between academic and industrial environments through industry funded projects. This arrangement allows students to be exposed to real life problems. A big supporter of collaboration with CEPS is Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, represented by Raymond Garbos, an Engineering Fellow. We already have a heritage of working with Sanders, on a project that was described in the last year's Signals and Noise. The current project is funded jointly by the company and the New Hampshire Industrial Research Center. The project, which is supervised jointly by Dr. John LaCourse, Dr. Barbara Dziurla-Rucinska, and Dr. Andrzej Rucinski, is aimed at applications of fiber optics networks for medical and ergonomics application.