Engineering Education Review

Reflections on educational reform supporting build China into a world leader in science and technology

Zheng Qin — 2024-01-29

Building a science & technology’s world leader is an important goal for China by 2035, how to build a strong country in science and technology - high-level scientific talent is the fundamental supporting factor. Historically, Germany, the United States and Japan, three late-developing catching-up countries in the process of moving towards a scientific and technological power, have successfully implemented high-level scientific talent training initiatives, ultimately promoting the strong rise of science and technology. According to the experience of the three countries, the cultivation of high-level scientific talents is mainly achieved through major reforms in education, especially research-oriented education reform. At present, China is entering a new stage of development in building a scientific and technological power, the domestic and international development situation is more severe, and the law of science and technology itself is evolving at an accelerated pace, which puts forward new requirements for the cultivation of high-level scientific talents, and education reform is imperative. In comparison with the experience of Germany, the United States and Japan, China's current high-level research-oriented education still has many problems, it is difficult to support self-reliance and self-improvement in science & technology and build China into a world leader in science & technology. To sum up the history and face the reality, it is suggested that China should establish the concept of "integration of science and education" as soon as possible, promote education reform under the traction of scientific and technological needs, comprehensively sort out and reshape the positioning of universities, accelerate the reform of high-level research education, and increase the reform of primary and secondary education to prepare for the cultivation of high-level scientific talents in a comprehensive and systematic way.

Challenges in engineering education in addressing industry needs in Kenya

Stanley Simiyu Sitati — 2024-01-29

Engineering education in Kenya started in the 1950s. The curricula offered were Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Later, other disciplines were introduced, including: Agricultural/Bio-systems, Chemical, Mechatronics, Marine, Mining, Petroleum, software, Aerospace, Aeronautical, Geomatic, Medical and Textile Engineering. From the 2000's onwards, Kenya experienced a steep rise in the number of universities offering engineering programmes. However, the requisite growth of the human resource and infrastructure did not match that growth. For purposes of maintaining quality and regulating engineering practice in Kenya, The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) was established. The Engineers Act 2012 gives EBK the mandate to register engineers and engineering consulting firms, regulate engineering professional services, accredit engineering degree programmes, set standards and develop the general practice of engineering. It was also mandated to evaluate for purposes of recognizing equivalent engineering degrees obtained from foreign jurisdictions, so that holders of such degrees may be licensed to practice in Kenya. On the other hand, the Commission for University Education (CUE) was established and mandated to accredit all degree programmes, including engineering.

The persistent underrepresentation of women in academic leadership

Hans J. Hoyer Hoyer — 2024-01-29

The persistent underrepresentation of women in academic leadership roles within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields poses a significant challenge to achieving gender equity and diversity in higher education. Despite making noteworthy contributions to the field, they continue to face substantial barriers when seeking academic leadership positions. The lack of women in academic leadership roles in STEM is a multifaceted problem with far-reaching consequences. This dearth of representation not only hinders the progress towards gender equality but also perpetuates gender biases and stereotypes, creating an unwelcoming environment that discourages aspiring female scholars from advancing into leadership roles.

School education and engineering practices: Dual pathways to cultivating excellent engineers

Zhenyuan Qu — 2024-01-29

Engineering education is aimed at cultivating outstanding engineers with extensive knowledge, innovative thinking, problem solving and practical abilities through theoretical learning and practical training. However, achieving this goal is no mean feat. On the one hand, school education is required to provide a theoretical foundation and academic support. On the other, engineering practices are needed to help students improve their capabilities and cultivate their problem-solving ability. Both are of great importance, but there are conflicting aspects between them. This article aims to explore the complementary and interactive relationship between school education and engineering practices in cultivating such outstanding engineers.

Sustainable development and digitization

Ke Gong — 2024-01-29

Quality engineering education through accreditation

Zaw Min Aung — 2024-01-29

The 4^th Industrial Revolution causes uncertainty in the industry, academia and society as we are uncertain of the future of our jobs and what new disruptive technologies are coming. This pushes the academia to train engineers to be internationally bench-marked, practice without any borders and increase international mobility. The need for international bench-marking through accreditation of engineering education become crucial as engineers trained would be substantial equivalence in quality and standard.

Promoting educational equity and facilitating effective use of high-quality resources

Jing Qian — 2024-01-29

Massive open online courses (MOOC) have witnessed a surge in popularity in recent years, affording learners the convenience and adaptability to access top-tier educational resources. Despite the myriad advantages MOOC offer, the global and Chinese completion rates linger at a modest level. Recent data reveals a worldwide average completion rate of approximately 10%, underscoring the challenge of retaining learners throughout their enrolled courses. In China, a parallel scenario unfolds, with completion rates fluctuating around 5%–10%. This study delves into the examination of social-psychological factors contributing to China’s low MOOC completion rates. In study 1, we found a disparity in MOOC completion and scores between first-generation college students and non-first generation college students, and underpinned social threat as one contributing factor to this disparity. In the experiment, we nudge college students towards enhancing their participation and elevating completion rates within MOOC learning.

This research conducted a comparative analysis of two cognitive nudge methodologies, revealing the superiority of the value affirmation intervention over the reappraisal intervention. Moreover, hierarchical intervention strategies were recommended to enhance students’ learning experiences more efficiently.