Engaging integrated approach in designing engineering curricula

Abstract

Engineering graduates are important human resource for developing countries like Malaysia. While industries had acknowledged that most of the engineering graduates are very much competent technically, they also highlighted the lack of people/soft skills in these graduates. With the introduction of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) approach, local institutions of higher learning are working towards addressing these issues by integrating the soft skills as part of the learning outcomes of an engineering program. CDIO, Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate, is an educational framework for engineering education which aims to produce graduates who will be able to integrate technical knowledge, professional skills and work experience expected of them by the industries. The CDIO syllabus and standards provide the "what" and "how" for reformulating engineering program to prepare students for the needs of industry. This paper presents the systems approach of planning and implementing the CDIO based curriculum that addresses the critical components of the "hard" as well as soft skills together with the roles of instructors in engineering programs. It highlights the structured approach of designing the curriculum which is based on best practices. The paper also presents the issues and challenges of implementing this framework in an engineering program especially in meeting the OBE and accreditation requirements.