Conférences, congrès, colloques, tribunes
Presentation abstracts (Please see now "SomeHandouts" section)
Institutionalizing an educational framework
Kristina Edström, KTH and Skolkovo Tech
A common experience in educational development projects is that the outcomes are smaller than intended, and further, that new practices are short-lived and educational change tends to revert (Graham 2012). To improve our capacity in influencing education programs, we need to understand the properties of higher education as a system. A model is presented to describe the forces that are shaping this system and causing its stability. The explanatory power of the model is tested by analyzing examples from development of engineering education programs in research-intensive institutions. Some light is shed on why it is inherently difficult to sustainably implement certain values in education. It is noted as particularly problematic that some of the goals that are the most desired for professional engineering education (as advocated in CDIO and other educational development communities) are at the same time among the most difficult to provide. Finally, two change strategies for educational development are identified – the force strategy and the system strategy. The two strategies have completely different logic and both can be useful. For each strategy will be discussed strengths, weaknesses, availability, limitations, risks, as well as implications for resource-effectiveness and sustainability of results.
[Graham, R.] (2012). Achieving Sustainable Change in Engineering Education, Royal Academy of Engineering and MIT.
CDIO standards and Quality Assurance: From application to Accreditation
Peter J. Gray, Ph.D, academic assessment
Dr. Gray was Director of Academic Assessment at the United States Naval Academy where he was responsible for coordinating and supporting a broad program of academic and institutional effectiveness assessment. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (University of Oregon) and a MS in Curriculum Theory (Cornell University). He is a currently a Fulbright Specialist for an engineering education reform project at Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City. At the time, he is a visiting scholar in assessment at Chalmers University in Gothenberg Sweden (2012 fall term). His over 40 publications include most recently Engineering Education Quality Assurance: A Global Perspective; Assessment that Transforms an Institution; Higher and Engineering Education Quality Assurance: Past, Present, and Future; and a special issue of the International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technical Education. He has given approximately 100 workshops, key note addresses and presentations at conferences and has consulted and conducted accreditation reviews at 40 institutions around the world on topics related to higher education quality assurance including accreditation, academic and institutional effectiveness assessment, and strategic planning and renewal.
CDIO standards at Telecom Bretagne since 2008
http://www.telecom-bretagne.eu/formations/cdio/
Gabrielle Landrac, Telecom Bretagne
Educational program transformation plays a recurrent and key role in the future of an institution. In order to be continuously prepared for national or international accreditations, Telecom Bretagne, a French graduate engineering school, has deliberatively chosen to use the CDIO standards as a dynamic tool first under a cascade incremental cycle. Since 2008, our policy of taking standards one step at a time, based on a process model at a slow pace, allows to support peace among educational managers, program developers and teaching staff, so that our approach results in an effective adoption of the CDIO principles. We are now able to share our experience of using some of the CDIO standards to improve program quality and meet accreditation expectations, where industrial partners and students are strong change agents. Our approach instanced in two different programs at Master levels, a medium size full-time generalist program (650 students) and a small size specialized apprenticeship program (120 students) will be described. Our results and the lessons learned will give advice to French HEI leaders to foster the adoption of good practices like the ones of the CDIO framework and to be prepared for a continuous improvement so as to align more regularly with accreditation requirements.
An Intercultural Global Village
http://www.telecom-bretagne.eu/intl/global-village/
Alison Gourves, Telecom Bretagne
Every year, international students at Telecom Bretagne celebrate cultural and food differences from their respective countries. Everyone can enjoy excellent meals prepared by the students themselves and available on each country's stand. This event is organized by the Telecom Bretagne - ESN (ERASMUS Student Network) Association with the support of both the International Office and the Language Department. Later in the evening, events continue with a very international party in the Student Union.