Transcript Linking Critical Thinking to Engineering Design

Engineering for Regional Development –The
Engineering for the Americas Initiative
Professor Clement K. Sankat
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal,
The University of the West Indies (UWI)
St. Augustine, Trinidad, W.I.
Civil Society Roundtable Meeting
OAS Headquarters-Washington DC
July 28th , 2008
 “The difference between a developed, rich and
prosperous country and an undeveloped, poor and
wretched country is the difference in their levels of
scientific,
engineering
and
technological
advancement. It is not progress in sports; it is not
refinement in culture; neither the colour of skin; nor
rhetoric or erudition in debate on the floor or the
United Nations. It is simply Science, Engineering and
Technology (SET) advancement. The G7 countries
achieved their enviable status because they are the
greatest SET nations in the world. They do not need to
win medals in the Olympics or Arts Festivals. In the
comite of nations, honour and respect go only to great
Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)
countries. That is the only parameter that classifies,
distinguishes, honours or degrades. A nation neglects
Science, Engineering and Technology at its own peril”
(Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, 1993)
The Faculty of Engineering,
UWI, St. Augustine.
Engineering Curricula in
Developing Countries
 A tendency for the curricula to be too academic and
overloaded with intellectual content while being
unrelated to practical realities existing in the
particular developing country;
 Use of engineering curricula that are overloaded with
pure science and mathematics at the expense of basic
engineering and technology.
 Inadequate provision in the curricula for industrial
exposure/industrial training of students.
 Obsolete, broken-down or non-functioning equipment
and ill-equipped laboratories.
(Mafe, WIJE 28(1): 1-12, 2006)
Engineering Curricula in
Developing Countries
Inadequate provision for the humanities,
social sciences, business management concepts
and entrepreneurial skills development in the
curricula;
Lack of balance between depth and breath in
the curricula; and
Lack of emphasis on engineering technologies
in the curricula.
“It
is obvious from the foregoing
observations that the current corps of
engineering and technical graduates
from universities and polytechnics in
developing countries, however wellqualified in the academic sense, are not
well-equipped
or
motivated
to
participate
in
their
countries’
development through the creation of
endogenous technologies and their
subsequent development into smallscale industries.”
(Mafe, WIJE 28(1):1-12, 2006)
Engineering Education
The emphasis has traditionally been on technical
depth but now breadth of education is crucial to
its effectiveness.
 Basic Sciences and Mathematics
 Engineering Sciences
 Engineering Design and Manufacture, Applications
 Complementary Subjects – Emphasis on Management
and Social Sciences, Professional Ethics,
Environmental Studies, Health & Safety etc.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Industry exposure and awareness
Educating for Creativity
What Professors should do
Tell students to be creative, that
Engineering is about creativity and
innovation, teach students creative
methods, help them in this,
challenge them to be creative and
accept and reward students’
creative efforts.
[Wankat and Oreovicz, 1993]
Rising Expectations of Professional
Engineers
The
• Additional emphasis on team/group working
• An increase in the use of industrially-relevant applications of
engineering analysis
• An enhanced capability for independent learning and work
• Case studies
• Design work and projects
• To have greater capacities for independent action
• Accepting responsibilities
• Formulating ideas proactively
• Planning and developing strategies
• Implementing and executing agreed plans
• Leading and managing teams where required
• Evaluating achievement against specification and plan, and
decision making
• Preparing students for subsequent leading roles in technical
&/or managerial activities
OAS/USTDA:: Engineering for the Americas
November 29- 2 December, 2005
Lima, Peru
“Capacity Building for Job Creation and Hemispheric
Competitiveness”
Some thoughts from this symposium are presented
“Engineering for the Americas”
Build Local Engineering Capacity to create
knowledge that ensures the solution of local needs and
opens the chance to compete for global opportunities.
Engineering excellence is a key ingredient in the
application of science and technology to the solution
of the world’s economic and social problems to
achieve economic growth.
Knowledge-Based Economy
*The “knowledge-based economy” heralds an era in which
the importance of innovation and engineering has
surpassed that of capital. Participants saw knowledge
as the principal source of wealth and progress and
stressed that the quest for excellence in the training of
engineers, the establishment of national accreditation
systems, quality assurance, and mutual recognition were
becoming key factors for competing in the “knowledgebased economy” or “flat world”, as writer Thomas
Friedman calls it.
*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium,
Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005
The Engineer of the 21st Century
The
The notion of the Engineer of the 21st Century represents
a change of paradigm, whereby an engineer today must
help to create himself/herself, not look for work but create
it. They must be a world class engineers, leaders,
visionaries, and entrepreneurs, committed to the social
environment and with a clear sense of the common good.
Participants in the symposium emphasized the need to
boost collaboration between industry and academia.
*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium,
Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005
The
Building World Class Engineers Through
Standards and Accreditation
*The urgent need to start the process of establishing
standards and accreditation procedures for engineering
education throughout universities in Latin America and the
Caribbean, with the objective of providing the regions with
World class engineers; ready and qualified to participate
and execute engineering mega-projects in the region or
in today’s globalized arena.
*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium,
Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005
Engineering for the Americas
“The Objective”
 To promote economic and social
development through quality engineering
education for innovation and hemispheric
collaboration in job creation; EftA seeks to
develop and sustain a qualified pool of
engineers that will work as an engine for
industry competitiveness and actively
anticipate, understand, and plan for a
complex future in a globalized economy.
ENGINEERING FOR THE AMERICAS
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE OAS
 Higher education systems for Engineering in the
Americas that are comparable and converge (eg:
Bologna Agreement)
 Continuously build the quality and reputation of
Engineering Programs in the Americas
 Build and strengthen National Accreditation Systems
 Develop Regional Accreditation bodies that utilize
global standards & best practices
 Regional Accreditation bodies work towards being
signatories of the Washington Accord
 Clearly if the developing countries are not to
persist in their economic backwardness, they
must transform their economies from a primary,
raw material exchange economy or a natural
resource-based type to a production economy
or a diversified technology based type.
Technology is “perhaps the greatest of God’s
gift as it offers to the poor of the Earth, a
shortcut to wealth, a way of getting rich by
cleverness rather than by back-breaking
labour”. It is no surprise, therefore, that the
Asian Tigers have recently treaded this path
with considerable success, leading to prosperity
and great improvements in the standard of
living of their peoples.
(Okigbo, 1996)
Conclusion
If we are going to build a competitive region of
the Americas, the Quality of our Engineering
Education must be at global standards and
hence, the initiative of the OAS- “Engineering
For the Americas” must be vigorously
supported by all our countries working in a
networked and collaborative manner.