REVISION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY

What knowledge، skills، and attitudes should students have upon graduation? And how can we ascertain that they have acquired these capabilities? These have been fundamental questions in engineering education during the last two decades. Attempts to answer these questions have led to considerable changes in engineering education and accreditation of its outcomes. Excessive emphasis on education of engineering sciences in the final decades of the twentieth century widened the gap between the presented education and the real needs of the skilled manpower. In order to fill this gap، several pioneer universities in engineering education formed a novel innovation to develop a new viewpoint. Among the most important aspects of this program، which is known as CDIO، is the emphasis on practical activities and directing university education toward the needs of industry and job market. The new approach is based on this hypothesis that engineering graduates should be able to conceive، design، implement، and operate (CDIO) complex engineering systems within a modern and team work-oriented environment with the aim of creating products and systems. The general trend of this program can be used to promote country’s engineering education programs، and harmonize them as much as possible with new engineering education outcomes in the world.