Accomplishments of the International Committee on Engineering Education under the Auspices of UNESCO

Gearold R. Johnson[1], Hans Peter Jensen[2], Russel C. Jones[3], and Marshall M. Lih[4]

ABSTRACT

UNESCO established the Steering Committee for Human Resources Development for Technical Industry Stimulation in 1992 following an International Congress for Engineering Deans and Industry Leaders that was held at the Ohio State University in 1989.  The Committee operated from 1992 until 1996 when the International Committee on Engineering Education (ICEE) superseded it.  The ICEE reported directly to the Director-General of UNESCO and typically met every six to nine months.

For nearly a decade, these two committees worked to turn the recommendations from the UNESCO series of international congresses into reality.  Accomplishments include the creation of the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education that is hosted at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia; a series of satellite based science and technology distance learning initiatives in the Arab States, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America; a joint Danish-Lithuanian technology and incubator project; a report on quality issues in engineering education, and others.  These accomplishments are reviewed in the paper.

With the change over in administrative management of UNESCO in late 1999, the ICEE was discharged in February 2000.  However, a number of the members of the previous committees came together in early 2001 to reconvene as the International Committee on Engineering Education and Innovation (ICEEI).  The ICEEI is actively promoting the International Decade for Engineering Advancement (IDEA).  IDEA is a major ten-year collaborative endeavor in advancing engineering education, research and development on a global scale.  The goal is to cultivate a new generation of engineers and engineering technologies that are capable of significantly improving wealth creation and distribution as well as enhancing the quality of life and human condition worldwide.

BACKGROUND

UNESCO created the Steering Committee on Human Resources Development for Technical Industry Stimulation in 1992 as an outgrowth of the First International Congress for Engineering Deans and Industry Leaders held at Ohio State University in 1989.  The goal of the Committee was to turn projects proposed at the conclusion of the Congresses into concrete projects.  UNESCO continued the series of International Congresses by hosting them in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1996. The Committee was quite successful; its accomplishments were summarized in Jones and the major results are itemized below

• Sister University Programs, the so-called UNITWIN program, to include more engineering pairings,
• University—Industry Cooperation,
• Database on Engineering Education,
• UNESCO chairs in engineering,
• Engineering education standards and equivalency
• Clearing House on Equipment and Courseware, led to the creation of the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education hosted by Monash University in Australia, and
• Uses of satellite technology

The Steering Committee operated from 1992 until 1996 when the International Committee on Engineering Education (ICEE) superseded it.  The ICEE reported directly to the Director-General of UNESCO, Dr. Federico Mayor, and typically met every six to nine months.  The International Committee on Engineering Education was no longer tied to the International Congresses and UNESCO discontinued these.  The following sections highlight the accomplishments of the ICEE over nearly four years of operations.

CENTRE FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

As a demonstration project between the developed and the developing world, the Technical University of Denmark through its Innovation Centre created a joint venture with the Kaunas University of Technology in Kaunas, Lithuania.  The objective was to demonstrate that a business incubator located near the Kaunas University of Technology could provide the business services to facilitate new business ventures as outgrowths from the University.  As a pilot project the venture was successful, but funds were not raised to carry the project through to operational effectiveness even though attempts to raise sufficient operating funds were made with the Lithuanian-American community in the United States.

UNESCO INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Under the sponsorship of the Steering Committee, Prof. Zenon Pudlowski was encouraged to form the UNESCO Sponsored International Centre for Engineering Education.  The Centre was hosted at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.  Working with and through he ICEE, UNESCO and the Australian National Commission  of UNESCO, the Centre was able to drop the word ‘sponsored’ from its name and to become the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE).  Today, UICEE produces the Global Journal of Engineering Education, and numerous series of regional and global engineering conferences including the UICEE Annual Conference series, the Baltic Region Seminar series, the East/West series, the Asia-Pacific Forum series, and the Global Congress series.  Potentially, the most far reaching activity is the creation of a number of sub-centres located in various geographic regions:  the Technical University of  Denmark(Denmark), Ryerson Polytechnic University (Canada), Anna University (India), Tomsk Polytechnic University (Russia), Hochschule Wismar—University of Technology, Business and Design (Germany), Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland), and Aslborg University of Technology (Denmark).  The interested reader is encouraged to check out the UICEE web site at URL http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/uicee.  Issues of the Global Journal of Engineering Education are available online, one issue later than the currently published issue.

QUALITY ISSUES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Each member of the ICEE agreed to write an article for publication in the Global Journal of Engineering Education on quality issues in engineering education.  Profs. Jensen and Johnson agreed to be guest editors and the issue was published as Vol. 3, No. 1 in 1999.  Eight papers were received and covered topics such as the secondary school-university interface, the education process, student skills and experiences, academic faculty and faculty experiences, facilities, steering and administrative quality control, and total quality management in education.  Another Committee member, Dr. Claude Maury, took this issue as input for the writing of a monograph entitled Guidelines for Engineering Educators.  Dr. Maury’s plan was to complete the first draft by the end of 1999.  Because the Committee was disbanded near this time, the current status of this project is unknown.

WORLD CONFERENCES

During the ICEE’s tenure, UNESCO was involved in the organization of two world conferences:  the World Conference on Higher Education and the World Conference on Science.  The first was held in October 1998 and the second in July 1999.

The World Conference on Higher Education was held in Paris.  The Chair of the ICEE did get a chance to speak although the entire Committee volunteered to present papers.  It turned out that the Conference was highly political, as may be imagined, and that the primary aspects of the presentations at the meetings were simply addresses by the heads or ministers of education in most UNESCO member states describing the state of higher education in their countries.  A plea was made to understand that the number of graduate degree recipients in engineering is not adequate to staff engineering education program needs worldwide.

For the World Conference on Science held in Budapest, the ICEE tried to have the following document included in the conference output, the Declaration of the World Conference on Science. 

• Engineering is the bridge between science and society;
• Engineering is a key profession for the creation of wealth;
• Engineering is the “engine” of industrial, economic and social development;
• University—Industry cooperation is essential for innovation in both industry and education;
• Engineering and Engineering Education are the key components of sustainable development; and
• To support further development of all societies, the general understanding of technology has to be improved.

The Committee believed that most practicing engineers and engineering educators would agree, in principle, with these six items.  However, the list was not included by the conference sponsors and, if fact, engineering appeared nowhere in the conference output explicitly.  Rather the implication was that engineering and technology were simply a lowly science application.  In retrospect this is not too difficult to understand since engineering does not appear even in UNESCO’s acronym.  The ‘E’ represents education, the ‘S’ science and the ‘C’ culture.  Interestingly, the ICEE was a part of the Science sector, not the education sector so in many ways, even UNESCO considers engineering a lowly subset of science.

SATELLITE UNIVERSITIES

During the tenure of the ICEE, some progress was made with respect to the development and implementation of satellite television systems for use in delivering advanced engineering education in the developing world.  A report written by Lakhder and Johnson provided a detailed model for the creation of an Arab Satellite University of Science and Technology (ASUST).  Several missions were carried out to Egypt as the most natural place to create such an organization.  Meetings were held with officials at the University of Cairo, Ain Shams University, Helwan University, the Ministries of Higher Education and Telecommunications, and NileSat, the company operating the telecommunications satellite.  Following many meetings and correspondences, Helwan University decided to begin broadcasting four hours daily of information technology, communications technology, and engineering courses via satellite.  While the result was not an Arab Satellite University of Science and Technology as originally proposed, the effort has achieved some success and continues.

In addition to the Arab initiative, the Technical University of Istanbul was approached to implement a similar operation for the Eastern European and Central Asian countries.  The idea was positively received but nothing was ever implemented.  Other geographic areas were also approached such as Central and Latin America and Africa but sponsors could not be located.

THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR ENGINEERING ADVANCEMENT

The International Decade for Engineering Advancement (IDEA) is a major ten-year collaborative endeavor in advancing engineering education, research, and development on a global scale.  The goal is to cultivate a new generation of engineers and engineering technology capable of significantly improving wealth creation and distribution as well as enhancing quality of life and human conditions worldwide.

Innovative technologies, processes and products in various fields have profoundly enriched every aspect of our daily lives yet few realize the role engineering provides.  Examples include  

• Agriculture, food, and indigenous technologies
• Bio-engineering/materials including marine resources
• Energy and power systems
• Water resources and water systems
• Environmental systems and sustainability
• Manufacturing
• Hazards and disaster mitigation
• Healthcare delivery systems
• Computing, and telecommunications
• Transport and civil infrastructure

The plan is to create multi-national working partnerships.  Each partnership would encompass undertakings such as engineering research, education, faculty development, curriculum reform, design competitions, industrial and executive internships, indigenous technology teams, mentoring, etc.

SUMMARY

The UNESCO International Committee on Engineering Education was discharged in February 2000.  It was active for nearly four years and accomplished a number of concrete projects.  Many of the members of that Committee continue to be active through a new, non-affiliated organization, the International Committee on Engineering Education and Innovation (ICEEI).  This group is dedicated to continue the active role played by the two preceding committees with the added task of promoting the International Decade for Engineering Advancement as a way to highlight, on a global basis, the role engineering plays in wealth creation and economic development of all of the countries on Earth.

REFERENCES 

Jones, R. C., “International Collaboration in Engineering Education through the UNESCO Steering Committee on Human Resources Development for Technical Industry Stimulation,” Australasian J. of Engng. Educ., 5, 2, pp.141-145, 1994.

Lakhder, L. M., and Johnson, G. R., Establishment of an Arab Satellite University of Science and Technology--ASUST, UNESCO, Paris, France, 1997.

Jensen, H. P. and Johnson, G. R. (guest editors), Special Edition:  Quality Issues in Engineering Education, Global Journal of Engineering Education, 3, 2, 1999.