Strategies and considerations in shaping cyber-physical systems education

Embedded and Cyber-Physical Systems education faces several challenges as well as opportunities as every-"thing" becomes connected, and as technology development accelerates. Initiatives such as CDIO, as well as several other academic and industry initiatives to create new CPS programs illustrate strong interests and awareness of these challenges. We provide an overview of foreseen educational needs, existing state of the art in education and an analysis of the subject of CPS with the purpose of understanding the implications for education. The investigation points to key issues in curriculum design regarding balancing depth and breadth, theory and practices, academic and industrial needs, and core technical skills with complementary skills. Curricula in CPS could, if the right balance is achieved, educate CPS engineers of the future that are "ready to engineer". We conclude by synthesizing high level guidelines in terms of strategies and considerations for CPS curriculum development.