AC 2012-3748: TAKING STOCK: PROGRESS TOWARD EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS

At the 2011 ASEE Conference in Vancouver BC, Purdue sponsored two sessions focused on progress toward achieving the aim of adapting engineering education to the new realities of the 21st Century world. Before the conference, a survey was distributed to more than 3000 recipients to collect information about how universities worldwide define the "Future Engineer." It also aimed to uncover challenges and success factors that should be considered in order to effectively and sustainably integrate the ideals of the "Future Engineer" into the curriculum. This paper summarizes the results of the survey as well as the discussions from session participants. A dominant theme throughout was the need for both top-down and bottom-up approaches to engineering curriculum change.