A View of Computer Science Education in Japan

The purpose of this note is to share some findings on computer science education in Japan based primarily on discussions during my recent visit there. The historical developments of computer science departments in Japan and their curricula are briefly discussed. Two noteworthy features of their curricula are 1) high mathematical standards and 2) a demanding first course in computer science which often assumes elementary programming knowledge.     

Curricula Development in Computer Science and Engineering

This paper reviews some of the most recent efforts in the development of undergraduate curricula in Computer Science and Engineering. Emphasis is placed on the curricula that have been proposed by the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society. The relationships between the two sets of recommendations are discussed.     

Are Chicanos Attending Universities?

There are marked differences between Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Spanish-speaking people and other ethnic minority groups as they relate to attracting, recruiting and retaining these students in engineering curricula and in preparing them for productive and satisfying careers as engineers. For example, educational institutions must radically improve the educational delivery system for the Chicano, thus providing these students with the necessary tools and credentials essential to successfully compete in our contemporary society. Although some educators accept this responsibility, many do not know how best to accomplish the goal. This paper helps to define the needs of Spanish-speaking people generally and makes specific suggestions on how to make progress in increasing the involvement of Chicanos in the engineering profession.     

Black Engineering Schools

To doubt whether or not predominantly black institutions have a role to play in American life is to not understand the pluralistic nature of American society. Engineering education has played an important role in the past development of these universities and will play an even larger role in the years ahead due to the capacity of engineering to penetrate so many other fields. This paper presents a brief history of the predominantly black engineering schools: North Carolina A & T State University, Prairie View University, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Howard University, and Tuskegee Institute. Particular attention is given to the evolution of their curricula and alternative and recommended future roles.     

A summary and analysis of bachelor of science degree requirementsreported by 125 electrical engineering departments

A questionnaire was distributed in March 1992 to all electrical engineering department heads affiliated with the National Electrical Engineering (EE) Department Heads Association (NEEDHA). The questionnaire concentrated on total degree requirements as well as freshman year and sophomore year EE credit hour and laboratory requirements. Information provided by the 125 responding departments is summarized in this paper. In addition, courses in 25 EE curricula of schools throughout the United States were reviewed. The number of required EE course credits in 11 subject categories are presented for these programs     

Exceptional women? Gender and technology in U.K. higher education

It is now commonplace to say that technology is more readily associated with boys and men than with girls and women. In popular representations, even where girls are ostensibly included, they tend to be presented as “other” to technology or their relationship to technology is trivialized. “Real technology” the message seems to be, is not for women and girls. The author reflects on research she has carried out over the last 10-15 years (to 1999) and, in particular, two projects which examined women's experiences in technological courses in UK tertiary education in the mid 1980s and the early 1990s. What struck her in her reflections was the extraordinary similarity in some central themes in both projects. In particular, the author reflects upon the prevalence of very limited, and therefore limiting, understandings of the gender-technology relationship within conventional technology curricula and the possibility for challenging the understandings that are offered by more progressive and innovative curricula in information technology based education     

职业学校课程改革的思考

中职教育是为提高劳动就业者的综合素质的一种基础教育,是为社会直接培养从业人员的基地。中职学校的课程设置滞后于社会的发展,培养的学生难以达到市场经济建设的要求。因此,须转变课程观,优化课程结构,以能力本位为指导,建立科学合理的课程体系。     

Engineering Design for the Disabled

There are some 3 million handicapped persons living in the United States. Can the engineer help these people lead more normal lives? This paper describes some of the solutions obtained by engineering students at Tufts University working under the direction of the author and in collaboration with the Tufts Rehabilitation Institute. Special purpose hardware is described which enables a severely paralyzed person to perform otherwise difficult or impossible tasks. In particular a dynamic hand splint and a 15 channel ON-OFF controller controlled by a unique skin deflection transducer are discussed. Of course, these units provide only a partial solution to the problems of the handicapped. Much remains to be done and colleagues are encouraged to include problems in this area in their design curricula.     

University of Toronto curricula in electrical and computerengineering

This brief paper describes new curricula in electrical engineering and computer engineering which were introduced at the University of Toronto in September 1993. It deals with the principles on which the curricula are based and how these principles were put into practice in the light of constraints arising from limited time and resources     

《经济学基础》精品课程建设思路

根据“经济学基础”精品课程建设过程中的体会和感想,提出“经济学基础”精品课程建设思路,并在此基础上,对精品课程建设做出进一步的思考,提出合理化的建议。     

Renewable Energy Sources and Rural Development in Developing Countries

Economic and geopolitical constraints on global nonrenewable energy supplies will force many nations, especially the developing countries, to accelerate their use of local renewable energy sources. This paper discusses some of the technical, economic, and socioeconomic aspects of the application of renewable (solar) energy sources for rural development in resource-poor population-rich developing countries. The possible role of educational institutions in the U.S. and in the developing countries in assisting in the successful introduction of solar technologies in rural areas is outlined. A selected bibliography is included for the benefit of readers interested in additional information on this important topic.     

An analysis of application rates to programs in informationtechnology, science, and engineering

A shift away from generic undergraduate degrees toward an emphasis on vocationally oriented qualifications has been evident in the awards offered by higher education institutions in Australia over the past few years. This has included those in information technology, science and engineering, where the growth in the number of, and variation in, awards has been particularly evident. The past few years have also seen a general, and in some cases significant, decline in the application rates for some forms of science and engineering. This has prompted many institutions to look at their awards with a view to making them more attractive, both to students and industry, often through the development of more highly specialized awards. In this paper, the authors investigate application trends for information technology, science and engineering awards from a number of perspectives, including the market perceptions of the institution offering the degree. Although the paper focuses on three broad categories of awards-information technology, science and engineering-some lessons may be appropriate for other disciplines. Moreover, although this study takes advantage of the centralized admissions systems used in Australia, available indicators show that the results may well be applicable in the United States and the U.K. and possibly elsewhere     

Mentoring undergraduates in computer vision research

The future of society will be shaped by the young and talented minds going through colleges and universities today. During the last 14 years roughly 130 undergraduate students from several institutions have participated in the research experiences for undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). A large fraction of our students have been able to prepare a paper for submission to a conference, have the paper accepted, and then attend the conference to present the paper. Several participants have even accomplished enough substantial research to result in journal publications. Many past participants are now pursuing graduate studies at various institutions. In this paper, the REU model is described in detail; some examples of student success are discussed; and some observations are summarized     

Biomedical engineering in China. A look at the growth of the BMESociety, and advanced education

In 1978 the Chinese Institute of Electronics asked Dr Qin to organise the Chinese Biomedical Engineering Society. Looking back on 14 years of the Society's history, 13 conferences have been held, and more than 600 technical papers presented. Student paper competitions stimulated students and young investigators to attend the conference and join the Society. The authors also discuss formal BME education including accreditation and curricula. The universities which have BME programs can be mainly classified into two categories: (1) universities of science and engineering, (2) universities of medical science. The curricula can also be divided into: (1) engineering oriented, and (2) clinically oriented. Most engineering oriented curricula are based on electronic engineering around a central task of instrumentation design. Besides the engineering courses, basic anatomy and physiology are offered for the purpose of communication with physicians. Most clinical oriented curricula are executed in medical schools, they are based on the applications of medical instruments and computers, but the hospital internship is a special required subject. Todays typical BME faculty differs quite significantly from the faculties that began the BME effort in China. Members tend to be interdiciplinarians, capable of understanding a broad range of areas. A significant number are bearers of graduate degrees, both bachelors and masters, from both inside and outside of China. Nearly 300 students are presently enrolled in the country's biomedical engineering programs     

Freshman engineers' performance when solving design problems

Among the major changes that undergraduate engineering curricula are undergoing is the incorporation of design into freshman curricula. While the objective is to teach design so that students learn both engineering processes and content knowledge, the open question remains: to what extent can freshman engineering students learn to do design? To date, few studies have actually assessed acquisition of design skills. This paper presents the results of one such study in which freshman engineering students were asked to solve three short design problems. Half of the subjects solved the problems at the beginning of the first semester, freshman year and the other half solved the problems at the beginning of the second semester. Results indicate that after only one semester of engineering, students show more sophistication in their design processes. However, while the quality of their problem solving approach improved, comparable improvements were not found in the quality of their designs     

Development of a practice-oriented radio-frequency design course

Several decades ago, radiofrequency design was an integral subject in many undergraduate electrical engineering curricula. In recent years, however, practice-oriented courses have given way to theoretical presentations of communication theory. Several years ago, industrial recruiters commented to us about the lack of formal training in radiofrequency design methods in undergraduate curricula. In response, the author has developed a course in this area that is strongly oriented towards design principles and their realization into hardware. The underlying philosophy of this course is described, and a syllabus with associated laboratory exercises is presented     

A one-room-schoolhouse plan for engineering education

The one room schoolhouse plan for education, which stipulates that one lead professor works with a small group of students in most of their major courses during their junior, senior, and graduate years, is proposed. The program would rely on regular courses and faculty to supply the technical content of some major courses and all the minor courses. The intent is to have a dedicated and strongly interactive group that will overcome the distracting effects of today's information explosion, technology explosion, and expanded curricula. To this end, the relevant curriculum factors (course selection, course priorities, and course contents) will be more efficiently managed, taught, and coordinated. Within the limitations of time and energy, the students should cover more effectively and widely the disparate curriculums of both major and minor courses in the program     

Curriculum for an engineering renaissance

Engineering is a serving profession. During the last century, engineering curricula have become technology and process focused to the detriment of the "soft skills" so necessary for a professional. This paper proposes that engineering curricula undergo major revisions to return to the original service mission of the profession. The key elements for a renaissance within engineering education are presented.     

Restructuring an electrical engineering program in Quito, Ecuador

The Department of Electrical Engineering at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional, in Quito, Ecuador, has undertaken the task that started two years ago, of bringing engineering education into the next century in a very limited environment. The problems to be faced are first described, starting from dealing with a severe shortage of funding and resources due to lack of interest by government and industry, to having to work with students with large amounts of knowledge of physics and mathematics, but with very little creativity due to all their educational background. A new curricula is discussed, where there is a special emphasis on reducing student course load, bringing together classes and lab work, fully integrating a variety of new computational tools to the teaching-learning process, and giving students more freedom to choose from a diversity of specialized fields. The new Department structure is also presented, eliminating the current departmentalized organization based on three major electrical engineering fields, i.e., power systems, control, and communications. The issue of lack of funding is finally addressed, as are some of the creative ways that are being used to solve this problem