Chapter 8

1. Chapter 8 Orientation to the Engineering Education System

2. Chapter Overview • Organization of engineering education • Community college role in engineering education • The engineering education system • Academic advising • Academic regulations • Student conduct and ethics • Graduate study in engineering • Engineering study as preparation for other careers

3. Organization of Engineering Education • Engineering education in the U.S. • Organization of the engineering unit • Position of engineering unit in the university

4. Engineering Education in the United States • 2,870 four-year colleges and universities in U.S. • 389 (13.6 percent) have ABET accredited engineering programs • 1,885 accredited programs (average of just under five programs per institution) • Accreditation is critically important

5. Organization of Engineering Unit • Engineering department headed up by department chair or department head • Several departments form a school or college headed up by the “dean” • Non-engineering departments (computer science, engineering technology, etc. may be part of engineering unit

6. Position of Engineering Unit in University

7. Community College Role in Engineering Education • 1,729 community colleges in the U.S. • 40 percent of engineering graduates attended a community college at some time • Articulation and course selection • Advantages of starting at a community college • Applicability of Studying Engineering to community college students

8. ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 • Students • Program Educational Objectives • Student outcomes • Continuous improvement • Curriculum • Faculty • Facilities • Institutional Support • Program Criteria

9. Program Assessment Process • Establish educational objectives and outcomes • Measure whether objectives and outcomes are being achieved • Identify program strengths and areas for improvement • Develop plan of action and implement changes to bring about improvements

10. Academic Advising • Quality of advising can be a problem • Take personal responsibility for getting proper advising • Sources of advising Faculty Staff Other students Publications (catalog, student handbook)

11. Academic Regulations - Academic Performance • Grade point average • Credit/No credit • Incompletes • Repeat grade policy • Academic renewal • Credit by examination • Other

12. Consequences of Poor Academic Performance • Probation • Disqualification

13. Recognition for Good Academic Performance • Graduation requirements • Dean’s List • Graduation with honors

14. Enrollment Policies • Selecting your major • Changing your major • Double majors • Minors • Registration • Drop/add Policy • Leave of Absence/Withdrawal • Course Substitutions • Overload policy • Credit for courses at other institutions

15. Student Rights (Examples) • The right to reasonable access to professional advisement • The right to substantial instruction in the course content at the time scheduled for class meetings • Aright to expect that their records will not be subject to unauthorized disclosure or access • The right to know about existing student record systems and to examine their own records • The right to reasonable access to university, college, and department policies, procedures, standards, and regulations • The right to information from each professor at the first class session about the general requirements and the general criteria upon with they will be evaluated in that course.

16. Student Conduct and Ethics (Examples) • Cheating or plagiarism • Forgery, alternation, or misuse of campus documents, records or identification • Obstruction or disruption of the campus educational process • Physical abuse of any member of the campus community • Theft of campus property • Sale or possession of dangerous drugs • And many more

17. Fundamental Canons of the NSPE Code of Ethnics for Engineering • Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. • Perform services only in areas of their competence. • Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. • Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees. • Avoid deceptive acts. • Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

18. Academic Dishonesty • Cheating • Fabrication • Facilitating academic dishonesty • Plagiarism

19. Graduate Study in Engineering • Benefits of graduate study in engineering • M.S. degree in engineering • Ph.D. degree in engineering • Full-time or part-time? • How will you support yourself?

20. Engineering as Preparation for Other Careers • Master of Business Administration (MBA) • Law • Medicine

21. Group DiscussionEthical Dilemma In your group, discuss the following situation: A friend has been sick and asks to copy your homework that is due in a few hours. What do you do? Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to record and report what was learned

22. Group Discussion on Benefits of Graduate Education Poll your group members to determine how many plan to pursue formal education beyond the B.S. degree in engineering. Then brainstorm a list of the rewards, opportunities, and benefits that result from pursuing a graduate degree in either engineering or another discipline (e.g., MBA). Discuss each of the benefits on your list. At the end of the exercise, poll your group members again. Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to record and report what was learned