SGER: Liberal Studies and the Integrated Engineering Education of ABET 2000 -- A Planning Conference at the University of Virginia, Fall 2001

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Project AbstractProposal 01-19531John K. Brown, Liberal Studies and the Integrated Engineering Education of ABET 2000: A Planning Conference at the University of VirginiaUnder the impetus of new accrediting guidelines and goals (EC 2000), America's engineering colleges are poised to embark on far-reaching curricular innovation, responding especially to the new standards' insistence on integration across the curriculum and their determination to merge technical and humanistic studies. But the difficult work has barely begun: How will educators translate the inspired goals of EC 2000 into integrated courses, holistic design experiences, and comprehensive degree programs? In particular, how can liberal studies educators take a leadership role in fostering a truly integrated education for undergraduate engineers?With a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER), this project involves a planning conference that explores specific obstacles, goals, and models in achieving this curricular revolution. The holistic approach of EC 2000 builds upon some highly useful precedents in integrative education developed at a range of engineering schools, some well known and others that have worked largely in isolation. The conference takes these scattered reform efforts, develops new concepts for integrative education, and traces out their benefits, limits, and adaptability to other institutions and contexts. The gathering draws upon the expertise of leaders from five groups with a vital interest in engineering education today: engineering school deans, faculty from the technical disciplines of engineering, liberal studies educators, engineers and managers employed in industry and government, and historians of technology. Each group has a vital stake in assuring the success of EC 2000, while each comes to the table with unique perspectives necessary in forging realistic plans to achieve that success.This project is intended as the first step in laying out the parameters and approaches for a broader effort to provide information and guidance for engineering and liberal studies and spocialscience faculty seeking to integrate the techical and non-technical elements of engineering curricula and educational experiences.