Three Major Instructional Approaches for Requirements Engineering

In this talk, we report on our findings from the paper A Survey of Instructional Approaches in the Requirements Engineering Education Literature [DGT21], which has been accepted at and published in the proceedings of the 2021 IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering. The paper reports the findings of a systematic literature review to define and investigate the current state of research on requirements engineering education

A Survey of Education in Civil Engineering

This paper provides an overview of the current education requirements in the field of civil engineering. This is achieved through means of an anonymous survey sent to civil engineering academics and data gathered from the published curricula of ten existing civil engineering programs. These ten programs were selected by means of a random number generator from the list of institutions the survey was sent to. Such an overview is important for gauging the effectiveness of civil engineering education for current and future students

Understanding Social and Environmental Requirements in China

Rapid changes in the social and technical environment bring about many new challenges to system requirements engineering, amongst which out-sourcing or off-shoring of certain design tasks to countries with more human resources and broader markets becomes promising business leverage. Here we report some of the result from an ongoing research project on the survey of requirements practices in China. It is interesting to understand the current status of industrial practices after years\u27 research efforts, especially in a rapidly developing country such as the China. We perform a web-based survey of requirements engineering practices in China, focusing on the requirement elicitation techniques and requirement presentation techniques. Our study has collected data from 150+ participants from 50+ Chinese companies and education institutes. We also analyze the impact of Chinese culture on requirement engineering practices. In this report, we present the main survey results and point out their implications. We hope our results are useful for industrial practitioners and academic researchers wishing to improve current practices, and for foreign software companies wishing to better understand their Chinese customers

IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING PEDAGOGY AND IMPACT ON EMPLOYABILITY AND LEARNING WITHIN ENGINEERING EDUCATION FRAMEWORKS

Engineering Education experiences turbulent changes, both from government pressures and from industry demands on readdressing the requirements of graduate capability. Despite vast amounts of engineering literature discussing ‘change’ within the field, engineering curricula still maintains its predominant pedagogic model of dissemination to students as it did in previous decades. Technology Enhanced Learning in education has created new and flexible options in the delivery and assessment of teaching and learning, but uptake is limited and approached with caution within Engineering Education. This mixed methods research introduces an inclusive and innovative approach to Engineering Education assessment techniques utilising an integrated blended learning strategy to the implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning within engineering curriculums. The research explores and assesses the effectiveness of Technology Enhanced Learning and educational pedagogies within Engineering Education frameworks to enhance and develop student learning, digital literacy and employability. Preliminary research positioned the research, utilising observation and interview techniques to baseline current pedagogic practices in undergraduate Engineering Education against current literature. An alternative method of video assessment was implemented and embedded following a two year cycle of action research within a cohort of two undergraduate engineering modules. A prototype ‘toolkit’ was created using Xerte Online Toolkits (XOT) to facilitate student learning and support for the assessment. Additional techniques inside the cycles gained further qualitative and quantitative data via a survey and focus groups. Student learning and assessment results showed significant improvement following the introduction of this approach and validated the transferability of this technique into other educational disciplines. An industry based survey validated chosen research methods and provided a comparison of viewpoints on key issues surrounding Engineering Education against existing stakeholders. The research introduces a new innovative approach to Engineering Education utilising Technology Enhanced Learning, validated through positive industry feedback and student academic achievement and satisfaction. Significant improvements on student employability and engineering ‘soft skills’ are evidenced

Integration of building information modeling into the undergraduate curriculum: case of Eastern Mediterranean University

One of the essential requirements of construction education is to remain up to date and current. It is quite important for universities to adopt new technologies in construction education curriculum. Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a new technology and tool is one of the latest developments in construction industry. The function of BIM as an advantageous course and also an educational assistant in Civil Engineering education at universities is not completely understood to date. Many construction companies prefer to employ BIM enabled graduates nowadays. Thus the question is to what extent students are aware of BIM and are ready to begin learning such a new technology. In order to answer this question, a survey was conducted among different undergraduate students at Civil Engineering Department of Eastern Mediterranean University. Focus of the survey was on AutoCAD knowledge and students’ abilities together with their awareness of BIM. Adding BIM as a standalone course in the curriculum of the Civil Engineering Department was also studied. The outcomes of the survey proved students’ interest in integrating BIM as a separate course in undergraduate curriculum. Details of such an integration including how and when to consider BIM were also proposed. The authors suggest including BIM in the Civil Engineering undergraduate curriculum to have knowledgeable and up to date graduates while it is also recommended to be used as an educational assistant in other Civil Engineering courses

Engineering Technology Program In Malaysia: A Market Survey

In line with industrial development which is growing rapidly in Malaysia, the country is in great needs of competent technical workforce able to apply the latest concept of technology, improve equipment and system utilization, optimizing operation and maintenance of equipments. Therefore, an engineering technology program will be introduced in Malaysia education system at higher level. In developing the electrical engineering technology program and designing a curriculum structure in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), a market survey has been conducted to gather opinion from industries on the relevant subjects, duration of training required and also the career opportunity. The market research survey was conducted by the Committee of Development for Engineering Technology, UTeM in 2011. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed to local and foreign companies throughoutMalaysia. The scope of the market survey covered the common understanding of the concept of Engineering Technologist,requirements from industry perspective, the relevant focus areas as well as perceptions towards the program. The findings shows that there is a demand for degree programs in Electrical Engineering Technolog

Awareness and Barriers of Industry 4.0 and Education 4.0 between Construction Players and Academicians in Malaysia

The digitisation of technologies heavily influences the construction industry with requirements for a new set of knowledge and a skilled workforce. Relatively, the adoption of Industry 4.0 in the work environment changes the current pedagogy at educational institutions through Education 4.0. The importance of adopting and adapting Industry 4.0 with Education 4.0 in construction engineering pedagogy is to create awareness of innovative technologies and to equip graduates with futuristic skills and knowledge. Even though the adoption of Industry 4.0 and Education 4.0 has taken place in the field of construction, limited studies were found on this subject matter, particularly in comparing the awareness between the industry and academia. Hence, this study examines the awareness and barriers of Industry 4.0 and Education 4.0 adoption between the industry players and academicians from the construction engineering perspective. A structured questionnaire survey was developed and distributed within public construction projects and public universities across Peninsular Malaysia. Data for this study were collected through face-to-face meetings and online survey distribution. Findings from the two different categories of respondents with different age range and academic qualifications provide similar, as well as dissimilar outcomes on the awareness and knowledge in accordance with their nature of work. Nonetheless, both distinct respondents have found financial constraint to be the most critical barrier for Industry 4.0 and Education 4.0 adoption. This study provides the revelation on the current state of awareness, knowledge and barriers among the players (industry and academic) in construction engineering and these insights could be further delineated for future action plans in aim to increase the adoption of Industry 4.0 within the field.   Keywords: Industry 4.0, Education 4.0, Construction Engineering, Industry Practitioners, Academicians

Aligning Business Engineering Education with Contemporary Industry Requirements

Abstract. Business Engineering emerged as an academic discipline almost a century ago in response to economic demand for experts with both business and engineering expertise. The discipline has since evolved to meet the needs of the fast changing global marketplace. The impact of globalization on the architecture, governance and running of organizations has also shaped the field today. Education has responded to these changes by adapting its architecture and governance to fit international needs. This study examines the case of ESB Business School, Reutlingen University as an example of how business engineering education has been forced to adapt its architecture and governance to fit international needs in the field. Close collaboration with global academic and corporate partners has enabled the school to integrate multiple international components into its business engineering curricula. However, the overall goal remains to ensure that the business engineering education provided is aligned with the global requirements coming from industry. This exploratory industry-driven study tackles this challenge. Qualitative interviews with company representatives of international companies as well as a global industry survey were conducted to examine what study programs and what graduate skill-set are most commonly sought after by industry in different regions of the world. Keywords: Business engineering, competence, employability, domain expertis

Requirement engineering education in the UK, an empirical study

The quality of software is critically dependent on the quality of Requirements Engineering activities undertaken during software development. This paper outlines a survey of Higher Education (HE) institutions in the UK undertaken to determine the nature of the topics covered relating to Requirement Engineering, and the extent to which such topics are practically taught and assessed. Very few surveys of Requirement Engineering within HE have been conducted, and, to the authors knowledge this will be the first significant one published which focussing on HE in the UK. The paper concludes that a number of key issues exist in the UK provision for teaching in this area, which impact on the ability of industry to leverage the skills gained by students whilst studying at university

Technological Literacy Programs in Elementary School

Technology and engineering design education is offered as an elective in most secondary school curriculums, however a primary school curriculum is not common. The Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEEA, 2007), which focus on technological literacy and engineering design, are not typically included in primary education. The objectives of this study are to determine if teachers and administrators think technology and engineering education provide new opportunities for elementary students, how they feel about technology and engineering education, and what obstacles exist for successful implementation. A literature review provided the background on federal, state, and local technology initiatives that exist for Virginia public schools. It also defined technology standards that exist and how they have been incorporated in state curriculum requirements at the elementary level. A survey was used for both teachers and administrators at each elementary school in the sample. Data was collected from seventy-seven participants from twenty-four elementary schools. The results indicate ninety-two percent of respondents agree that implementation of a technology and engineering design education program would provide new educational opportunities at their schools. Eighty-seven percent of respondents feel it is essential to learn about technology and engineering design in elementary school. Participants felt that students do use different types of technology in the classroom for finding information. But do not use technology and the engineering design process to troubleshoot and find solutions to problems through facilitated projects. Only a quarter of respondents were satisfied about the current technology and engineering educational opportunities at their schools. Teachers and administrators indicated that the biggest obstacle that exists for successful implementation of a technology and engineering education curriculum is lack of funding, followed by a lack of materials