Active benchmarking in engineering education..........half a decade on

Abstract

Academic exchange between engineering faculties at Auckland University of Technology (NZ), and Hochschule Wismar, University of Technology, Business and Design (Germany) was initiated in February, 1999, during a UICEE congress in Auckland. A 'Memorandum of Understanding' followed a formal lecturing visit by an Auckland professor to Wismar later that year. This agreement, initially planned to facilitate student exchange, soon expanded, with professors from both universities visiting and giving lectures to partner institutions. After a very positive student response to environmental engineering lectures given at Wismar, it was decided to expand the relationship further. This paper reviews the success of a fully benchmarked course: Ethics and the Professional, which is a compulsory fourth year paper in Auckland's bachelor of engineering degrees, and is now embedded in the Wismar curriculum. Consideration of the paper, from student, professor and administrative perspectives, is analysed systematically. There are pitfalls that may be effectively circumvented, and we discuss these. Overall, the project has been a resounding success, and we trust, will be a useful template for further co-operative projects