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Session 2432

A New Approach to Electrical & Computer Engineering Programs at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Barry J. Farbrother Ph.D. Head, Electrical & Computer Engineering Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Abstract Two new degree programs1 are now being offered by the department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The new Bachelor's programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, are the result of a top-down curriculum design process which took several years to complete.

‘Renaissance Engineers’ are engineers who will be able to prosper in the workplace of the twenty-first century. We all agree that many changes took place in the workplace during the 1990's which are certain to continue. In order to produce graduate engineers with the appropriate skills for this new environment it is necessary to change the process by which they are trained. The conference presentation will include a discussion of the factors affecting curriculum development, a program overview, and also address departmental issues pertaining to the process of curriculum re-structuring.

The Preliminaries Dramatic changes took place in the workplace during the 1990's which have affected the way engineering is practiced, and they will continue as we enter the new millennium. The workplace has changed, the tools of the engineering profession have changed, the generation for which we have the responsibility of training has changed, and there are increased economic pressures associated with the global environment in which our corporate counterparts operate. These factors combine to produce a paradigm shift in the mode of operation of the engineering workplace and we must respond by providing programs that will enable generation X2 teenagers to become engineers who are able to prosper in this demanding environment.

At Rose-Hulman we became aware that freshmen entering college in the late 1980's and early 1990's were different from their predecessors. This generation has a different approach to life, different values and most certainly different academic skills and motivation! This topic will have been well-aired in a variety of forums at most institutions and, notwithstanding our desire to have high schools do more, we have to meet students where they are!

In addition to the realization that the real world was changing, the academic community also acknowledged the comparable paradigm shift occurring in criteria upon which the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) would be basing accreditation decisions. (Criteria-2000).3

The new Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs are the result of four years of curriculum re-engineering by departmental faculty who had to be convinced that such a dramatic upheaval in the departments modus operandi was necessary. The realization that "change IS the status quo" coincided with the appointment of a new department head who pro-posed a "clean sheet of paper" approach following his appointment and which was enthusiastically accepted. The unanimous approval of the faculty is absolutely essential if the task is to be completed in a reasonable time frame and

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Farbrother, B. J. (1997, June), A New Approach To Electrical & Computer Engineering Programs At Rose Hulman Institute Of Technology Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6707