Edwin C. Jones

Continuing the journey through the FIE bookshelf - 1971-2005

In 1971, about 100 engineering educators from industry and academia gathered in Atlanta for the first Frontiers in Education (FIE) conference. Its leaders had a vision, and moved creatively to implement the vision. The journey through the conferences, which we call FIE, is worth documenting, as the conference has become a premier and often-imitated conference. Some educators have been involved right from the beginning and continue. Others have disembarked, but many new contributors have joined. This paper documented some data and attempts to study the impact of the conference on engineering and computing education over the last 35 years. What issues have been resolved? What new issues have emerged? What issues continue? What might emerge in the future? Of necessity it will contain personal observations. The paper is an update of a similarly named paper published at the 2000 FIE

Frontiers in education—have we made a difference? If so, what?

The IEEE Education Society started the Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) in 1971, a time of concern for its survival for financial and membership reasons, a time of unrest in the engineering education community around the world, and as is so common, a time of great challenge and opportunities. FIE began with about 100 attendees in Atlanta, led by Demetrius Paris. It expanded by adding the Educational Research and Methods (ERM) Division of ASEE in 1973, and the IEEE Computer Society (CS) in 1995. FIE ventured outside the USA in 1974, and continued taking on new challenges, and by giving young scholars in engineering education research a venue for interaction and evaluation of their work. These scholars are asking good questions-important questions, questions that challenge us all, and are getting answers that are improving our education. In turn, these answers lead to new and more challenging questions. This is a journey, not a destination. While not the only contributor, this conference has made a difference-it is small enough for much interaction, big enough for bringing together new scholars with “old-timers.” Both authors have complete files of all FIE Proceedings. Some of this history will be traced, but the emphasis will be on results and a look at the future.

The Electrical Engineering Curriculum and the Education of International Students

There is a growing recognition that less developed countries (LDCs) should be more discriminating in their choices of technologies to meet their needs. To exercise these choices, the LDC engineers are challenged to be innovative in adapting existing modern technologies to their own circumstances. To be able to meet this challenge, their professional training should account for the fact that when technology is transferred between cultures, non-technical considerations play a crucial role in determining whether or not the transfer successfully meets its goals. It is alleged in this position paper that the educational program of our international graduate students in engineering should prepare them for this challenging task. Needed changes are suggested, and existing opportunities at Iowa State University are discussed.

2017 IEEE Education Society Awards, 2017 Frontiers in Education Conference Awards, and Selected IEEE Awards

The IEEE Education Society, the IEEE Computer Society, and the American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research and Methods Division (ASEE ERM) sponsored the 46th Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference in Erie, PA, USA, held October 12–15, 2016. James Sluss, President of the Society, Russell Meier, President of the ASEE ECE Division, and Elizabeth Eschenbach, Chair, FIE Steering Committee, presented awards sponsored by HP Enterprise, the FIE Conference, the Education Society of IEEE, and the ECE Division of ASEE to the 2016 recipients of these awards.

Panel session - reflections on international accreditation

Program accreditation in computing, engineering, and technology has many international dimensions. Governments around the world have established agencies or commissions to monitor accreditation activities and professional societies and agencies have undertaken the task over many years. In the 2007–2008 academic year, ABET has stayed its “substantial equivalence” designation and has now engaged in formal accreditation activities beyond the United States. This panel seeks to explore and to present first-hand information regarding the issues and complexities surrounding international accreditation activities and report on their experiences in doing ABET international accreditation. Several panel members, many of whom serve on ABET committees that address these matters and have conducted international accreditation visits, will comment on their experiences, within confidentiality limits. The presentation will focus on the philosophical as well as the practical aspects of accreditation activities outside the United States.

Panel - demystifying accreditation beyond U.S. borders

Program accreditation in computing, engineering, and technology has many international dimensions. Governments around the world have established agencies or commissions to monitor accreditation in these areas and in other fields of specialization. Worldwide, professional societies and agencies have undertaken the challenge of developing avenues for quality assurance in undergraduate and graduate education. This panel seeks to explore and to present first-hand information regarding the purpose, issues, and complexities surrounding international accreditation activities. The panelists will present a spectrum of diverse experiences they have encountered. Some of the highlights of the presentation include accreditation external to the United States, international agreements and arrangements, and contrasts between U.S. and non-U.S. accreditation efforts. Panel members, some of whom serve on ABET committees that address these matters, will comment on the status of such international activities. The presentation will focus on the philosophical as well as the practical aspects of accreditation activities outside the United States.

Panel Session - Future of FIE: Where are we and where do we want to go?

To provide a framework for discussing the future of the Frontiers in Education (FIE) conference while recognizing the contributions of a diverse group of participants with different interests and needs, the FIE06 organizers added a category section for submissions to FIE06. These included scholarly teaching, scholarship of teaching and learning, engineering education research, and other. The categories were intended to represent a continuum but not to be hierarchical. High quality contributions from all categories are encouraged and important. In this panel session, the distribution of papers in these categories for FIE05 and FIE06 will be presented. Panel participants will then assess where FIE is now and facilitate a discussion among interested FIE06 participants of where FIE is now, what the unique and valuable aspects of the conference are, and where the FIE community would like to go

A journey through the FIE bookshelf-1971-2000

In 1971, about 100 engineering educators from industry, and academia gathered in Atlanta for the first Frontiers in Education (FIE) conference. Its leaders had a vision, and moved creatively to implement the vision. The journey through the conferences, which we call FIE, is worth documenting, as the conference has become a premier and often imitated conference. Some educators have been involved right from the beginning and continue. Others have disembarked, but many new contributors have joined. The paper documents some data. The paper is also an attempt to study the impact of the conference on engineering education over the last 30 years. What issues have been resolved? What new issues have emerged? What issues continue? What might emerge in the future? Of necessity, it contains some personal observations.

Interaction of outcomes assessment and accreditation

Accreditation of our professional programs in engineering and outcomes assessment now seem to be inextricably linked. As educators, we know we should be measuring and evaluating the “product” of our educational system, not simply monitoring the process. This observation is easily made, but doing it is not easy. It requires no less than a major cultural change for educators, university administrators, and the various publics we serve, including industry, parents, high school teachers and counselors, and our governing boards. All have a role to play in the process. Last year at this conference, Deans Bill Durgin of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Neil Schmitt, of the University of Arkansas, described for us how they had prepared themselves and their faculties for the first two pilot ABET Criteria 2000 visits. Those in attendance learned a lot, as some of their fears were replaced by knowledge. Their experiences were quite recent, and they did not know the outcomes of their visits. These two speakers, with colleagues Lance Schacterle, John F. Carney III, and Otto Loewer, have agreed to return for this year’s conference and share with us more of their insights after a year’s reflection. They tell us what went well and what they wish they had done differently. Both are, however, true pioneers in this process, and all of us are indebted to them for the contributions they have made to this process. Two additional papers round out the session. The first, by Dayne Aldridge and Larry Benefield of Auburn, describe a planning model that institutions preparing for accreditation can use. It is certain to be a landmark paper for engineering programs across the country. Dayne Aldridge has been one of the leaders who have moved Criteria 2000 from a well planned idea to a working process, and this paper shows the effects of his work. The final paper, by David Soldan of Kansas State University, describes an outstanding alumni feedback program that he and his colleagues have put into place. Alumni feedback will be quite important to institutions preparing for Criteria 2000 visits, and this paper will help all of us design better measurement systems. We are grateful to all of these authors for their pioneering work and their willingness to share it with us.

25 years of FIE Proceedings: a look through the bookshelf

Summary form only given. The Frontiers in Education (FIE) conference was launched in 1971. As engineering educators, we participate in a process. The notion of a destination is antithetical to what we see as continuous improvement in all phases of our life, including education. The issues of 1971 are similar to the issues of 1995. Issues considered then were educational technology, continuing education and lifelong learning, resources, learning theories, motivation, rewards and students. These issues remain, and we have added quality issues, design and the Internet. Though the issues are relatively constant, the problems are not. A problem then was the availability and proper use of the overhead projector; now it is presentation software. A problem then was the transition from the slide rule to the calculator for individual calculations, now it is the personal computer. A problem then was to be sure that each student learned as an individual, now it is to develop a learning environment where teamwork and quality are major concerns. A problem then was design, and while we have made much progress, we still have work to do. A problem then was evaluation teaching effectiveness of faculty-it still is, but we are starting to make some progress. This conference has has provided an international forum for the exchange of ideas and accomplishments. The ideas have been publicly shared, criticized evaluated extended and improved. Awards have been presented that recognized major contributions of our colleagues, and have emphasized the importance of quality in engineering education for the future of our society.