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Global J. of Engng.
Educ., Vol.I, No.3 |
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Copyright
1997 UICEE |
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UICEE-METU Collaboration in
Research and Engineering Education*
M.
Tuncay Birand Faculty of
Engineering, UNESCO
International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE), |
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This paper considers education and research activities
undertaken by the Middle East Technical University (METU), as well as METU’s
collaborative activities with another institution of higher education, the
UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE), which is based
in the Faculty of Engineering at |
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- INTRODUCTION
- MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (METU)
- Mission
- METU today
- Current status of the Faculty of Engineering
(METU-FE)
- Some characteristics of R&D activities
at METU-FE
- Accreditation
- Staff development
- Some characteristics of engineering
education activities at METU-FE
- UICEE/METU-FE
COLLABORATION
- GLOBALISATION
OF ACTIVITIES AT METU
- PLANNED
FUTURE ACTIVITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- REFERENCE
- BIOGRAPHIES
In March 1995 a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoA) for collaboration in the area of engineering education was
signed by representatives of the Faculty of Engineering of the
The presidents of both institutions
subsequently signed another MoA extending the scope of collaborative
activities. The METU-FE has since become actively involved in the UICEE
co-ordinated activities of the International Engineering Education Network
(IEEN), participating in joint meetings, electronic networking and the
preparation of a common database for engineering education. The achievements of
the first year of collaboration were presented at the 2nd Asia-Pacific
Higher Education Network (APHEN) Regional Conference, held at
Return to Table of Contents
The Middle East Technical University
(METU) was founded in 1956 with four academic teachers and 40 undergraduate
students. It moved to the present campus in 1963, at which point the Faculty of
Engineering was founded as the University’s hub around which the entire
institution’s teaching and research infrastructure is built. Presently the
Faculty consists of 14 engineering departments progressively established in the
period 1957-1982.
METU’s fundamental objective is to provide
The
· produces graduates well equipped
with an education to meet the needs of the advancing world in the scientific,
technical, cultural and professional fields;
· consists of 37 departments in five
faculties, three graduate schools, one Vocational and one
· employs more than 1,000 academic
staff and 800 assistants;
· caters for 19,000 students
(including approximately 1,500 foreigners);
· has over 45,000 alumni;
· possesses a well presented and
fully facilitated campus.
There are significant educational characteristics which distinguish the METU
from other international technical universities of this class. The METU is:
· technically oriented (engineering
centred);
· soundly supported by the arts,
science and administration disciplines;
· based on the North American model
of universities (four year undergraduate studies leading to the award of a
Bachelor of Science degree);
· increasing the application of
computers.
· continuing the development of
classrooms and laboratories.
The METU has:
· instruction in English;
· an international student body and
enrolment.
Current status of
the Faculty of Engineering (METU-FE)
Since its inception in 1963 the Faculty of Engineering at METU has grown in
size and stature. The present status of the METU-FE within the University is
that:
· it consists of 14 engineering
departments;
· it has 47% of METU’s tenured
academic staff;
· it caters for 42% of the
University’s undergraduate students;
· about 60% of the University
buildings belong to the Faculty;
· it possesses elite staff with
mostly non-METU PhDs;
· its curricula lead graduates to
conduct high quality engineering and R&D work in the international arena;
· its laboratory and computing
facilities are being continuously upgraded;
· it has established strong links
with industry;
· its research activities are at the
international level;
· the Faculty is a member of
international engineering education networks;
· it admits top level local and
international students.
Some
characteristics of R&D activities at METU-FE
All 14 departments of the METU-FE undertake research through the Masters of
Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs. There are, in addition to the
departmental programs, interdisciplinary programs in the areas of biomedical
engineering, biotechnology, operational research, polymer science and
technology and nuclear engineering. Several research centres, such as the
Welding and Non-destructive Testing Centre, which reports to the Dean’s office,
and the Earthquake Research Centre, which reports to the Department Chair, are
responsible for conducting contract research work.
The main national research funding agency, TÜBITAK (The Turkish Scientific
and Technical Research Council), supports both national and international
R&D programs. Government funding is also available through the State
Planning Organisation and through University Research Funds. Allocation and distribution
of funds is handled on a competitive project basis.
Set up by TÜBITAK, the following centres of excellence are collaborating
with the related department within METU-FE, significantly contributing to the
Faculty’s R&D activities:
· Informatics and Electronics
Research Centre.
· Software Development Centre
(CAD/CAM).
· Advanced Manufacturing Systems
Research Centre.
· Ceramics and Computer Research
Centre.
It is important to mention that the Petroleum Research Centre, which is
actively collaborating with the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is
supported by the General Directorate of State Petroleum Affairs. The CAD/CAM
Centre, which is also directly linked with the President’s Office, is actually
an organic part of the Mechanical Engineering Department. It also co-operates
with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
In the 1996 academic year, 770 research and development publications of
METU-FE academics appeared in journals and conference proceedings. 294 of these
were conference papers presented at international conferences, and 159 appeared
in fully refereed international refereed journals. In the same year, 29 lecture
notes, 11 text books and 12 reference books were published by academic staff.
The number of published research project reports was close to 150.
Several research teams within the Faculty of Engineering are participating
in a number of international technical research and development projects. Such
activity allows academic staff to keep abreast of the rapid developments in
their areas of expertise, an activity from which their students can benefit.
Amongst the important international collaborative programs which involve the
active participation of METU-FE academic staff are:
· COST - European Co-operation in
the Field of Scientific and Technical Research.
· NATO - NATO Science for Stability.
· British Council Academic Links
Program.
There are also several bilateral research programs, such as the agreement
between the METU-FE and the TU-Delft-International Research Centre for Radar
Telecommunications and Transmission (IRCTR).
In accordance with its mission statement, the METU-FE places much stress on
the globalisation of engineering education. From this perspective its most
recent activities may be summarised as follows:
· Establishment of worldwide student
exchange agreements.
· Involvement in the UICEE
International Engineering Education Network (IEEN).
· Co-operation in EURO-MED
engineering education projects (MED-CAMPUS).
· Active involvement in the
Asia-Pacific Higher Education Network in Engineering Education (APHEN-EE).
· Collaboration with
· Involvement in international
accreditation activities.
To date, six undergraduate education programs of the METU-FE have been
granted substantial equivalency by ABET,
The purpose of this entire process is to:
· create activity and awareness
about recent trends in engineering education;
· acquire an external opinion about
the quality of programs of different engineering disciplines;
· obtain international recognition;
· gain the experience necessary for
establishing a national accreditation system;
· keep up to date with globalisation
trends in, and approaches to, engineering education.
The Faculty management pays particular attention to staff professional development.
Staff development has been achieved through several actions undertaken in
recent times. These are:
· The development of professional
contacts through:
- International/national scientific
meetings.
- National fairs.
- Individual contacts.
· The encouragement of research
through:
- Seed money for junior staff.
- Contract research.
- TÜBITAK Turkish Research Fund (NSF
equivalent).
- University research fund.
- International research projects.
- Individual consultancy.
The METU-FE has instituted a comprehensive system of staff professional
development which may be characterised by the following activities and actions:
· Sabbatical program.
· Control of inbreeding.
· Instructor and course evaluation.
· Awards (ie best instructor award).
· Encouragement of participation in
international conferences through funding policies.
Some
characteristics of engineering education activities at METU-FE
With ever-increasing class sizes, with reduced funds, and with much more
complex concepts and ideas being dealt with in the classroom, it has become
evident that teaching staff must pay more attention to advanced and efficient
methods of course delivery in their teaching practice, in particular the
advantages implicit to the use of modern computer technology and the Internet.
The METU-FE pays particular attention to the personal development of its
staff through extensive and rigorous engineering research. Several important
factors have meant that more academic staff members are willing to explore the
possibility of involvement in research and development activities in
engineering education.
Return to Table
of Contents
The purpose of collaboration between the UICEE and the METU-FE is to develop
the relationship between the organisations through collaborative activities in
the furtherance of the common interests of the organisations. The scope of
collaboration consists of the following:
· The UICEE is to assist METU in
establishing a regional sub-centre for engineering education linked with the
UICEE, with particular emphasis on research into the methodology of engineering
education and industrial training.
· Training programs, including
degree and non-degree programs.
· Research collaboration in areas of
mutual interest to both organisations, particularly with software development
for engineering education.
· Exchange of academic materials
made available to both organisations; other sources, such as computer and
printed materials, to be included in the exchange as they become available.
· Exchange of scholars in the course
of academic development.
· Sponsorship of co-operative
seminars, workshops and other academic meetings on matters of mutual interest;
joint production of publications and books related to academic and research
matters.
In order to collaborate efficiently the collaborating partners have to learn
more about themselves by identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Hence the
first step of this collaboration was to undertake a survey on engineering
education, developed by the UICEE, in all 14 departments of the Faculty of
Engineering at the METU in 1995. Questionnaires were distributed to 350 Faculty
members, and 187 responses were received (53%).
The survey, developed for the investigation of engineering education
resources and achievements in engineering faculties at UICEE’s partner
institutions worldwide, was based upon two survey questionnaires developed by
the UICEE and administered earlier at
· The development and use of
original courseware, laboratory instructions and procedures.
· The development and application of
specific laboratory equipment.
· Teaching methods used.
· Use of computer-aided
instructions.
· The development of original
continuing engineering education courses and research projects.
· The publication of textbooks and
engineering education research papers.
· Activities of different aspects of
engineering education.
· Faculty interest in the use of
modern media in engineering education, including the Internet.
Another important aspect of the survey was to indicate the attitudes of
academics to sharing resources with developing countries and the need of the
respondents for self-development through a range of engineering education
interest groups and professional resources available.
The survey responses indicated a number of strengths and weaknesses in the
METU-FE in terms of education and training activities. The status of some
individual activities, as revealed by the survey, is as follows:
· Development of original
courseware/laboratory instructions: courseware: yes (52%); not yet but will do
(20%); laboratory instructions: yes (24%).
· Original or innovative methods of
teaching engineering: yes (8%).
· Use of computer software in
teaching: yes (53%); not yet but will do (22%).
· Continuing education courses
developed: yes (26%).
There is a reasonably high level of activity and achievement in terms of
research and development of original courseware, laboratory instructions,
computer software and teaching methods and techniques, and this compares
reasonably well with the level of such activities at
However, there is a concern about the willingness of staff to share those
teaching resources with universities in developing countries. Only 29% of
respondents indicated their desire to share their educational resources with
others in developing countries for no fee. Another 18% of respondents would
provide access to their resources for a licence fee. Considering that the
METU-FE, as a member of the UICEE’s international network, has accepted a
collaborative role with some responsibility for assisting universities in
developing countries, this attitude must be seriously considered and revised.
The level of quality of education and training can easily be measured by the
involvement of staff in engineering education research and development.
With only 3% of the respondents indicating their engagement in international
collaborative research projects in engineering education, and only 2% of them
having prepared applications for grants in engineering education in the period
of 1992-95, the survey revealed significant challenges ahead for the METU-FE’s
academic staff in order to improve the situation.
A positive sign is the willingness of the respondents to conduct engineering
education research and development by establishing student projects in
engineering education. The respondents indicated their preferences in terms of
setting up the following:
· Final year projects: 19%.
· ME projects: 12%.
· PhD projects: 6%.
Contrary to the METU-FE’s excellent record of research and publication in
engineering disciplines, the Faculty cannot claim a similar record of
involvement in attendance of conferences on engineering education, publication
of research papers in engineering education and the use of recent international
engineering education literature. The survey shows that:
· only 3% of surveyed academics
attended conferences on engineering education in the period of 1992-95;
· only 28% read, and 2% subscribe
to, journals of engineering education;
· only a few published on
engineering education, in the following types of publications:
- journal papers: 0%;
- book, book chapter: 1%;
- in the process of publishing a
book: 5%.
It is alarming to note a very small record of publications in engineering
education by the surveyed population of academic staff. The use of, and
subscription to, engineering education journals gives an impression that
Faculty staff are not particularly well informed about recent international
trends in engineering education. This creates an important challenge for the
Faculty management, and indeed for the departmental heads, to remedy the
situation.
A number of different issues were also questioned. All the answers obtained
were put into a database (CLARIS) and a quantitative and qualitative evaluation
was carried out.
It is planned to make comparisons with other members of the UICEE Network
and to take due action. Members of the network can use the information for
further strengthening global collaboration in engineering education.
Return to Table
of Contents
GLOBALISATION OF
ACTIVITIES AT METU
The Faculty of Engineering at METU recognises the difficulties, challenges
and opportunities coming from the recent trend in the globalisation of
engineering and technology education, and endeavours to address the issues and
find solutions by increasing the level of involvement in global engineering
education affairs and activities. This is achieved through the following:
· Establishment of worldwide student
exchange agreements.
· Membership of the UICEE at Monash
University.
· Involvement in EURO-MED
engineering education projects (MED-CAMPUSES).
· Participation in international
R&D programs such as COST, EUREKA, NATO-SFS, etc.
· Establishment of an International
Virtual Design Studio (with Union College in the USA).
· Involvement in international
accreditation activities.
Return to Table
of Contents
PLANNED FUTURE
ACTIVITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Faculty management recognises that the involvement of the Faculty
academic staff in engineering education will have a significant impact on the
quality of education that it provides to the national and international body of
students. The Faculty has already created a system for the professional
development of staff and wishes to do likewise in engineering education. It is
envisaged that the Faculty’s future approaches and activities carried out for
the improvement of international collaboration would involve:
· Enhancement of collaboration in
research and development in engineering education.
· Promotion of further international
collaboration through regional conferences and meetings.
· Increase of staff publications on
engineering education.
· Expansion of the coverage of the
collaborative network in engineering education.
· Realisation of a distributed
database satisfying the needs of the collaborative network’s participants.
· Agreement on a universal structure
for a database accessible through the Internet.
As the most immediate activity, it is envisaged that a regional conference
on engineering education will be organised in collaboration with the UICEE in
1998 or 1999 in Ankara, in conjunction with the Global Congress on
Engineering Education.
Also, the management of METU-FE intends to encourage academic staff to
increase the level of research and development activities in engineering
education by establishing student projects at all levels of education. It is
anticipated that this would help in progressing the level of quality
engineering education in the Faculty and would increase the involvement of
staff and students in publishing engineering education material, thereby
sharing the achievements with other sectors of the global engineering education
community.
The UICEE is keen on expanding the degree of assistance provided to the
METU-FE. It is planned to increase the level of collaboration in research on
the application of computers in engineering education, and, in particular, in
electronic publication of engineering education resource material. It is also
envisaged that the UICEE will assist the METU-FE in establishing a specialised
library on engineering education by donating its wide range of publications.
Return to Table
of Contents
1. Birand, M.T., Pudlowski, Z.J., Platin, B.E. and Ungan, S., A case study
on international collaboration in engineering education: USICEE-METU
partnership. UNESCO-UNITWIN Asia Pacific Higher Education Network (APHEN)
Regional Conference, Sydney, Australia (1996).
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Professor M. Tuncay Birand received a BS in 1966, MS in 1967
and PhD from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) Department,
Faculty of Engineering (FE) of the Middle East Technical University (METU),
Ankara, Turkey. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of applied
electromagnetics, antennas and microwaves.
Professor Birand served as the Head of the EEE departments at the FE-METU
and at the Gazi University, Ankara. He was Dean of the FE-METU between
September 1992 and October 1997 and he has also served as the national
co-ordinator and representative in the Senior Officials Committee of the
European Co-operation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research
(COST).
Professor Birand has been a visiting scholar at Queen Mary College, London
and at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and has worked as a
consultant at ERA Technology Ltd., England.
He received the 1983 Science Promotion Award of the Scientific and Technical
Research Council, Turkey. In 1997 he was awarded the Silver Badge of Honour
by the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE) and the Meritorious
Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities by the Educational Activities
Board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is a
senior member of IEEE, and member of IEEE Antennas and Propagation (AP) and
Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT) societies of IEEE; the Turkey sections of
IEEE and IEEE-AP; IEEE-MTT societies; the International Liaison Group for
Engineering Education (ILG-EE); New York Academy of Sciences; the Turkish
Institute (Chamber) of Electrical Engineers; and the UICEE.
He has over 50 publications, the majority of which have appeared in refereed
international journals and proceedings, and he is the author of an
international patent. Professor Birand has contributed to the organisation of
many international and national meetings.
Professor Birand is currently a topscientist (on sabbatical leave
from METU) at the International Research Centre in Telecommunications,
Transmission and Radar (IRCTR), Faculty of Information Technology and Systems,
Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands.
Return to Table
of Contents
Professor Bulant E. Platin was born in 1947. In 1969 he
received the degree of Makina Yük Müh (a combined BS and MS degree) from the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Istanbul, Turkey;
in 1972 he was awarded a MS in Mechanical Engineering through the Mechanical
Engineering Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and
a ScD in Mechanical Engineering through MIT in 1978.
He is currently a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the
Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey, where he has worked
for 19 years as an instructor from 1978-1979, Assistant Professor from
1979-1985, Associate Professor from 1985-1991, and Professor from 1991. He was
Assistant Chairman of the ME Department, METU, from 1990-1992, and Associate
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, METU, from 1992-1997.
Professor Bulant is a member of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers of
Turkey, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of
Engineering Education, the UICEE, and is a member and founder fellow of the
Association of Machine Design and Production of Turkey.
He has over 50 scientific papers published in journals or presented in
conferences.
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Professor Suat Ungan was born in 1946. In 1969 he received the
degree of BS from the Chemical Engineering Department of the Middle East Technical
University (METU); in 1971 he was awarded a MS through the Chemical Engineering
Department, METU, and a PhD through the Faculty of Science and Mathematics,
Utrecht State University, the Netherlands in 1974.
He is currently a Professor in Food Engineering at the METU-FE, where he has
worked for 28 years as a research assistant from 1969-1971, Assistant Professor
(Chemistry Department) from 1974, Assistant Professor (Chemical Engineering
Department) from 1978, Associate Professor (Food Engineering Department) from
1983, and Professor (Food Engineering Department) from 1989. He was Assistant
Chairman of the Chemistry Department form 1974-1978, Programme Co-ordinator of
the Food Engineering Programme from 1978-1982, Chairman of the Food Engineering
Department from 1982-1989, and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering
from 1992-1997.
Professor Ungan is a member of the Chamber of Turkish Chemical Engineers. He
was a consultant and Agroindustrial Planning Co-ordinator for the Elta
Engineering Company’s Transportation and Infrastructure Project from
1991-1992, and a consultant for the Food Technology and Refrigeration
Technology Department, Marmara Research Centre, The Scientific and Technical
Research Council of Turkey in 1995. He is a member of the UICEE.
He has published 24 scientific papers in journals cited in SCI, and has
supervised 25 theses.
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Zenon Jan Pudlowski graduated Master of
Electrical Engineering from the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy (Cracow,
Poland), and Doctor of Philosophy from Jagiellonian University (Cracow), in
1968 and 1979 respectively.
From 1969 to 1976 he was a lecturer in the Institute of Technology within
the University of Pedagogy (Cracow). Between 1976 and 1979 he was a researcher
at the Institute of Vocational Education (Warsaw) and from 1979 to 1981 was an
Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Pedogogy within Jagiellonian University.
From 1981 to 1993 he was with the Department of Electrical Engineering at The
University of Sydney where, in recent years, he was a Senior Lecturer. He is
presently an Associate Professor, Associate Dean (Engineering Education) and
Director of the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE)
in the Faculty of Engineering at Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne,
Australia.
In 1992 he was instrumental in establishing an International Faculty of
Engineering at the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, of which he is the
Foundation Dean and Professor (in absentia). He was also appointed
Honorary Dean of the English Engineering Faculty at the Donetsk State Technical
University (DonSTU) in the Ukraine in 1995.
His research interests include circuit analysis, electrical machines and
apparatus, implementation of computer technology in electrical engineering,
software engineering, methodology of engineering education and industrial
training, educational psychology and measurement, as well as human aspects of
communication in engineering. His achievements to date have been published in
books and manuals and in over 200 scientific papers, in refereed journals and
conference proceedings.
Professor Pudlowski is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers,
Professor Pudlowski is a member of the UNESCO International Committee on
Engineering Education (ICEE). He has chaired and organised several
international conferences and meetings. He was the Academic Convener of the
2nd World Conference on Engineering Education, the General Chairman of the 1st,
2nd and 3rd East-West Congresses on Engineering Education and
General Chairman of the UNESCO 1995 International Congress of Engineering
Deans and Industry Leaders.
He received the inaugural AAEE Medal for Distinguished Contributions to Engineering
Education (
In June 1996 Professor Pudlowski received an honorary doctorate from the
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