Engineering Education:
Challenges, Opportunities, and Potential
Areas for GCC Cooperation
Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan
Rector,
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
rector@kfupm.edu.sa
Outline
 Historical Overview of Engineering Education
 The Future of Engineering Education:
Challenges and Opportunities
 Engineering Education in KSA
 KFUPM and Current Trends in Engineering
Education
 Opportunities for cooperation within GCC
 Concluding Remarks
2
History of Engineering Education
 From prehistoric times, engineers have
always led humanity for a better life.
 Till 1800s, engineering education was
learned by apprenticeship (emphasis on
hands-on experience).
 After 1800s, universities and colleges in
Europe and US, started granting formal
engineering degrees.
3
History of Engineering Education
(cont…)
 In 1870, there were 17 universities
teaching engineering in the US, growing to
110 schools in 1890.
 During same period, only 10% of practicing
engineers were college graduates.
 End of 1800s, professional engineering
societies started to flourish
 Early 1900s, laws governing licensing &
certifications are introduced
4
History of Engineering Education
(cont…)
 In 1932, ABET established: The beginning
of an era of accreditation.
 1950-1990, focus on engineering sciences,
analysis, faculty expected to carry
research
 After 1990 - now, focus on teamwork,
communications, integration, design,
continuous improvement, while
maintaining analytical skills.
5
Features of Traditional
Engineering Education
 More focused on abstract themes
 Instructor centered learning
 Depth in specialized fields
 Very little use of computers, Multimedia,
Internet
 More focused on individual efforts
6
The Reality!
Current Weaknesses in
Today’s Eng. Graduates
 Weakness in understanding manufacturing
processes
 Mostly analysts in specific areas
 Narrow view of engineering
 No understanding of quality process
 Weak communication skills
 Lack of design capabilities
 Weak teamwork & project management skills
7
Forces Pushing for Change
 Companies employing engineering graduates
 Accreditation boards (such as ABET)
 Globalization of economy
 Engineering professional societies
 Advisory boards
8
Future Technological Challenges
of the 21st Century
Main Features







Information: Proliferation
Tech. development: Multidisciplinary
Markets: Globalized
Environment: Endangered
Social responsibility: Engineering
Corporate structure: Participatory
Change: Rapid!
9
The Ideal!
21st Century Engineering Skills Essential
for Competitive Graduates:
 Strong technical capability
 Skills in communication and persuasion
 Ability to lead and work effectively as a member of a
team
 Understanding of the non-technical forces that
profoundly influence engineering decisions
 Commitment to lifelong learning
 Skills in design and project management
 Multidisciplinary
10
Quality Control for
Engineering Programs
 Educational quality control is the cornerstone for
successful engineering program
 Such quality control takes place through
accreditation
 Accreditation reflects a professional judgment that
certain students are met
 Acts as a benchmark for quality
 Accreditation is usually voluntary and conducted
by peers
11
Main Features of Successful
Engineering Education Programs
for the Next Decade
Students
Faculty
Infrastructure
12
Students
 Attract the best students in physical &
mathematical sciences with leadership potential
 Educate & motivate engineering students to be
ready:
 to implement new technology
 to focus on innovation
 to understand global trends
13
Faculty
 Select faculty with top engineering background
 Select faculty with excellent potential in carrying
innovative research and providing leadership with
a global look
 Select faculty committed to a dynamic teaching
environment
 Provide faculty with opportunities for self
development
 Facilitate cooperation with industry & the society
at large
14
Infrastructure & Support
 Conducive environment that encourages high
levels of productivity
 Up to date facilities of international standards
 Adopt flexible and clear rules and regulations
15
Engineering Education
in the GCC
16
Engineering Programs
 First Engineering Colleges
established in early 1960s
Country
 Initially, 10 universities offered
engineering programs
No. Eng. St.
(2005)
KSA
14,000
Qatar
1,000
Kuwait
2,500
Bahrain
1,800
UAE
3,800
Oman
1,600
 By 2005, more than 30
colleges/universities offered
engineering programs
 There is an increase in the
number of private
colleges/universities
 New alliances with overseas
universities were formed.
 Still, Number of engineering
students per capita is still very
low compared to developed
countries
17
First university degrees, by region: 1997 and 2002
18
NS&E degrees per 100 24-year-olds,
by country: Most recent year
19
NS&E degrees per 100 24-year-olds,
by country: Most recent year
Qatar
2.9
Bahrain
2.5
1.5
Saudi Arabia
0.5
Oman
0
5
10
15
20
Degrees/100 24 years old
20
Engineering Programs in Saudi Arabia
In 1962, First Engineering College
established
Currently, 13 colleges/universities offer
Engineering degrees
Some Engineering programs have
attained ABET substantial equivalency
Several universities established
MS/PhD programs
21
Higher Education in KSA (2004/2005)
 Total Number of Bachelor Students: 481,042
 Total Number of Engineering Students: 13,071
 Total Number of MS Students: 7,843
 Total Number of PhD Students: 1,806
 China aims at graduating 1 MILLION engineers
a year.
22
Number of Engineers in KSA
Sector
Saudis
Number
Public
5777
Private 16028
Total
21805
%
Expatriates
Number
Grand
Total
%
76
1856
24
7633
16
83052
84
99080
20.4
84908
79.6
106713
23
Number of Engineers in KSA (cont.)
Number of Engineers for every
100,000 currently 486 including
expatriate
 Number of Saudi Engineers for
every 100,000 currently 120
Compared to some neighboring
countries, there is a need for an
additional 100,000 engineers in the
Kingdom
24
KFUPM and Current Trends
in Engineering Education
 KFUPM prides itself to be the most prominent
engineering university in the region
 Number of students in engineering:
Year
Students
1963
65
1990
2489
2000
4102
2005
4055
25
Focus Tracks in Engineering
Education at KFUPM
 Communication skills
 Online education (use of Internet)
 Innovation
 Partnership with Industry
26
KFUPM Implementation Plans
 Students
 Faculty
 Industrial Technology
27
Student Development Programs
Programs
Personal
Skills
Program
Academic
Improvement
Program
Gifted
Students
Program
28
Personal Skills Program
Developing students skills
that is needed by job market
Special events
short courses,
workshops
International Computer
Driving License, ICDL
Voluntary
Community
services
Academic
Programs
29
Faculty Development Programs
 Establishment of Deanship of Academic
Development
 Junior faculty programs
 Encouraging Use of Technology in Teaching
 Promoting Excellence in Research
 Summer professional development programs with
industry
 Involvement of practicing engineers from industry
in teaching
 Support of faculty in organizing international
conferences and workshops
30
Junior Faculty Development Program
Activities
Teaching
 International, national and KFUPM
 workshops and conferences
 Peer consultation
 Course coordination assignment
 Technical and learning grants
 Mentoring
 Teaching exchange program
 Certification program
Research
 Research Workshops (DAD)
 Mentoring
 Junior faculty grant
 Industrial Experience
 Summer Assignment
32-Faculty members joined the program in 2005
31
Research Achievements
Research Projects Approved*
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
(*) KFUPM attracts the largest number of KACST
engineering research projects in the Kingdom 32
Research Outcomes*
Srl. #
Description
02-03 03-04
1
Publication in referred
journals reported
784
846
2
Publication in
conference
proceedings reported
318
356
3
Books published and
contributed
24
27
* KFUPM is the only university in the region
included in the top 100 engineering institutions
worldwide (ISI-web of knowledge, December 2005)
33
Instructional Technology
 Web-based courses
 Online courses
 E-learning
 Distance learning
34
A. Web-based Course Development
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
11
12
21
22
31
32
41
42
B. Online Course Development: 30 Courses
35
Other Initiatives to Strengthen
Engineering Education at KFUPM
 Strengthening partnership with industry by
establishing chair positions
 Improving coop programs for applied sciences
with major industry partners
 Enhancing profile of annual career day
 The “wireless campus” initiative
 The “laptop for every student” initiative
 Enhancing campus network to facilitate on-line
teaching.
36
Initiatives Along ABET
Requirements
 Establishment of industrial advisory boards
 Establishment of regular self-assessment
programs
 Enhancement of the design & communication
skill components in engineering programs
37
Initiatives in Promoting
GCC Cooperation
 Simplified regulations for business and trade
 Unified Customs tariffs and Currency
 Cooperation within the electricity sector
(connection grid, standards, etc..)
 Stronger cooperation among educational
institutions & professional societies
38
Opportunities for Cooperation
in Engineering Education
 Institution level
 Faculty level
 Student level
39
Cooperation in Engineering Education
(Institution)
 Formal coordination among engineering colleges
(eg. Gulf Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology)
 Standard entrance exams
 Linkage of IT resources (eg. Libraries)
 Cooperation in distance learning
 Unified engineering certification process
 Joint organization of conferences /workshops
40
Cooperation in Engineering Education
(Faculty)
 Faculty exchange programs
(within industry and universities)
 Joint research programs
 Cooperation in short courses delivery
 Joint faculty development programs
41
Cooperation in Engineering Education
(Students)
 Student exchange programs
 Flexible student transfer among GCC
institutions
 Extra curricular activities
 Student chapters of professional societies
42
Concluding Remarks
 To cope with the rapid technology
advances, it is imperative to develop
aggressive plans and programs to meet the
challenges of the 21st century
 The future of engineering in the region is at
stake: our programs need to be formulated
to graduate engineers able to take a leading
role in the community.
43