CONSENT
EAB Item # 201 – Page 1 of 7
UNAPPROVED
IEEE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES BOARD
Minutes of the Meeting
16 February 2013
Renaissance Austin,
Austin, Texas U.S.A.
(Privileged Information, Subject to Confirmation)
1. Call to Order and Introductions. The IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB) met on 16 February
2013 at the Renaissance Austin, Austin, Texas, U.S.A. Dr. Michael Lightner, IEEE Vice President,
Educational Activities and Chair, Educational Activities Board (EAB), called the meeting to order at
8:01 a.m. (CST). Those in attendance were as follows, (Reference Agenda Item 1):
EAB Members Present
Michael Lightner, Vice President, Educational Activities
Eleanor Baum
Elizabeth Burd
Tariq Durrani
Ashutosh Dutta
Joseph Hughes
James Irvine
Elya Joffe
John Orr
S.K. Ramesh
Sorel Reisman
Edward Rezek
Saurabh Sinha
Mini Thomas
Yatin Trivedi
Prasanna Venkatesan
EAB Liaison Members to EAB Present
Kristi Brooks
EAD Professional Staff Present
Burton Dicht
Douglas Gorham
Fern Katronetsky
Nancy Ostin
Yvonne Pelham
Christopher Salicco
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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Carolyn Solimine
Sharon Strock
Steve Welch
Guests Present
John Barr
Kapil Dandekar
Marko Delimar
Margaretha Eriksson
Lyle Feisel
Elena Gerstmann
Don Heirman
Eileen Lach
Joan Muzzio
Martin Murks
Susan Tatiner
Tara Wisniewski
Howard Wolfman
Dr. Lightner acknowledged that the EAB Awards Program is a singular event and applauded the work
of the EAB Awards and Recognition Committee (ARC) and its Chair, Dr. S.K. Ramesh. By acclamation,
the EAB members recognized Dr. Ramesh, ARC, and the professional staff for the great presentation
of the 2012 EAB Awards Ceremony that was held on 15 February.
2. Review and Approval of Agenda. The agenda was reviewed and Dr. Joseph Hughes requested that
his name be removed from the list on the Consent Agenda to be affirmed as a member of the ABET
Nominating Committee as he did not accept the appointment. Mr. Yatin Trivedi advised that he
would like to revisit the Standards Education Committee (SEC) Charter that was provided in the
agenda as part of the EAB Operations Manual, and would do so later in the meeting. A motion was
made to approve the Agenda, as modified. The motion passed.
3. Consent Agenda. A motion was made to approve the Consent Agenda with one modification as
noted in minute # 2 above. The motion passed with the following results:
3.1 Approved the minutes of the 30 June 2012 IEEE Educational Activities Board meeting, as
submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 201)
3.2 Approved the minutes of the 9 November 2012 IEEE Educational Activities Board WebEx
meeting, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 202)
3.3 Approved the minutes of the 16 November 2012 IEEE Educational Activities Board WebEx
meeting, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 202)
3.4 Approved the minutes of the 28 November 2012 IEEE Educational Activities Board WebEx
meeting, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 202)
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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3.5 Approved the minutes of the 29 November 2012 IEEE Educational Activities Board WebEx
meeting, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 202)
3.6 Approved revisions to the EAB Operations Manual, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item
203)
3.7 Affirmed the 2013 EAB Committee appointments, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 204)
3.8 Approved the Member and Alternate Member Appointments / Reappointments to the 2013
Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities (CEAA), as submitted. (Reference Agenda
Item 205)
3.9 Approved the Appointments / Reappointments to the IEEE Representatives of the Engineering
Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 206)
3.10 Approved the 2013 Program Evaluator Appointments / Reappointments to the IEEE/ABET
Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC), as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 207)
3.11 Approved the Changes to the Electrical, Computer, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs
Criteria, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 208)
3.12 Approved the Appointments / Reappointments to the Committee on Engineering Technology
Accreditation Activities (CETAA), as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item 209)
3.13 Approved the Appointments / Reappointments of IEEE Representatives to the Engineering
Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET, as submitted. (Reference Agenda Item
210)
3.14 Approved the 2013 Program Evaluator Appointments / Reappointments to the IEEE/ABET
Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC), as submitted. (Reference Agenda
Item 211)
4. Revisions to Contract Approval and Execution Procedures. Ms. Eileen Lach, IEEE General Counsel,
provided a presentation on the IEEE Contract Approval process, and discussed the different approval
levels broken down by dollar amount of contracts. She reviewed the rules for legal review of
contracts, as well as new rules regarding the execution of authority. (Reference Agenda Item 4)
5. IEEE EAB/EAD Orientation. Dr. Douglas Gorham, Managing Director, IEEE Educational Activities and
Staff Secretary, Educational Activities Board, provided a presentation on EAB/EAD Organizational
Structure, Pre-University, University, and Continuing Education activities, New Initiatives and Grants,
and the EAB Awards Program. With regard to the Virtual Continuing Education Platform (VCEP), the
EA professional staff was requested to provide the link for the VCEP program to all members of EAB.
The link was provided during the meeting. (Reference Agenda Item 5)
The EAB recessed at 10:00 a.m. (CST) and resumed at 10:15 a.m. (CST).
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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6. 2013 Budget EAB Finance Update. Mr. Edward Rezek, EAB Treasurer, provided a detailed report on
the EAB Budget, which included an overview, cost center breakdowns, headcount organization
chart, a preview of the 2014 budget, and highlights from the 2013 IEEE Finance Committee
meetings. In addition, Vice President Lightner had requested in advance that the EAB Treasurer and
EA professional staff develop a model for continuing education products, with a P&L, so that the
EAB members could be well informed on what these products mean to EAB. (Reference Agenda
Item 7)
The EAB recessed for a photo session and lunch at 12:05 p.m. (CST), and resumed at 1:05 p.m. (CST).
7. IEEE / RABQSA Certification Programs. Mr. Elya Joffe provided a presentation on IEEE / RABQSA
Certification Programs, including their core competencies and plans for the future. Vice President
Lightner acknowledged his appreciation for the presentation and indicated that when there is a
clearer understanding of the program, and IEEE is asked to participate, EAB will consider it.
(Reference Agenda Item 10)
8. Section Outreach Committee (SEOC) Presentation. Ms. Mini Thomas, Chair of the EAB Section
Outreach Committee (SEOC), provided a presentation and discussed the SEOC Charter, composition,
challenges and accomplishments, strategy for the future, and plans for 2013. (Reference Agenda
Item 11)
9. Standards Education Committee. Mr. Yatin Trivedi, IEEE Standards Representative to EAB, provided
a presentation on the Standards Education Committee’s (SEC) review of the changes made to the
EAB Operations Manual, and the SEC’s new reporting structure through the Continuing Education
Committee (CEC). He advised that the SEC would be meeting in March 2013 to discuss further, and
would likely come back to EAB at its June meeting to formally propose changes to the Manual.
Specifically noted was the recommendation to separate the Charter from the Manual and link it,
instead, directly to the Standards Web Site since it is understood that as a joint committee of both
EAB and SA, changes made to the Charter shall be reported to both organizational units. (Reference
Agenda Item 18)
10. EAB Plans for 2013. Vice President Lightner advised of his intentions to organize an EAB mini-series
in 2013, but due to conflicting schedules, could not accomplish this effectively. He noted that EAB
will look to hold a mini-series in early 2014, and that input on timing and location will be requested
from the various Committee Chairs in order to plan accordingly.
11. EAB Strategic Focus and Direction. Vice President Lightner provided a presentation on the
Challenges and Opportunities for the EAB in 2013 (Reference Agenda Item 13), and covered various
areas in depth. He advised that the EAB needs to identify existing global educational opportunities
and determine what role(s) EAB wants to have. To begin, he shared with the EAB some charges
developed for each of the EAB Committees.
The EAB recessed at 2:40 p.m. (CST) and resumed at 2:55 p.m. (CST).
12. Committee Chairs/Volunteers/Professional Staff Small Group Meetings. The EAB decided to meet
as a body of the whole, rather than break into separate Committee groups. The following areas
were addressed from Vice President Lightner’s presentation:
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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A. Engineering, Computing and Technology Portals Strategy Committee (ECTPSC). Vice President
Lightner charged the Engineering, Computing and Technology Portals Strategy Committee
(ECTPSC) with continuing its work on the portals, researching free platforms, and determining
their usefulness for Educational Activities (EA). With multiple portals, each is different. Work
needs to be done to determine potential benefits, and partners need to be brought on board. In
addition, there needs to be an understanding of IEEE’s goals and plans for cloud-based services,
including social networking, and how they would impact EA.
Dr. James Irvine, ECTPSC Chair, advised the group there would be overlap in responsibilities with
other committees and that in reviewing the portals, the ECTPSC would be reviewing content. He
agreed to write up his plans for the ECTPSC and distribute them to the EAB.
B. University Resource Committee (URC). Vice President Lightner charged the University
Resources Committee (URC), and its subcommittees, with generating funds/grants for specific
activities; coordinating plans of the Faculty Development Committee (FDC), Curricula and
Pedagogy Committee (CPC), and accreditation committees; and coordinating with the IEEE
Education Society and IEEE Organizational Units on the overlap of responsibilities and suggested
a focus on the impact and opportunities of Multiple Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Professor Saurabh Sinha, Chair of the URC, the “parent committee” of the FDC, discussed plans
for the FDC. He indicated there were faculty development programs in India that the FDC would
attempt to connect with, in addition to studying technical communication in the Middle East,
which might be a revenue generating opportunity. The group will also be utilizing social
networking and will decide if having someone from the International Federation of Engineering
Societies (IFES) sitting on the URC would be beneficial. The Committee will also look to
collaborate with the IEEE Education Society. Prof. Sinha advised that the URC, and its
Subcommittees, would be holding their own mini-series in April at which time they will address
these items.
C. Curricula and Pedagogy Committee (CPC). This Committee was charged with looking into the
development of model curricula; a possible position on the first year experience; and supporting
model curriculum in emerging areas. Prof. Sinha advised that the Curricula and Pedagogy
Committee (CPC) has already been populated with a strong chair, and that the group plans to
work with EPICs and Standards to have both of these areas included in model curricula.
D. Student Education Resources Committee (SERC). Vice President Lightner charged this
Committee with informal, self-directed learning, including experiments using tools such as
Beagle Board, Arduino, MyDAQ, etc.; online standards education, ethics and societal impact
modules; and clear points of coordination with FDC, CPC and others.
Prof. Sinha advised that the Student Education Resources Committee (SERC) is in the process of
being populated, and that the Chair of the SERC might be someone from outside the U.S., which
will be coordinated with MGA and IEEE-USA. He also advised of the collaboration plans with
IEEE-HKN and the Smarter Planet Challenge, and foresees students graduating with stronger
team skills.
E. Awards and Recognition Committee (ARC). Vice President Lightner charged the EAB Awards
and Recognition Committee (ARC) with continuing to do great work; generating more
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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nominations; reviewing current awards and looking into possible opportunities for new awards;
and collaborating with the IEEE Foundation on funding/naming opportunities in support of new
and existing awards.
Dr. S.K. Ramesh, ARC Chair, spoke of the number of award nominations received through 2011,
and which averaged 25 per year for the past five years. In 2012, however, there were just
sixteen nominations for the ten awards that EAB sponsors. Dr. Ramesh advised that ARC needs
to generate nominations from the non-U.S. regions for all EAB Awards, and consider conducting
webinars to help generate nominations. He advised that in June, ARC will be examining its
procedures to determine if they could be made less onerous for nominators, and indicated that
ARC would seek sponsors for new awards. He noted that he will also be recommending to ARC
that a vignette on the EA Web Site be created, and posted, to promote nominations, and that
the professional staff will be working with MGA and IEEE Corporate Awards towards process
improvements for the next cycle.
F. Pre-University Education Coordinating Committee (PECC). The Pre-University Education
Coordinating Committee (PECC) was charged to work with the IEEE Foundation to fund
continuing projects; create an outreach to IEEE; find ways to obtain feedback for continuous
improvement; and acknowledge, support and bring volunteers together.
Dr. Elizabeth Burd, PECC Chair, spoke about recommendations from Sections Congress 2011
(SC’11), including its past accomplishments and future opportunities. She advised that the PECC
is re-examining its goal, including a reduction in age of their target audience for their projects.
She stated that the PECC will be looking to bring Kindergarteners on board with TryEngineering
and TISP programs. The PECC will also look to obtain funding to continue the publication of IEEE
SPARK.
G. IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN). Vice President Lightner charged IEEE-HKN with expanding and
revitalizing chapters; connecting more with MGA and IEEE-USA as well as beyond EE and ECE to
more IEEE fields of interest; and collaborating with the IEEE Foundation on fundraising.
Dr. John Orr, 2013 IEEE-HKN President, spoke of the plans for 2013 which include the integration
of IEEE-HKN student chapters with IEEE student branches. He informed the EAB that one of the
challenges to promoting IEEE-HKN outside the U.S. is the fact that GPAs, which have been a
tenant of membership for HKN, are not always recognized outside the U.S. and that with
considerably different cultures around the world, equivalent methods of evaluating and
recognizing “elite” systems will need to be identified and determined for each. In addition, the
overall financial model for IEEE-HKN needs to be reviewed as does fundraising opportunities.
H. Continuing Education Committee (CEC). This Committee was charged with researching the
future of continuing education needs and business models; developing a competency-based
credentialing process; and examining how to leverage IEEE access to experts.
Dr. Elya Joffe, CEC Chair, spoke about the reasons for continuing education, namely the
expansion of knowledge because of new technology, or catering to fields that require specific
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Educational Activities Board Meeting
16 February 2013, Austin, TX, USA
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certification and continuing education to remain current. Those who are interested in
continuing education to expand their knowledge can find inexpensive, or free, courses online.
The certification group could prove to be a revenue generating opportunity, and IEEE might find
interest in certifying the Standards that it creates. Dr. Joffe indicated the CEC has three specific
goals for 2013:
1) Develop a study to investigate a business model across IEEE – streaming products through
EAB;
2) Determine if there is a market for certificate programs; and
3) Research and identify potential new products and the needs/formats they should be in.
Dr. Joffe was requested to circulate the list to the EAB, and be prepared to report back on these
items in June at the next EAB meeting.
I.
Sections Outreach Committee (SEOC). Vice President Lightner charged the SEOC to collaborate
with Regions to promote EAB programs and activities. The EAB discussed whether SEOC should
be an EAB Committee, or an MGA Committee whose Chair is an EAB member. It was noted that
EAB needs to be mindful that it cannot dictate another OU’s policy or goal(s), and that it must be
careful with OU “boundaries.” Vice President Lightner advised he would work with MGA
governance to see if an agreement can be reached on housing the SEOC in MGA, or if it needs to
remain in EAB.
Vice President Lightner expressed his appreciation to the EAB members and acknowledged all their
hard work and dedication to the restructure process and their open and honest feedback during the
day’s meeting.
13. Old Business. There was no old business.
14. New Business. There was no new business.
15. Next Meeting. The next meeting of the IEEE Educational Activities Board will be held on Saturday,
29 June 2013, at the Hilton San Diego in San Diego, California, U.S.A.
16. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. (CST).
Submitted by,
Douglas Gorham, Ed.D.
EAD Managing Director & EAB Staff Secretary
IEEE Educational Activities