Back to Table of
Contents
COLLEGE ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROBLEMS IN TAIWAN
ABSTRACT
Engineering education is an important factor behind the economic miracle in Taiwan. Throughout the years, some college engineering education problems related to government support, university administrators, teachers and students began to surface. Problems and measures related are briefly mentioned.
INTRODUCTION
Taiwan is an island without much natural resources. An area of 36,000km2 and a population around 23 million. Hard working and education of the people makes an economic miracle.
In the year 1950 there were 4 universities and colleges with an enrollment about 5,400 students. In the year 1994 there were 58 universities and colleges with 0.34 million students. Besides, there were 72 junior and community colleges with 0.38 million students . It is expected that by the year 2000, there will be 80 universities and colleges with a student population around 0.4 million.
The rapid change in economic growth makes engineering education an important sector in our university education. In the year 1976, there were only 30 thousand college students majored in engineering, 850 of them enrolled in M. S. programs, 60 of them enrolled in Ph. D. programs. In the year 1994, college engineering students reached 62 thousand, 9.4 thousand of them study for their master degree, 3.1 thousand of them work for their doctoral degree. Also there were 0.18 million students in junior or community colleges majoring in engineering. From the year 1991 on, one sixth of all college undergraduate students, 30% of all M.S. program students and 40% of all Ph.D. students are engineering students.
This paper intends to look at some of the problems related to college engineering education in Taiwan, so that experiences may be shared with other people interested.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
In the early days, teacher's primary function is to teach. Around 30 years ago. National Science Council (NSC) started to support research activities in the universities and colleges. From the year 1980 on, the Ministry of Education (MOE) also started to enhance their support to the universities - particularly in the area of engineering education. With encouragement from the government, engineering schools and engineering student enrollments increased rapidly. With funding and grants available, department buildings, research laboratories and laboratory facility started to build up. With research fellow and research scholar programs, professors at major research universities spent more and more time on research.
The Constitution also requires that the Government allocates at least 15% of the budget in the area of education, science and culture. This made the education and research supports in the public universities reaching their best time around the year 1990. But since the year 1990, people's interest in politics made changes again. University budget within total educational budget decreased from 18.69% in the year 1988 to 15.09 in the year 1994. Public universities are asked to raise part of their own budgets. On the other hand, MOE's supports to private universities are steadily increasing, although not as much as the private universities would like to have. Major incomes to the private universities are the tuition and fees.
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS
In the earlier days, university presidents, deans, department heads were the ones who made decisions. Most of them were elders or professors with academic prestige and leaderships. As the so called "wind of democracy" blew over the campuses a few years ago, most of the presidents, deans and department chairs are elected somehow through a mixed voting and selection system. The role to serve as the head of an institution shifted more or less into the role to serve as a coordinator. The conflict originated from popular voting sometimes hurts the harmony within the institution. And lots of time and efforts are wasted in dealing with non-academic affairs.
In the old days, under the strong guidance of the MOE, there were not much difference in university education from one university to the other. As MOE loosened its control, different universities, colleges and departments should be expected to show their own educational purposes, educational methods etc. And a sound review system can let the public, the parents and the students to better judge each institution's educational merits.
TEACHERS
When I first went back home 27 years ago and taught at National Taiwan University, there were very few faculty members with a Ph.D. degree. In the year 1994, 54.4% of all faculty members in universities and colleges have Ph. D. degree. In public universities, more than 80% of the faculty members have a doctoral degree. But most of them do not have working experience in the industry or in the field.
In the old days, teaching is the primary responsibility of a teacher. Usually there are 40-50 students in a class. Teacher presents materials to the students. Nowadays, more and more teachers spend time on research. Publication becomes the key to promotion, and research sometimes results in extra income from NSC, industry etc. Consequently, teachers spend less time on teaching preparation, teaching methods, and teacher-student communications.
For quite a long time, we have the rank of professor, associate professor and lecturer among faculty members. Recently we are adapting the U.S. system to add an assistant professor rank to our faculty members. This apparently will make promotion competition keener. How could teaching effects be counted as compared with their research effects is a problem to be faced. Sometime we come to wonder when can teachers spend more time on teaching.
Elective course offering is loosely or not at all regulated. Many teachers like to offer new courses. However to cancel a course is a tough job for the administrators. In many departments, teachers seem to emphasize too heavily on engineering sciences instead of engineering. Fundamental courses, such as freshmen physics, chemistry and calculus etc. need to be planned between engineering departments and related science departments, and need to be soundly taught.
STUDENTS
Engineering students used to take general courses, required courses and elective courses up to 160 credits or more in order to get a B.S. degree in engineering. Nowadays MOE starts to loosen their control over universities and lower the minimum credit requirements down to 128. But most engineering departments still require students to take 140-150 credit courses to graduate.
Chinese students usually are strong at analysis. They are good at using PC's. Laboratory training, system training, creative thinking, team work and English etc. are the kinds of training to be emphasized. As the society becomes affluent, many students become interested in business and administration. Some engineering students continue to study with zeal, while many just want to graduate with a degree.
A graduate student is required to take 24 credit courses and a thesis to get a master degree in engineering. The thesis training makes students welcomed by the industries, high technology industry in particular.
Improvements are generally needed in training doctor program students. And in many areas, it is already difficulty for Ph. D. students to find a feasible job.
CONCLUSIONS
In view of the many problems facing engineering education, NSC began to initiate an engineering educational integrated research program a few years ago
Research projects are sponsored with a hope to address some of the problems we are facing.
In the year 1994 and 1995, NSC and MOE cosponsored the International Conference on Engineering Education. ICEE-1997 in a way can be viewed as a continuation of those conferences. Table of contents of the two conferences are listed in the Appendix.
Last year MOE and NSC also cosponsored a two days engineering dean' s workshop, so that engineering deans, senior engineering professors and government officials could have a chance to discuss problems of their concern.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Financial support from NSC through NSC 86-2517-S-002-002 is highly appreciated.
REFERENCES
l. College Statistics in the Republic of China, MOE, 1995.
2. 1994 International Conference on Engineering Education, Yuan Ze Inst. Tech., May 25-27, 1994.
3. 1995 International Conference on Engineering Education, Engr. College, Tamkang Univ., May 18-20, 1995.
4. Planning on College Engineering Education, Div. Sci. Edu., NSC, 1996.1.
APPENDIX
ICEE 1994: TABLE OF CONTENTS
*INVITED PAPERS
l . Educating Engineers for the 21st Century: Required Paradigm Shift
Edward Lumsdaine, Michigan Technological University
2. Knowledge Creates Future-the adaptation of engineering education to the changes of the
socioeconomical environment
Wolfgang Massberg, Ruhr-University Bochum
3. Engineering Education in Taiwan, The Republic of China
Ke-Yang Li, National Cheng-Kung University
4. Productivity and Quality of Engineering Education
Juh-Wah Chen, southern Illinois University at Carbondale
5. A Feature and Recent Reform of Higher Education of Engineering in Japan
Akira Morikawa, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
6. Engineering Education Reform: Rationale and Characteristics
Win Aung, National Science Foundation in Washington, D. C.
7. SYNTHESIS: AND NSF Engineering Education Coalition
Pamela Eibeck, University of California at Berkeley
8. The Foundation Coalition and Curriculum Innovation at Texas A & M University
W. D. Turner, Texas A & M University
9. Teaching Teamwork in Engineering
Colin Pritchard, University of Edinburgh
10. The Educational Innovation Programme at the Polytechnic University of Valencia
D. Justo Nieto and Enrique Ballester, University Polytechnic de Valencia
11. Development of Engineering Education in the East of Germany
Gerard Duelen, Technical University Cottbus
12. The Educational Innovation Programme and the Teaching of Foreign Language
for Engineers at the Polytechnic University of Valencis
Ana Gimeno, Universidad Polytechnic de Valencia
13. A Professionally-Oriented Approach in Engineering Education at Nanyang
Technological University (Singapore)
Charng-Hing Chen, Nanyang Technological University
14. Engineering Education and Technology Transfer for Transitioning Hong Kong
Jay-Chung Chen, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
*CONTRIBUTED PAPERS
1. Co-Operative Engineering Education at Drexel University and in the United
States
F.K. Tsou, G. Hamme, and P. C. Chou
2. Adjustment of Civil Engineering in Education, Production, Government and
Research
Deh-Shiu Hsu
3. The Development of Mechanical Engineering Education in Republic of China
Je-Lou Meng, and Yea Jiun Wu.
4. Exploration of Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: a Preanalysis on the Match
of College-Level Mechanical Engineering Curriculum to Industries Needs
Dau-Chung Wang, Chin-Yi Chen, Wei-Ming Huang, and Tai-Yang Chiu
5. A Framework for Enhancing Industrial Engineering Education
Kai-I Huang, Wen-Hai chih, Chuar-Yuan Lin, and Chin-Yao Low
6. Technology Transfer and Human Resource Development
Jon-Chao Hong
7. Need Assessment of Manufacturing Industry in Taiwan on
Mechanical Engineering
Chin-Yi Chen, Dau-Chung Wang, Tai-Yang Chiu, and Wei-Ming Huang
8. The Design of a Computer-Assisted Instruction System for
Computer Organization
Yen-Yuan chiang, chienwen Wu, and Chung-Ping Chung
9. Fluid Power Education: Problems and Possible Solutions
Arthur Akers, Shir-Tau Tsai
10. A Fast Way to Understand a Computer Hardware
Chi-Jeng Chang
11. Integrated Mechanical Drawing and Computer-Aided Drawing
Curriculum for
Mechanical engineering Majors in Junior College
Fong-Mei Kang, Ruey-gwo chung, and Tay-Yuan Sheu
12. Mutual Compliance of Engineering Education and
Vocational-Technical Education
Yan-Dan Lin
ICEE 1995: TABLE OF CONTENTS
*INVITED PAPERS
l. The Mutual and Global Responsibility of Industry and Universities
for Fundamental Engineering Research
W. R. Schowalter, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2. A Great Challenge to Engineering Educators in a
Rapidly-Changing World
Chi H. Chen, Tamkang University
3. Some Engineering Education Reforms Currently Under Way in the United States of
America
Edward Lumsdaine, Michigan Technological University
4. Review System and Process for Engineering Education Reform
Win Aung, National Science Foundation
5. Accreditation of Engineering Academic Programs in the United
States
Ching-Jen Chen, Florida A & M University/Florida State University
6. The Engineering Education in Germany-The Actual Situation and
the Impact of New Technologies
Peter Scharf, University of Siegen
7. The Concept and Process of New Curriculum Design in Tokyo
Institute of Technology
Nobuyasu Mizutani, Tokyo Institute of Technology
8. Engineering Education in India - Recent Trends
Naresh C. Mathur, University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India
9. Mechanical Engineering Education at the University of Hong
Kong
Allen T. Chwang, The University of Hong Kong
10. Providing Quality Engineering Application
T. N. Goh, National University of Singapore
l l . Teching Engineering in the 21 st Century: An Example of a New
Aerospace Engineering
Curriculum
S. T. Wu and D. B. Landrum and J. Stensby, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
12. Integrating Engineering Design from the Beginning of the
Curriculum, The NSF Sponsored ECSEL Coalition Freshman Experience
Thomas M. Regan, University of Maryland
13. Incorprating Ethics in Engineering Education
Vivian Weil, Illinois Institute of Technology
14. Looking for an Optional Balance Between "Apprenticeship" and
Formal Education in
Advanced Engineering Education
Susumu Morito, Waseda University
*CONTRIBUTED PAPERS
l. Multi-disciplinary Engineering Courses for Computer Product
Design in Department
of Industrial Design
Fang-Lin Chao and Jieh-Chien Kou
2. An Integrated Curriculum Planning for the Department of
Industrial Management in an
Era of Information technology
Earl J. Wang, Tien-Sheng chang and Shyanglin Lee
3. The Strategy for Cultivating Engineering Technical Manpower by
Cooperation Between
the Industry and the Academic Circle
Chen-Jung Tie and Yan-Dar Lin
4. An Organized Strategy for Improving the Control Engineering
Education
Y. J. Huang
5. Systems Engineering Education in Aerospace
Der-Ming Ma
6. The Design and Implementation of the Improvement of Teaching
Material in YZIT
Y. J. Hung
7. Study of the Match Between Curriculums to Mechanical
Engineering Education and
Professional Techniques Needed by Mechanical Industries
W. S. Chang, C. C. Yang and Chia L. Chang
8. A Course Designing for Mechnatronic Education: The Integration
of Laser and Computer
Chi-Jeng Chang, Pol-Whui Yang and Shu-Tung Jane
9. Integrated Practical Program in Process Engineering
Wu-Hsun Cheng, Ruey-Chi Hsu, Sue-Jean Shao, Ting-Kuo Huang, Chia-Hwi Hsu and
Jiunn-Jye Wang
10. A Tutorial on the Aeronautical Mobile Satellite Services for the NII
Chen-Yam Lai
11. Innovation of a Computer Assisted Laboratory Course for Sophomores
Tse-Liang Yeh and Shih-Biau Jiang
12. Development of Computer Application Course for Freshmen
Jiunn-Chi Wu, Shu-Wei Wu and Han-Tung Chuang
13. PC-Based Engineering Circuit Education
Fun Ye
14. An Application of CAD System in Pneumatic & Hydraulic Engineering CAI System
Vincen Chen, Jean Wu, Jinchein Lin and Hong-Chang Chan
15. Electronic - Shops Virtual Classroom (EVC): The Model of Virtual Classroom in
Electronic Shops with Petri Nets
Chien-Yuan Dai-Chin Rau and Ching-Wen Chiou
16. A Computer Integration Manufacture System Designed for
Engineering Education
Purpose
Meng-Jiun Wu, Seng-Yuh Liou, Yuau-Tay Chen and Chao-Wei Chang
17. CAD Environment Setting for Architecture Design Studio
Naai-Jung Shih
18. Improvement of Mechanical Design Education -
Implementation of a Long Term
Make-something Education System
Guang-Jer Lai, Ming-Guo Her, Long-Jyi Yeh and Chao-Ming Wang
19. A Study on the Engineering Ethics Teaching in a Engineering
Discipline Using a
Penetrative Technique - Illustrated by on Mechanical Engineering Course
Jyh-tong Teng, Samuel H. S. Wang, Cheng-Hsing Hsu, Yuan Kang and Shyng-Her Lin
20. A Study of Educational Model Directed Toward Enhancing Student Designers
Capabilities in Professional Practice
Wen-Shion Chang, Feng-Huo and Ming-Mau Lai
21. A Hybtrid Teching Technique for a Group of Students with
Wide Spread
Comprehensibility
P. K. Yang and M. C. Liang
22. Curriculum Improvements on Mechanical Design Practice for
College Mechanical
Engineering Education
Jhy-Cherng Tsai and Reiyu Chein
23. Applying Strategic Management Approach to Program
Development
Grier C. I. Lin
24. Design and Enhancement of Industrial Engineering Core Courses in Quality
Management
Wen-Hai Chih
25. Course Design for Technology and Vocational Education in
the Field of Food
Engineering
Yuan-Kuang Guu and Shan-Da Liu
26. A Study in Engineering Education Evaluation - An Example
by CIPP Evaluation
Model
Tien-Tsou Chang and Ching-Puio Hsu
27. Experiencing Design - Mechanical Design Course in a Large-Class Setting
Yeh-Liang Hsu
28. A Study of Implementing the Principles of Humanity in the
Curricular Program of
Industrial Design Education
Chi-Chien Yang and Chin-Li Yeh