Engineering education

Electrical Apparatus, Mar 2006 by Hoff, Joseph

Semiconductor group seeks to retain students

As concern about the inadequate supply of qualified electrical engineering graduates for the industry's workforce demands in the future continues to swell, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has determined that the most effective way to increase the quality and supply of graduating electrical engineers is to increase the retention rate of students already enrolled in the electrical engineering major.

After discussions with a number of institutions, SIA has concluded that it is feasible to increase the success and retention of students in years one and two by providing them with focused support systems. These support systems can take many forms, including: mentors, study partners, study teams, resource rooms, faculty partners, and precollege camps.

In other news at SIA: In November 2004, SIA and the Semiconductor Research Corp. announced their co-sponsorship of the SoC Design Challenge, a contest open to North American university students and faculty to create novel, lower-power system-onchip (SoC) designs that demonstrate the value of great systems integration in integrated circuit design. Total prizes amounting to $75,000 will be awarded to winning submissions.

Finalists will have an opportunity to have MOSIS fabricate their designs by an advanced 180-nanometer complementary metaloxide semiconductor technology. Major partner companies providing funding for the fabrication phase of the challenge include: AMD, AMI, Analog Devices, Cadence, Freescale, IBM, Intel, National Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments.

Who needs an MBA?

How does the quality of online degree programs stack up against traditional degree programs? Does an engineer really need an MBA? A panel of experts discussed these and other topics at a live Web seminar called the Career Accelerator Forum, hosted by IEEE Spectrum magazine in September.

As part of the conference, Carol Ann "Cam" Moore, director of academic programs including online courses at Stanford University's Center for Professional Development in California, discussed whether an online degree is as good as one obtained inside a classroom. She notes that many years of research have shown that there are no significant differences in educational achievement whether the instruction occurs online or face-to-face in the classroom.

But Moore warns that prospective students should be just as discriminating when choosing an online program as they would be when choosing a traditional degree program. Criteria should include whether the online school is accredited, the quality of its curriculum and instructors, and whether it offers good academic and technical support.

Elsewhere at IEEE: Thomson NETg, a global provider of knowledge-on-demand, has signed an agreement to partner with IEEE. As a partner in the EEEE Education Partners Program, IEEE members have access to an additional 4,000 courses at a 10% discount. Thomson NETg offers courses on Information Technology & Desktop, Business & Professional Development, and Compliance, as well as Technical and Professional Certification. In addition to English, some courses are available in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish. IEEE members will have access to regional learning consultants who can help with proper course/program selection.

MIT weighs in on MBA

Patrick Hale, director of the System Design Management Fellows Program for Mid-Career Professionals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Mass., a program that is offered jointly by engineering and business schools, responded to the often-asked question "Do you really need an MBA?" His answer: It depends on your career objectives. "If you want to be in general management or finance," says Hale, "that's clearly something that would point you in the direction of the MBA." He reminds prospective students, however, that one size doesn't fit all. "Since [the MBA] is a generalized degree, you must tailor your experience to what your future employer may want." That can demand considerable thought.

Education notes

Ethics. According to an article by Willie D. Jones in IEEE's The institute, IEEE is assisting students in their understanding of ethical duties as professionals. Last January, the institute introduced the ethics competition developed by the EMCC, providing students with the experience in applying these concepts to situations that might arise in the workplace. The competition requires twoor three-person teams to apply ethical concepts to a case study that focuses on any of several issues: public safety and welfare, conflict of interest, ethical dilemmas related to research, or faculty engineering practice.

Washington Internships for Students of Engineering. The Washington Internships for Students of Engineering, founded in 1980 through the collaborative efforts of several professional engineering societies, has become one of the premier Washington internship programs. The objective is to assist future leaders in the engineering profession to prepare for the critical convergence of technology and public policy. (The Class of 2005 is shown below.)