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Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.html

Getting to 2020: Guiding Strategies

Our goal to ensure effective engineering education should be pur-
sued within the context of a comprehensive examination of all relevant
aspects of the interrelated system of systems of engineering education,
engineering practice, the K-12 feeder system, and the global economic
system. Engineering education must be realigned to promote attain-
ment of the characteristics desired in practicing engineers, and this must
be done in the context of an increased emphasis on the research base
underlying conduct of engineering practice and engineering education.
This will require that action be taken by key stakeholders, particularly
engineering faculty and the engineering professional societies.

ENGAGE IN A COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT
Too many efforts at reform attempt to look at single elements of
complex interconnected systems. We believe that entire systems must
be considered, even if a narrower focus is ultimately taken. Thus, within
the context of professional engineering practice, one must consider a
system that includes at least the following elements:

• the application of engineering processes to define and solve
problems using scientific, technical, and professional knowl-
edge bases;

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