Of late, there is a growing need for quality engineers who have the ability to solve complex engineering problems with reasonable knowledge of ethics and economics. This has led many universities to pursue accreditation by professional engineering bodies. While the accreditation process installs a standardized system of quality teaching, it is important that the engineering entrants have a degree of understanding that allows implementation of quality teaching methods. This study looks at the performance of first year engineering students in a bid to identify major issues that students face in a Bachelor of Engineering program. The learning of students in the School of Engineering and Physics at the University of the South Pacific is influenced by interactions of at least 12 different cultures from the 12 member countries of the university. The study looks at how students perform across cultures in the first year mechanical engineering courses, mainly engineering mechanics and engineering graphics & design. The general trend over the last five years shows that while the student numbers in the program have been increasing, student performance in one course seems to be improving but declining in the other; the two courses differ considerable in contents, required skill sets, and assessment methodologies. The study also presents possible reasons for the varied performance by considering issues such as cultural and academic backgrounds, use of teaching tools and resources, and revisions to the course and program and looks at how multi-cultural engineering education can be improved. The number of female students taking up engineering as their major is also looked at and positive trends are seen with female participation increasing from 7.6% in 2008 to 13.9% in 2013.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2013 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
November 15–21, 2013
San Diego, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- ASME
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5627-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
A Regional University Perspective on Engineering Education of Multi-Cultural Freshman Students From South Pacific Countries
Krishnil R. Ram,
Krishnil R. Ram
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Search for other works by this author on:
Roneel V. Sharan,
Roneel V. Sharan
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Search for other works by this author on:
Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Search for other works by this author on:
Krishnil R. Ram
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Roneel V. Sharan
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Paper No:
IMECE2013-66589, V005T05A032; 6 pages
Published Online:
April 2, 2014
Citation
Ram, KR, Sharan, RV, & Ahmed, MR. "A Regional University Perspective on Engineering Education of Multi-Cultural Freshman Students From South Pacific Countries." Proceedings of the ASME 2013 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Volume 5: Education and Globalization. San Diego, California, USA. November 15–21, 2013. V005T05A032. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2013-66589
Download citation file:
13
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Articulating a Learning Objective
J. Mech. Des (July,2007)
Results of an Industry/University Survey of Machine Systems Design Education
J. Mech. Des (October,1981)
To MOOC, or Not to MOOC, That is the Question
Mechanical Engineering (September,2015)
Related Chapters
The future state of content & competency-based engineering education: Lean Engineering Education
Lean Engineering Education: Driving Content and Competency Mastery
Development of Electronic Learning Industrial Environment (eLIN) System for Requirement Engineering Education
International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, 3rd (ICCTD 2011)
Coordinating College-Wide Instructional Change through Faculty Communities
Advances in Multidisciplinary Engineering