GLOBAL ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE: THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT1

As the world rapidly transitions to one that is globally and culturally integrated and driven by accelerating technological advancements, there is a growing international concern about the worldwide capacity of engineering programs to produce a well-prepared engineering workforce. Many in the global engineering community are again calling for major reform of engineering education. This time, however, a more transformational and sustainable approach is appearing in the form of engineering educational research and development. Because the vitality of any field depends on the vigor of its community of scholars and practitioners and their dedication to the advancement of knowledge through research and development, assuring sustained global engineering excellence depends critically on building the global capacity for scholarly research and development in engineering education.