Quality issues in undergraduate engineering education

The quality of undergraduate engineering education is at the center of the discussion on global competitiveness and innovation. Engineering schools in the United States are being compelled to evaluate the quality of their “products”, and to redesign them to meet or exceed the expectations of their constituents. Any effort aimed at redesigning an engineering curriculum must begin with an understanding of the gap that exists between the present and desired input into the educational process. This gap is manifested in the form of the following key components: i) The Curriculum, ii) Teaching Quality, iii) Faculty Quality, iv) Support Services, v) Advising Quality, vi) Accreditation Standards, and vii) Undergraduate Faculty. The gap between the present and desired input is largely responsible for a second gap between the present and desired output. The concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) can be of great benefit to reform-minded engineering schools. This paper seeks to establish congruency between the needs of engineering schools and the ultimate goals of TQM. If engineering schools are to fulfil their academic and professional objectives, they must pay attention to the needs of their constituents, particularly the students, employers of its graduates, and the faculty.