Is it possible to adapt CDIO for distance and online education?

Résumé En

The CDIO approach to engineering education has become a hot topic in curriculum design in recent years. It is championed as "an innovative educational framework for producing the next generation of engineers". The CDIO framework recognizes that engineering education and real-world demands on engineers have drifted apart in the 2000's and the framework endeavours to close this gap. Among its standards, the basis of the CDIO syllabus standard 2, which can really be adapted to any organization or higher educational institution, stresses the development of engineering fundamentals set in the lifecycle of projects. However, it appears that most of the institutions that have successfully implemented CDIO to date are generally traditional with the standard cohort of on-campus students, working in standard facilities using most often face-to-face teaching practices. As the search for new education markets intensifies, many institutions are now starting to venture into the area of online and distance education. This mode of delivery places very different demands on both students and academics, and it also has further consequences for curriculum and assessment design. In addition, distance, part time and online educational modes present greater opportunities for a more diverse student cohort to undertake tertiary education. This additional student diversity must also be factored into curriculum design as this new cohort of studentswill bring significant diversity to the ‘virtual' classroom. This can be successfully harnessed and used constructively within the curriculum with good curriculum design. This paper investigates opportunities and barriers to implementing the CDIO framework for distance and online education providers.