A Survey of CDIO Implementation Globally - Effects on Educational Quality

Paper in proceeding, 2015

The CDIO approach to engineering education was introduced in the early 2000’s. Some universities have gained considerable long-term experience in applying the approach, and consequently it seems timely to summarize and evaluate those experiences. This paper thus reports the results of a survey distributed to all members of the CDIO Initiative in October 2014. The aims of the survey were to: • Map out where and in what programs/disciplines CDIO is currently applied • Evaluate the effects on outcomes, the perceived benefits, the limitations, any barriers to implementation, and ascertain future development needs Forty-seven universities from twenty-two countries participated in the survey. The main findings from the survey include the following: • The most common engineering disciplines in which CDIO is implemented are Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering. However, many CDIO schools have also implemented CDIO in Industrial, Civil and Chemical Engineering. • The main motives for choosing to adapt CDIO are; ambitions to make engineering education more authentic; the need for a systematic methodology for educational design; and the desire to include more design and innovation in curricula. • Most CDIO implementations successfully achieve both goals for learning and for external recognition of educational quality.