Computational expertise in engineering: Aligning workforce computing needs with computer science concepts

Abstract

The 20th century ended with a multitude of engineering accomplishments that influenced and changed every aspect of human life. Globalization, international competition, an increasingly diverse population, and a rapid growth in computational capabilities and infrastructure are some of the challenges that will test the boundaries of engineering ingenuity in the 21st century. The Collaborative Process to Align Computing Education with Engineering Workforce Needs (CPACE) project team developed a collaborative process to identify the computational skills that are essential for a vital 21st century engineering workforce1, 2. Our objective is to revise the undergraduate engineering curricula to infuse computational problem-solving competencies- across engineering departmental courses. These competencies are aligned with industry needs and enable students to integrate conceptual knowledge, technical skills and professional practice. In this paper we describe the process that we used to translate our findings-computational competencies/needs in the engineering workplace-into fundamental computer science (CS) concepts that can be used in curricular implementation. We also discuss the initial phase of our curricular implementation strategy in two disciplinary engineering programs at Michigan State University (MSU) and transfer program at Lansing Community College (LCC). © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.