Industry 4.0 and engineering education: An analysis of nine technological pillars inclusion in higher educational curriculum

Abstract

With the introduction of Industry 4.0, it is necessary to make an analysis from the curriculum perspective and to evaluate how to satisfy the new technological requirements that emerge from this revolution. This work shows an analysis from four universities about their curriculum and the relation with the nine technological pillars of the Industry 4.0; this universities were selected from the most important in the Nuevo Leon State and from the premise that it is very important to Mexico from the industrial perspective. The results show that engineering curriculum have subjects that contribute directly to the pillars of Industry 4.0; but some are missed or not entirely defined, such as: Big data, Cloud, Augmented Virtual Reality, Internet of Things and Additive Manufacturing. As an important conclusion, it is required to establish regulations in Mexico that encourage the actualizations and modifications of educational programs in higher education institutions to meet the new technological knowledge required by the industry in this new digital age.