Advances in Engineering Education in the Middle East and North Africa Mahmoud Abdulwahed • Mazen O. Hasna Jeffrey E. Froyd Editors Advances in Engineering Education in the Middle East and North Africa Current Status, and Future Insights 1 3 Editors Mahmoud Abdulwahed Mazen O. Hasna Qatar University Qatar University Doha, Qatar Doha, Qatar Jeffrey E. Froyd Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA ISBN 978-3-319-15322-3 ISBN 978-3-319-15323-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-15323-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015954174 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword Academia: By Dr Sheikha Al-Misnad, President of Qatar University With am- bitious plans to transition to a knowledge-based economy, Qatar is witnessing tre- mendous growth in the industrial and information sectors. Strategically, the country has made significant investments in establishing a modern education system, draw- ing on international best practices while firmly rooted in local needs. The Qatar National Vision 2030 presents a model national vision that articulates the focus on building human capacity. With a national mandate to support and strengthen sci- ence, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, the focus on engineering is now stronger than ever. The College of Engineering at Qatar University has been one of the leading colleges in the region in terms of its investment in the engineering education cur- riculum, practice, and scholarship. The College of Engineering first attained Ac- creditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation in 2005 as a testament to its quality of teaching, research, and scholarly activity. Since then, there has been significant growth in engineering teaching and learning innovations, K–12 outreach projects, education research funding, and scholarly publications in the area of engineering education. This book is the college’s contribution to raising awareness in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) of the significance of engi- neering education. It stands as one of the very few available scholarly compilations of advances in engineering education in the MENA region, and Qatar University is tremendously proud of this seeding contribution. I want to thank the authors and editors of the book for their efforts. I am also grateful to Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) for supporting this milestone initiative, trusting this book makes a valuable addition to the advancement of engi- neering education in the MENA region and beyond. Industry: By Dr Mohammed Al-Mulla, Vice Chairman and Chief Execu- tive Officer, Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) The economy of Qatar as well as many other neighboring countries depends to a larger extent on engineering. Regional engineering colleges provide a main source of engineering graduates, and hence the quality and outcomes of engineering education in MENA engineering colleges are of significant importance to the MENA industrial sector. From an in- v vi Foreword dustrial perspective, engineering graduates are needed with both technical and soft skills. Competencies such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and project management are as important as sound knowledge in engineering and sciences fun- damentals. Furthermore, the industry sector urges engineering colleges to embed higher levels of experiential and industrially linked practices into the engineering curriculum. Industry increasingly demands for engineers with higher levels of in- ter- and multidisciplinary knowledge and experience; in particular, in the Middle East and North Africa, the latter assertion is of significant importance. As industry, we believe that a systematic innovation in engineering education driven by contex- tual needs, scholarly research, and highly linked with industrial stakeholders could drive the quality of engineering graduates to significantly higher levels. This book contribution is a significant initial step in sharing best practices and innovations in engineering education in the MENA region, and is an eye-opener on the emerging field of engineering education research in a region where it is not that popular. We are pleased in QAPCO to have collaborated with a national engineering college, the College of Engineering at Qatar University, to bring various regional innovations in engineering education into a scholarly book. We hope this could be a starting point where both industry and academia in the region work together on systematic and sustainable scholarship and research in engineering education for meeting contex- tual and global needs. Acknowledgments This work has been developed under a grant funded by Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO). vii List of International Reviewers The editors would like to acknowledge the efforts of the international experts re- viewers listed below who kindly peer-reviewed the contributed chapters in this book. Name Affiliation Country Ramzi Nasser Chief Reviewer, Qatar University Qatar Ali Elkamel University of Waterloo Canada Sandra Courter University of Wisconsin–Madison USA Demetrios G. Sampson University of Piraeus Greece John M. Long Deakin University Australia Brad Stappenbelt University of Wollongong Australia John W. Prados The University of Tennessee USA Clint Steele Swinburne University of Technology Australia Julia Williams Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology USA Brett Shelton Boise State University USA David Soldan Kansas State University USA John E. Mitchell University College London UK Mark B. Yeary University of Oklahoma USA Lahiru Silva University of Calgary Canada Denis Bédard L'Université de Sherbrooke Canada Michele Rosano Curtin University Australia Ahmed Samer Ezeldin The American University in Cairo Egypt Johannes Strobel Texas A&M University USA Shannon M. Chance Hampton University USA Edwin C. Jones Iowa State University USA Omar Al Zoubi Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar USA Linda Vanasupa California Polytechnic State University USA Thomas J. Joyce Newcastle University UK Corey Schimpf Purdue University USA Arto Vihavainen University of Helsinki Finland Kim Blackmore Australian National University Australia Ivica Boticki University of Zagreb Croatia ix x List of International Reviewers Name Affiliation Country Jonathan Hilpert Georgia Southern University USA Eugenio Pellicer Polytechnic University of Valencia Spain Ezequiel Scott The National University of the Center of the Argentina Buenos Aires Jørgen Erik Christensen Technical University of Denmark Denmark Michael Buckley University at Buffalo USA Gerald Burnham University of Texas at Dallas USA David Cropley University of South Australia Australia Niall Holmes Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland Leonhard Emil Bernold University of New South Wales Australia Kali P. Nepal Deakin University Australia K. W. Chau Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong Rick L. Homkes Purdue University USA Sivachandran Deakin University Australia Chandrasekaran Sally A. Male University of Western Australia Australia S. K. Ramesh California State University, Northridge USA Richard Burns West Chester University USA Keith Sheppard Stevens Institute of Technology USA S. Mohd Said University of Malaya Malaysia Rui M. Lima University of Minho Portugal James Trevelyan University of Western Australia Australia Kinda Khalaf Khalifa University of Science, Technology UAE and Research Matthew Scott Stanford United States Air Force Academy USA Patricia Brackin Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology USA Lars G. Hanson Technical University of Denmark Denmark Aleksandra University of Novi Sad Serbia Klašnja-Milicevica Mahmoud El-Halwagi Texas A&M University USA Contents Part I Background, Editorship, and Global Perspectives 1 Purpose of the Book and Editorial Perspectives ������������������������������������� 3 Mahmoud Abdulwahed, Mazen O. Hasna and Jeffrey E. Froyd 1.1 Purpose of the Book ............................................................................ 3 1.2 Perspectives on Engineering Education in the Middle East ���������������� 4 1.3 Perspectives on Engineering Education in North America ����������������� 6 References ���������������������������������������������������................................................. 8 2 Developments in Engineering Education and Engineering