Re-engineering the Electrical Engineering education for an innovative diploma curriculum at Universiti Teknologi MARA

Abstract

The revolution looks to ensue after the ICT revolution will be the knowledge revolution, as such human capital development becomes ever more important. Recently, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of University Teknologi MARA has been revising its Diploma curriculum to realign with the effort of the Malaysian government to standardize the total credit hours and regulate the composition of Humanity-Skill-Theory learning. The revised curriculum is built upon past experience, peer comparison, feedback from users and recipients, and literature on future of Electrical Engineering education. It synergizes disciplines in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Language, Entrepreneurship and Religion/Humanity Science. Curricular innovation are featured by seven key elements - modular program structure, continuity in education, commitment to experiential learning, integration of technology and education, integration of research and education, a compromise of general and specialized education, and disciplinary diversity. This paper addresses the research, design and implementation of these seven elements to bring curricular innovation and improvement. The consequence is a curriculum that optimizes the compromise between the accelerating rate of change in technology innovation and the realistic rate of change of curricular content and scope, and challenges the delivery of engineers with the attributes of adaptability, flexibility and autonomous capability to learn.