CDIO Syllabus

The CDIO Syllabus v2.0
An Updated Statement of Goals for Engineering Education

Modern engineering education programs seek to impart to the students a broad base of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become successful young engineers. This array of abilities is represented in the CDIO Syllabus, an attempt to create a rational, complete, consistent, and generalizable set of goals for undergraduate engineering education.

This paper examines the content and structure of the Syllabus, as well as the roles played by the Syllabus in the design and operation of educational programs. The paper begins by examining the content and structure of the Syllabus, and then contrasts the Syllabus with other important taxonomies of educational outcomes. The CDIO Syllabus is first compared with the UNESCO Four Pillars of Learning, with which if is aligned at a high level. The Syllabus is then compared with national accreditation and evaluation standards of several nations. The finding is that the CDIO Syllabus is consistent and more detailed and comprehensive than any of the individual standards.

Based on these comparisons, as well as other input received over the last decade since the Syllabus was originally written in 2001, a revised and updated Syllabus is presented, in part to add missing skills and in part to clarify nomenclature and make the Syllabus more explicit and more consistent with national standards. The result is called the CDIO Syllabus version 2.0.

The CDIO Syllabus v1.0

We additionally offer the original (v1.0) CDIO Syllabus.

1. TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING

1.1.   KNOWLEDGE OF UNDERLYING SCIENCES
1.2.   CORE ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE
1.3.   ADVANCED ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

2. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

2.1. ENGINEERING REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

2.1.1. Problem Identification and Formulation
2.1.2. Modeling
2.1.3. Estimation and Qualitative Analysis
2.1.4. Analysis With Uncertainty
2.1.5. Solution and Recommendation

2.2. EXPERIMENTATION AND KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY

2.2.1. Hypothesis Formulation
2.2.2. Survey of Print and Electronic Literature
2.2.3. Experimental Inquiry
2.2.4. Hypothesis Test, and Defense

2.3. SYSTEM THINKING

2.3.1. Thinking Holistically
2.3.2. Emergence and Interactions in Systems
2.3.3. Prioritization and Focus
2.3.4. Tradeoffs, Judgment and Balance in Resolution

2.4. PERSONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

2.4.1. Initiative and Willingness to Take Risks
2.4.2. Perseverance and Flexibility
2.4.3. Creative Thinking
2.4.4. Critical Thinking
2.4.5. Awareness of One’s Personal Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes
2.4.6. Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
2.4.7. Time and Resource Management

2.5. PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

2.5.1. Professional Ethics, Integrity, Responsibility and Accountability
2.5.2. Professional Behavior
2.5.3. Proactively Planning for One’s Career
2.5.4. Staying Current on World of Engineer

3. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICATION

3.1. TEAMWORK

3.1.1. Forming Effective Teams
3.1.2. Team Operation
3.1.3. Team Growth and Evolution
3.1.4. Leadership
3.1.5. Technical Teaming

3.2. COMMUNICATION

3.2.1. Communication Strategy
3.2.2. Communication Structure
3.2.3. Written Communication
3.2.4. Electronic/Multimedia Communication
3.2.5. Graphical Communication
3.2.6. Oral Presentation and Interpersonal Communication

3.3. COMMUNICATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

3.3.1. English
3.3.2. Languages of Regional Industrial Nations
3.3.3. Other Languages

4. CONCEIVING, DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING AND OPERATING SYSTEMS IN THE ENTERPRISE AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT

4.1. EXTERNAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT

4.1.1. Roles and Responsibility of Engineers
4.1.2. The Impact of Engineering on Society
4.1.3. Society’s Regulation of Engineering
4.1.4. The Historical and Cultural Context
4.1.5. Contemporary Issues and Values
4.1.6. Developing a Global Perspective

4.2. ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS CONTEXT

4.2.1. Appreciating Different Enterprise Cultures
4.2.2. Enterprise Strategy, Goals and Planning
4.2.3. Technical Entrepreneurship
4.2.4. Working Successfully in Organizations

4.3. CONCEIVING AND ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

4.3.1. Setting System Goals and Requirements
4.3.2. Defining Function, Concept and Architecture
4.3.3. Modeling of System and Ensuring Goals Can Be Met
4.3.4. Development Project Management

4.4. DESIGNING

4.4.1. The Design Process
4.4.2. The Design Process Phasing and Approaches
4.4.3. Utilization of Knowledge in Design
4.4.4. Disciplinary Design
4.4.5. Multidisciplinary Design
4.4.6. Multi-objective Design

4.5. IMPLEMENTING

4.5.1. Designing the Implementation Process
4.5.2. Hardware Manufacturing Process
4.5.3. Software Implementing Process
4.5.4. Hardware Software Integration
4.5.5. Test, Verification, Validation and Certification
4.5.6. Implementation Management

4.6. OPERATING

4.6.1. Designing and Optimizing Operations
4.6.2. Training and Operations
4.6.3. Supporting the System Lifecycle
4.6.4. System Improvement and Evolution
4.6.5. Disposal and Life-End Issues
4.6.6. Operations Management