Preparing Future Semiconductor Talent in the Global Context:  A Comparative Study of the Semiconductor Engineering Curriculum in the US and Taiwan

YiXiang Shawn Sun; Qin Zhu; Jennifer M. Case

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Curricular Innovations for Future-Ready Engineering Talents
Tagged Division: Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47866

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Paper Authors

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YiXiang Shawn Sun Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University orcid.org/0000-0001-8724-7716

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Shawn Sun is an Engineering Education PhD student at Virginia Tech. He is also an affiliate Non-resident Fellow (Quantum technologies and AI focused) at Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET, Taiwan). His research interests include Emerging technologies-informed engineering education, Engineering ethics, Global engineering education, and Engineering policy analysis. Overall, he aims to situate his research on emerging technologies within the present-day educational context, with Taiwan as a starting point and a comparative approach as a guiding methodology.

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Qin Zhu Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University orcid.org/0000-0002-6673-1901

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Dr. Zhu is Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Science, Technology & Society and the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. Dr. Zhu is also an Affiliate Researcher at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Zhu is Editor for International Perspectives at the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science, Associate Editor for Engineering Studies, and Executive Committee Member of the International Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum. Dr. Zhu's research interests include global and international engineering education, engineering ethics, engineering cultures, and ethics and policy of computing technologies and robotics.

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Jennifer M. Case Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Jennifer Case is Head and Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She holds an honorary position at the University of Cape Town. Her research on the student experience of learning, focusing mainly on science and engineerin

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Abstract

Due to the exponential surge in global chip demand and the strategic initiatives to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States as those demonstrated in the CHIPS and Science Act, the industry is facing a severe talent shortage. Consulting companies such as Deloitte have also estimated that by 2030, more than one million additional skilled workers will be needed to meet the global demand (Deloitte, 2023). Higher education has been assuming a pivotal role in the cultivation of STEM workforce including future engineers with semiconductor expertise. Federal funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), and leading research universities, have taken the initiative to create educational and training programs designed to accelerate the development of a skilled workforce for the future of semiconductor engineering. To better design and evaluate these semiconductor engineering programs, it is essential to conduct research on the curriculum structure of these programs, including: (1) whether the curricula effectively impart the competencies demanded by the global industry; and (2) the impacts of these programs on the professional identity of future semiconductor engineers. We argue that the United States and Taiwan present two unique cases in addressing this global talent shortage. The former has recently begun its domestic chip manufacturing endeavors, whereas the latter has long held a critical position in global chip production. The collaboration between the two has recently started and will become instrumental for maintaining the United States' leadership in critical emerging technology domains, especially artificial intelligence. Both have undergone a recent revamp of curricula among some universities, introducing a range of specialized degree programs in semiconductor engineering education at various levels, including undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and undergraduate research opportunities. Therefore, in this paper we will conduct a comparative study of the semiconductor engineering curriculum in the United States and Taiwan. More specifically, we choose the Chips-Scale Integration major at Virginia Tech and the Semiconductor Engineering degree program at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) for our comparative analysis. Two research questions are explored: (1) What are the distinct program design features and educational objectives in the two programs? (2) How do the approaches to semiconductor education in the two programs as a professionalization process differ in defining and developing competencies required for semiconductor expertise? To answer the questions, this paper employs a four-stage comparison model proposed by Bereday (1964): description, juxtaposition, analysis, and interpretation. Our methodological approaches are also informed by Tang et al. (2023)’s framework for comparative education research especially the “interpretive approach,” with the major goal to understand the prevailing global trends in semiconductor engineering education in the U.S. and Taiwan within the context of social and cultural influences. Data collection and analysis include an in-depth examination of curriculum and course structures and requirements, pathways, program objectives and alignments, and faculty profiles in the two selected programs. In the study, we view semiconductor curricula as a means of cultivating chip competency, professionalization of students entering the semiconductor industry, and a key part of the institutionalizing and boundary-making process that establishes semiconductor expertise. Accordingly, this exploratory study hopes to provide a broad mapping of different semiconductor educational models in the global context. The findings of this study have the potential to provide insights and guidance to both educators and policymakers, contributing to the ongoing discourse about preparing the future of the semiconductor workforce.

Citation
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Sun, Y. S., & Zhu, Q., & Case, J. M. (2024, June), Preparing Future Semiconductor Talent in the Global Context: A Comparative Study of the Semiconductor Engineering Curriculum in the US and Taiwan Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47866

TY - CPAPER
AB - Due to the exponential surge in global chip demand and the strategic initiatives to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States as those demonstrated in the CHIPS and Science Act, the industry is facing a severe talent shortage. Consulting companies such as Deloitte have also estimated that by 2030, more than one million additional skilled workers will be needed to meet the global demand (Deloitte, 2023). Higher education has been assuming a pivotal role in the cultivation of STEM workforce including future engineers with semiconductor expertise. Federal funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), and leading research universities, have taken the initiative to create educational and training programs designed to accelerate the development of a skilled workforce for the future of semiconductor engineering. To better design and evaluate these semiconductor engineering programs, it is essential to conduct research on the curriculum structure of these programs, including: (1) whether the curricula effectively impart the competencies demanded by the global industry; and (2) the impacts of these programs on the professional identity of future semiconductor engineers.
We argue that the United States and Taiwan present two unique cases in addressing this global talent shortage. The former has recently begun its domestic chip manufacturing endeavors, whereas the latter has long held a critical position in global chip production. The collaboration between the two has recently started and will become instrumental for maintaining the United States&#39; leadership in critical emerging technology domains, especially artificial intelligence. Both have undergone a recent revamp of curricula among some universities, introducing a range of specialized degree programs in semiconductor engineering education at various levels, including undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and undergraduate research opportunities.
Therefore, in this paper we will conduct a comparative study of the semiconductor engineering curriculum in the United States and Taiwan. More specifically, we choose the Chips-Scale Integration major at Virginia Tech and the Semiconductor Engineering degree program at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) for our comparative analysis. Two research questions are explored: (1) What are the distinct program design features and educational objectives in the two programs? (2) How do the approaches to semiconductor education in the two programs as a professionalization process differ in defining and developing competencies required for semiconductor expertise? To answer the questions, this paper employs a four-stage comparison model proposed by Bereday (1964): description, juxtaposition, analysis, and interpretation. Our methodological approaches are also informed by Tang et al. (2023)’s framework for comparative education research especially the “interpretive approach,” with the major goal to understand the prevailing global trends in semiconductor engineering education in the U.S. and Taiwan within the context of social and cultural influences. Data collection and analysis include an in-depth examination of curriculum and course structures and requirements, pathways, program objectives and alignments, and faculty profiles in the two selected programs. In the study, we view semiconductor curricula as a means of cultivating chip competency, professionalization of students entering the semiconductor industry, and a key part of the institutionalizing and boundary-making process that establishes semiconductor expertise. Accordingly, this exploratory study hopes to provide a broad mapping of different semiconductor educational models in the global context. The findings of this study have the potential to provide insights and guidance to both educators and policymakers, contributing to the ongoing discourse about preparing the future of the semiconductor workforce.
AU - YiXiang Shawn Sun
AU - Qin Zhu
AU - Jennifer M. Case
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Preparing Future Semiconductor Talent in the Global Context: A Comparative Study of the Semiconductor Engineering Curriculum in the US and Taiwan
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47866
ER -