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Session 2547

The Future Trend of the Electronics Engineering Technology Programs Over The Next Decade Lakshmi V. Munukutla and Albert L. McHenry College of Technology and Applied Sciences Arizona State University Mesa, Arizona

Abstract:

Presently, the dynamic nature of the electronic industry is posing challenges to electronics engineering technology (EET) programs to keep pace with the explosive and disruptive changes in the electronics field. The urgency to establish new directions for ET education becomes more critical each day as industry and society processes become more mediated by electronics devices and systems. During the past century electronics has evolved from the basic methodology of electrical signal modification, transmission, and re-conversion for useful human sensory perception to a mediating technology that is at the core of most human activity. The fuzzy disciplinary boundaries, the ubiquitous and covert nature of electronics technology’s influence on human processes create great difficulty for EET educators in identifying the future directions of the program of study. Today, these boundaries are dissolving rapidly and therefore confusion is rampant in the ability of educators to layout sustainable EET curriculum directions that confidently address the future workforce needs of industry and society. The focus of this paper is to illustrate the whole process of road mapping to create new program focus areas in the field of electronics and closely related fields that yield employment to our graduates into the new emerging technological disciplines.

Introduction:

To build a successful technology enterprise, it is vital to have a knowledge based workforce with skills in science and engineering (S&E). In addition, having knowledge based workers with appropriate skills also enhances the nation’s health, security, and prosperity. According to the US Bureau of Labor, the portion of the U.S. labor force with S&E skills is growing closer to 5 percent per year compared to 1 percent growth in the rest of the labor force.1 At the same time that global competition for the S&E workers is increasing, other countries are making larger investments in S&E education and workforce than is the United States. “The United States has always depended upon the inventiveness of its people in order to compete in the world marketplace. Now, preparation of the S&E workforce is a vital arena for national competitiveness.”1

The second aspect that contributes towards this road map effort is that technology is everywhere; we use it everyday and probably never stop to think about how different our lives would be without it. Managing rapid and complex technological-driven change is in itself a daunting challenge. It is now swiftly becoming a disruptive force on today’s “Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright @ 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Munukutla, L. (2005, June), The Future Trend Of The Electronics Engineering Technology Programs Over The Next Decade Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15488