Engineering the Future at the 23rd „Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education“ (ACIEE)
For the first time, this years’ conference took place in a purely virtual form. From October 21 to 23, the three-day schedule featured a comprehensive selection of educational programs as well as dynamic keynotes that provided food for thought. UAS7 was represented in a workshop themed "Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Engineering Futures B" by Svea Petersen of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
In addition, there were workshops, poster sessions and opportunities for active engagement and networking in real time. As a counterpart to a stressful program, guided Mindfulness Breaks were incorporated into the ACIEE agenda.
UAS7 at the Workshop "Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Engineering Futures B"
UAS7 was represented in a workshop on "Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Engineering Futures B". This exchange was led by three speakers from very different backgrounds. Christian Pongratz (Senior Advisor to the New York Institute of Technology) talked about Design Thinking and the skills gap, Mandy Bratton (Executive Director, Center for Global Sustainable Development; University of California, San Diego) followed up with examples for adaptive skills - skills, which allow us to adapt to an ever changing work environment.
Finally, Svea Petersen (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences) concluded with a presentation of a dual study program from her university. She pointed out the advantages of the German model of work-integrated study programs when it comes to preparing students for the workforce. The three panelists did a great job, and provided very interesting insights. In the end, they were met with several questions about the previously presented topics, which led to an exciting discussion.
Impressions after the conference
After the workshop, we talked to Svea Petersen about her impressions:
"The workshop covered the skills gap, i.e. the gap between the skills companies expect graduates to have and those they really have when graduating. We also discussed approaches to bridge that gap. I myself presented our dual study program in Polymer Engineering. After a presentation phase of about 40 minutes there was a small discussion round on the whiteboard. This was an interesting format and, in my opinion, encouraged the audience to participate in the discussion more actively.” (Svea Petersen, UAS Osnabrück).
We also asked Svea whether she liked the ACIEE and why she participated:
"One afternoon I received a call from Claus Lange, asking me to support the symposium. I gladly accepted. It was my first time at the ACIEE. I was very impressed by how smoothly everything ran and how great the technical support was."
Last but not least, we wanted to know about Svea's major take-away from her workshop and the ACIEE:
"In addition to the professional exchange, I'm especially impressed by how smoothly a workshop can run, although given by people who had not previously known each other or spent hours planning. Even across the ocean, I felt like I was in good hands."
We would like to thank the University of Rhode Island for hosting the 23rd Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education (ACIEE) and giving UAS7 the opportunity to contribute to a workshop. Many thanks to all speakers for their participation in the workshop.