Improving Engineering Education in Developing Countries: A Study

Abstract

Multi-media case studies have been shown to improve higher-order cognitive skills and team working skills in classrooms in developed countries. In this study, we wanted to find out the impact of such case studies by conducting workshops with students and faculty members in India. This article describes two workshops conducted in India, analyzes two surveys that were completed by the participants of these workshops, and presents findings from the study. The results show that the multi-media case studies developed by LITEE were well accepted in India and were perceived to result in improvements in higher-order cognitive skills and team-working skills. The faculty and student teams performed similarly to how the U.S. teams perform irrespective of limitations in infrastructure conditions. These workshops show that the students and faculty members in India are willing to spend the extra effort needed to compensate for poor infrastructure in achieving educational outcomes. Once the infrastructure conditions improve in India, these students, particularly female students, will provide a strong competition to the U.S. students in retaining jobs and pursuing meaningful careers.