Standardization as emerging content in technology education at all levels of education

Abstract

Integration of standardization into different levels of technology education has surfaced as a critical issue for educational practitioners and policy makers at national and regional (APEC, EU) level. In this paper, we describe and analyze empirical data collected from 118 educational experiences and practices about technology standards and standardization in 21 countries of a regional variety. Specifically, this research examines standardization education programs these countries have implemented, and explores suggestive indications for the design and development of an educational policy for standardization. Online surveys, offline interviews, face-to-face meetings and case studies have been used to determine the way these standardization education programs are segmented and implemented in different contexts. The findings are consolidated into a framework for standardization education. The framework presents an applicable combination of target groups (who), appropriate learning objectives (why), probable program operators (where), prospective contents modules (what), and preferred teaching methods (how). This framework may contribute to planning and implementing more inclusive standardization education programs.

Developing software and systems engineering standards

“…In Indonesia, for instance, the number of universities cooperating with the Indonesian national standards body BSN to address standardization has increased from none in 2007 to 23 in 2010. South Korea is at the forefront of implementing standardization education in academic curricula and does more than Europe as a whole [28]. Standardization education is emerging in other Asian countries as well, both at the academic level and at lower levels including secondary and even elementary schools.…”

Structured Inquiry and Standardization

“…Through these teaching methods, students further deepen their understanding of the topics and themes presented during the regular sessions. This course covers two elements of the six generic modules presented by Choi and De Vries [1]; module 3 and module 4.…”

“…In the third session, students play the simulation game "setting standards" which allows students to take part in a formal standardization process. This course covers five of the six generic modules presented by Choi and De Vries [1]. The first session can best be classified under modules 1 and 2, the second session relates to modules 3 and 4, and the third session to module 5.…”

“…Over the last decade, standardization education programs have increased considerably worldwide. This is evident by the many programs and courses that have been developed at all levels of education [1], especially in countries such as Japan South Korea, China and Indonesia [2]- [4]. In Europe, many universities address standardization as a research topic and teach it in their curricula, for example, in the Netherlands, France, and Germany [5].…”

“…The case study is used to "illustrate" a topic "in a descriptive mode" [7]. We provide information about course objectives, format, organization, and grading, and we analyse to what extent each course covers the generic modules of standardization education [1] (see Table I). Student evaluations are provided where possible.…”