Khalifa University Organizes a Major International Engineering Education Conference

Under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Hussain I. Al Hammadi Minister of Education for the UAE Khalifa University in cooperation with the Etisalat BT Innovation Center (EBTIC) will host an international engineering education conference from April 10-13 at the Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Global Engineering Education Conference (IEEE EDUCON) is a major international conference that focuses on innovating education for students in engineering and the sciences speakers and participants will attend from around the world. The event sees the participation of experts in engineering education and researchers from 40 countries with over 190 papers submitted to the conference.

One of the major focuses on the conference will be the use of technology to improve teaching methods. Dr. Hend Al Khalifa from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia will present a paper on the use of mobile app technology and a summer workshop in order to interest high school females in the world of computer programming. On a similar note Dr. Hassan Al-Muhairi from Khalifa University will discuss ways to improve the teaching of Computer Science in UAE secondary schools through the use of up to date technologies and teaching methods.

In addition the teaching of entrepreneurship and other ‘soft skills’ such as business finance social skills etc. as a method of improving engineering education will be discussed. Particularly Dr. Hisham Alnajjar from the University of Hartford in the USA will explore the impact of ‘soft skills’ courses on students studying the sciences.

Keynote speakers for the event include Dr. Vincent P. Manno Provost and Dean of Faculty for F.W. Olin College of Engineering in Boston USA. Dr. Manno will deliver a speech entitled: “Rethinking Foundational Engineering Education – It Is More Than the Curriculum.” Dr. Tod Laursen President of Khalifa University and Dr. Christian M. Stracke Associate Professor at the Open University of The Netherlands who will speak about “Open Learning for Smart Education: Open educational policies strategies and access for all.”

“This conference will address engineering education from an innovative standpoint and aim to encourage and create new best practices that can be applied to current teaching methods ” said Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla Khalifa University’s Senior Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. “It promises to be quite pioneering in its approach and educators and students will certainly benefit from the topics being discussed and the research forwarded not to mention the opportunity to meet with international peers and top academics. Khalifa University prides itself in providing excellent engineering education we believe that hosting major international conferences like this one are important to the development of a high quality education at our University and the UAE as a whole.”