Some observations on ssme academic programs based on the cdio approach

International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives SOME OBSERVATIONS ON SSME ACADEMIC PROGRAMS BASED ON THE CDIO APPROACH Nguyễn Thanh Tuna Dr In te rn a tio n a l S chool, V N U H anoi, V ie tn a m Nguyễn Hải Thanh, Asso Prof In te rn a tio n a l S chool, V N U H anoi, V ie tn a m Abstract SSME (Service Science, Management and Engineering) is a new multi-disciplinary effort that integrates aspects of established fields such as operations research, engineering, management sciences, business strategy, social and cognitive sciences, computer science, and legal sciences to train business prospective leaders for a service mindset CDIO (Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate) is conceptual design, implementation and operation, which is originated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) Basically, CDIO is a solution to improve the quality of training to meet social requirements determined on the basis of outcomes of academic programs In this paper, first, SSME concepts and principles of the CDIO approach are reviewed Then, results of a benchmarking survey of experts’ opinion on how core modules in SSME disciplines meet different levels of learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach are analyzed Next, two SSME-related B.Sc programs, namely B.Sc (Information System Management) program in the Singapore Management University and B.Sc (Business Information Management) program in the University of Industry, HỒ Chi Minh City, Vietnam are observed Finally, a possible proposal on design and implementation o f a SSME academic program based on the CDIO approach at VNU-IS is discussed K e yw o rd s: SSME, CDIO, academic program, benchmarking survey WHAT IS SSME? Services now represent 80% o f the USA economy According to IBM, China’s service sector has grown 191% during the last 25 years and now makes up about 35% of the nation’s economy And services account for more than 50% o f the economies in countries such as Brazil, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the UK Because of their importance, services, their development, and their delivery have become popular discussion topics at universities and corporations This has led to the development of services science, a discipline concerned with finding ways to increase productivity and innovation in servicesrelated industries and tasks by applying scientific means and methods Universities throughout the world most notably in North America, Europe, and Australia - are offering courses and graduate-level certification in service science, with the long-term goal of establishing academic degree programs [9] Famous universities, such as the USA’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley, Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Federate de Lausanne, Italy’s Bocconi School of Management, and the UK's University of Manchester, are investigating service studies [9] 118 International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives Companies, including Accenture, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Hewlett-Packard, and IBM are researching the discipline’s benefits and supporting the development of workers with skills in computer technology and other fields, such as management science, organization theory, technology management, engineering, and the social sciences However, as a formal discipline, services science is so new that many researchers are working hard to know exactly what it is SSME means Service Science, Management, and Engineering [16], [17], [18] SSME basically is to improve productivity, quality, performance, compliance, growth, and learning in co-production relationships It applies scientific, management, and engineering disciplines for one organization beneficially performs for services Service innovation is very important concept in SSME There is socio-technical systems theory in service innovation A framework for describing and explaining the relationship between technical and non­ technical elements in a work organization, based upon systems theory and the observation that technology and human are interdependent in achieving organizational performance There are key factors for service innovations: Science & Engineering - technical innovation, Social Sciences - social-organizational innovation, Business Administration and Management - business innovation, Global Economy & Markets - demand innovation [5], [12], [13] SSME is so important today because the world is becoming flat and networked, dependent on information and information technology Science needs to provide tools and methods to study services and develop solutions to problems that span multiple disciplines Graduates may be solution designers, consultants, engineers, scientists, and managers who will grow into becoming entrepreneurs, executives, researchers, and practitioners [5], [12], [13] Services are the largest part of the USA economy and fastest growing sectors in developing countries In more details, GDP growth depends on companies’ ability to earn revenue and make profits Revenue and profit increases depend on productivity and innovations Innovation and productivity depend on multidisciplinary skills Multidisciplinary skills depend on getting students and employees trained in service science SSME champions and leaders can be also found on http://www.research.ibm.com/ssme/influencers.shtml Í161 ri71, f181 the IBM research website at IBM needs better trained people: services professionals & researchers IBM also needs more knowledge about sustainable service innovation techniques Innovation is the key to value creation and capture, hence the key to sustainable business advantage Besides, it is vital that IBM implements systematic methods for studying and creating knowledge about service systems: investment in science & research pays in new knowledge [16], [17], [18] More literature on what Service Science and SSME are can be found at [1], [4], [7], [8], [10], [11], [19] and [20] THE CD SO APPROACH 2.1 CDIO framework CDIO is an initialism for Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate The CDIO Initiative is an innovative educational framework fo r producing the next generation of engineers The CDIO concept was originally 119 International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the late 1990's In 2Q00, MIT in collaboration with three Swedish universities -C halm ers University of Technology, Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology - formally founded the CDIO Initiative It became an international collaboration, with universities around the world adopting the same framework [21] CDiO collaborators recognize that an engineering education is acquired over a iong period and in a variety of institutions, and that educators in all parts of this spectrum can learn from practice elsewhere The CDIO network therefore welcomes members in a diverse range of institutions ranging from researchled internationally acclaimed universities to local colleges dedicated to providing students with their initial grounding in engineering The collaborators maintain a dialogue about what works and what does not and continue to refine the project Determining additional members of the collaboration is a selective process managed by a council comprising original members and early adopters [22] Initially, CDIO was developed for engineering education "to educate students who are able to Conceive Design - Implement - Operate complex, value-added engineering products, processes and systems in a modern, team-based environment” [2], [3] The framework provides students with an education stressing engineering fundamentals set in the context o f Conceiving - Designing - Implementing - Operating realworld systems and products Throughout the world, CDIO Initiative collaborators have adopted CDIO as the framework of their curricular planning and outcome-based assessment In Vietnam, several higher education institutions have adopted the CDIO approach with the aims to develop learning outcomes for their undergraduate and graduate training programs other than engineering education [15] 2.2 CDIO based curriculum CDIO is an innovative education model that initially aims at three overall goals of educating students to be able to [3]: - Master a deeper working knowledge of technical fundamentals; - Lead in the creation and operation o f new products, processes, and systems; - Understand the importance and strategic impact of research and technological development on society To create a CDIO based curriculum, it is essential to follow standard of the CDIO approach which sets “specific, detailed learning outcomes for personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process and system building skills, as well as disciplinary knowledge, consistent with program goals and validated by program stakeholders” Essentially, it can be understood that the CDIO curriculum bases upon the society demands A CDIO based curriculum is a list of knowledge, skills and attitudes rationalized against the norms contemporary engineering practice, comprehensive of all known skills lists, and reviewed by experts many fields In this light the learning outcomes of a CDIO-based curriculum consist of four expectations competence required by stakeholders that an engineering undergraduate student should possess achieve when he/she leaves the university (see Figure 1): of in of or - Technical knowledge and reasoning; 120 International Conference Internationalization o f H igher Education: North-South Perspectives - Personal and professional skills and attributes; - Interpersonal skills; - CDIO in social and enterprise context Figure Four learning outcome blocks CDIO 2, Personal & Professional Skills & Attributes 1,.Technical Knowledge and Reasoning Interpersonal ' Skills: Teamwork and Communication Of these, the first three blocks of competence are the foundation to create the CDIO (conceive, design, implement and operate) competence for each engineer upon graduation [23] In more detailed the four blocks of a CDIO based curriculum for engineering education can be specified as shown in Box [23] Box A CDIO based curriculum for engineering education TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING 3.2.3 Written Communication 1.1 KNOWLEDGE OF UNDERLYING SCIENCES 3.2.4 Electronic/Multimedia Communication 1.2 FUNDAMENTAL 3.2.5 Graphical Communication FUNDAMENTAL 3.2.6 Oral Presentation Communications CORE ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE 1.3 ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING 3.3 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES 2.1 ENGINEERING SOLVING REASONING AND PROBLEM and Inter-Personal COMMUNICATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES 3.3.1 English 3.3.2 Languages of Regional Industrial Nations 3.3.3 Other languages 2.1.1 Problem Identification and Formulation 2.1.2 Modeling CONCEIVING, DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING, AND OPERATING SYSTEMS IN THE ENTERPRISE AN SOCIETAL CONTEXT 2.1.3 Estimation and Qualitative Analysis 4.1 EXTERNAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT 2.1.4 Analysis With Uncertainty 4.1.1 Roles and Responsibility of Engineers 121 International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives 2.1.5 Solution and Recommendation 2.2 EXPERIMENTATION DISCOVERY AND 4.1.2 The Impact of Engineering on Society KNOWLEDGE 4.1.3 Society’s Regulation of Engineering 4.1.4 The Historical and Cultural Context 2.2.1 Hypothesis Formulation 4.1.5 Contemporary Issues and Values 2.2.2 Survey of Print and Electronic Literature 4.1.6 Developing a Global Perspective 2.2.3 Experimental Inquiry 4.2 ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS CONTEXT 2.2.4 Hypothesis Test, and Defense 4.2.1 Appreciating Different Enterprise Cultures 2.3 SYSTEM THINKING 4.2.2 Enterprise strategy, Goals, and Planning 2.3.1 Thinking Holistically 4.2.3 Technical Entrepreneurship 2.3.2 Emergence and Interactions in Systems 4.2.4 Working Successfully in Organizations 2.3.3 Prioritization and Focus 4.3 CONCEIVING AND ENGINEERING SYSTEMS 2.3.4 Trade-offs, Judgment and Balance in Resolution 4.3.1 Setting System Goals and Requirements 2.4 PERSONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES 4.3.2 Defining Function, Concept and Architecture 2.4.1 Initiative and Willingness to Take Risks 2.4.2 Perseverance and Flexibility 4.3.3 Modeling of System and Insuring Goals Can Be Met 2.4.3 Creative Thinking 4.3.4 Development Project Management 2.4.4 Critical Thinking 4.4 2.4.5 Awareness of One’s Personal Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes 4.4.1 The Design Process DESIGNING 4.4.2 The Design Process Phasing and Approaches 1*vJ wu 1lUoiiy ui IU Liii/Iui ly LUui I ill ly 4.4.3 Utilization of Knowledge in Design 2.4.7 Time and Resource Management 4.4.4 Disciplinary Design 2.5 PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES 4.4.5 Multidisciplinary Design 2.5.1 Professional Ethics, Integrity, Responsibility, and Accountability 4.4.6 Multi-Objective Design (DFX) 2.5.2 Professional Behavior 4.5 IMPLEMENTING 2.5.3 Proactively Planning for One’s Career 4.5.1 Designing the Implementation Process 2.5.4 Staying Current on World of Engineering 4.5.2 Hardware Manufacturing Process INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS: TEAMWORK AND 4.5.3 Software Implementing Process 4.5.4 Hardware Software Integration 3.1 TEAMWORK 4.5.5 Test, Verification, Validation, and Certification 122 International Conference Internationalization o f H igher Education: North-South Perspectives 3.1.1 Forming Effective Teams 4.5.6 Implementation Management 3.1.2 Team Operation 4.6 OPERATING 3.1.3 Team Growth and Evolution 4.6.1 Designing and Optimizing Operations 3.1.4 Leadership 4.6.2 Training and Operations 3.1.5 Technical Teaming 4.6.3 Supporting the System Lifecycle 3.2 COMMUNICATIONS 4.6.4 System Improvement and Evolution 3.2.1 Communications strategy 4.6.5 Disposal and Life-End Issues 3.2.2 Communications structure 4.6.6 Operations Management A BENCHMARKING SURVEY ON HOW CORE MODULES IN SSME DISCIPLINES MEET DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES BASED ON THE CDIO APPROACH There are core modules in SSME disciplines [17], [18]: Services Systems Management, Marketing, and Operations Productivity and Innovation Methods Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action Services module discusses the emerging importance of services in economies and movement towards a global service economy Besides, customers as co-producers o f value and elements o f innovation (e.g., clients, business models, technology, and people) are on the focus of research Furthermore, how the emerging field of SSME brings together the disciplines such as computer science, operations research, industrial engineering, business strategy, management sciences, social and cognitive sciences) is also concerned System module discusses general types of systems (e.g., natural, manufactured, socio-technological) and services being socio-technological systems Also, co-production as the service system differentiator and value in a service system are topics to be discussed Management, Marketing, and Operation module discusses management, market, and operations considerations that are specific to services Furthermore, strategic planning, policies to empower, and measurements also are additional topics Productivity and Innovation module discusses measurement challenges, resistance to productivity, engineering and interpretive models and people 123 International Conference Internationalization o f H igher Education: North-South Perspectives Methods module includes considerations for the use o f methods in the services lifecycle from engagement through solutions design and delivery, introduction to the use of methods in services, discussion of the spectrum of pure invention to automation, as well as why methods can be valuable and how methods are applied and possible limitations Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations focuses on how supply chain principles and processes are at work in service operations Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action module reviews the motivations for creating SSME and begins to explore what could be considered interesting problems for future service research It includes some suggestions for institutions and policy makers In order to benchmark a SSME academic program / curriculum, the following approach can be of use [24], We have recently conducted a benchmarking survey on how core modules in SSME disciplines meet different levels o f learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach Amongst 14 interviewees sampled for the survey, 11 have Ph.D degree and the other have M.Sc degree in the field of Information Technology and Computing Science 10 interviewees are Heads/ Deans of Departments/Faculties of IT/Computing Science from different universities in Vietnam Each of interviewees was asked to fill up a table with rows and columns to rate a suitability level (from to 5) of a core module of SSME disciplines with respect to the learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach The results of the survey are summarized in Table The table shows the summary ratings of SSME core modules based on the CDIO approach The vertical axis is SSME core modules proposed by IBM The horizontal axis is CDIO components Ratings are from to Rating means “not suitable" and rating means “very suitable" Table shows the mean and standard deviation o f the data As can be seen from the data, the most suitable module for the CDIO model is Methods module (3.96) while Service module is the least suitable module (3.46) Table also shows that all SSME modules most support "Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” component (4.04), while these modules are not very helpful for the “Interpersonal Skills: Teamwork and Communication" (3.39) The data from the survey also compare the performance of each SSME module versus each CDIO component Services module is very helpful for “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” component (4), but it does not seem suitable for “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning” component (2.35) Systems module supports all CDIO components quite well within the range (3.07, 3.21, 3.92, 4.07) Management, Marketing, and Operations module is not much related to “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning" but the rating is reasonable for other components (higher than 3) Productivity and Innovation module is related to all components well, especially with “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning" and “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise" (4 and 4.07 respectively) 124 International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives Table The benchmarking survey sum m ary results Interviewees Đặng Xuân Hà, Mẫn Quang Huy, Ngơ Tuấn Anh, Nguyễn Chí Thảnh, Nguyễn Thị Thủy, Thái Thanh Sơn, Thái Thanh Tùng, Nguyễn Hải Thanh, Nguyễn Thanh Tùng, Phạm Nhật Minh, Trần Đức Quỳnh, Nguyễn Văn Định, Võ Đinh Hiếu, Nguyễn Tuấn Dũng Rating 1-5 (1; not suitable, 5: very suitable) CDIO Components TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICA-TION CONCEIVING, DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING, AND OPERATING SYSTEMS IN THE ENTERPRISE AN SOCIETAL CONTEXT Average score Core Modules Services (2,35, 0.92) (3.71,0.72) (3.78, 0.57) (4, 0.55) 3.46 Systems (3.92, 0.61) (3.07, 1.26) (3.21,0.57) (4.07, 0.61) 3.56 Management, Marketing, and (2.92, 0.91) (3.78, 0.7) (3.85, 0.36) (3.92, 0.61) 3.61 (4, 0.68) (3.5, 0.75) (3.35, 0.5) (4.07, 0.47) 3.73 Methods (4.21,0.58) (4.14, 0.66) (3.21, 0.42) (4.28, 0.61) 3.96 Developing Supply Chains (3.78, 0.7) (3.57, 0.75) (3.35, 0.49) (4.14, 0.53) 3.71 (3.78, 0.89) (3.5, 0.85) (3, 0.67) (3.8, 0.53) 3.52 3.56 3.61 3.39 4.04 Operations Productivity and Innovation to Support Service Operations Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action Average score Methods module highly supports all components (higher than 4) except “Interpersonal Skills: Teamwork and Communication” Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations module is most suitable to “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” (4.14) Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action module is not very suitable to any CDIO component (all below 4) 125 International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives It is also of interest to evaluate the consistency of the data from the survey There are total 28 items which are taken the mean and the standard deviation O f these items, there are only items having the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean (variation coefficient) greater than 0.25 On average, the ratio is 0.18 The results show that the variation of the raw data taken is quite small and the survey evaluation is quite consistent OBSERVATIONS OF TWO SSME-RELATED B.sc PROGRAMS (ISM AND BIS) B.sc (In fo rm a tio n s y s te m m a n a g e m e n t) p ro g ram and its n e w s e rv ic e sy s te m s & s o lu tio n s tra c k in th e S in g a p o re M a n a g e m e n t U n iv e rs ity Over the past five years, School of Information Systems (SIS) from SMU has been pioneering new educational approaches right at the intersection o f information technology, IT solutions and business needs The B.Sc (ISM) Program offered by SIS is built upon three foundation pillars [25]: - Foundations and applications of information systems technology and information systems management in the context of business - Exposure to complex, real-world business problems and processes, which teach IT in the context of business by using numerous real-world business scenarios in course discussion and assignments - Cross training in business, management or social science areas through foundation, core courses and electives offered by the other SMU schools, and through 2nd major options The structure of the B.Sc (ISM) Program with new Service Systems & Solutions Track shows that all core modules of SSME disciplines can be built and integrated effectively and efficiently as B.Sc (ISM) program with a 2nd major [26] (see Figure2) 4.1.1 Information technology & system block (16 courses) - The Information Systems Foundation courses emphasize the critical thinking and technology skills to create information systems for business solutions Students with prior background may apply to sit for waiver tests to qualify for exemptions from several of these IS foundation courses - Courses on Information Systems Advanced Topics equip students with the capability to define, design and deploy robust and secure IS systems for businesses The concepts o f analysis, integration, architecture and enterprise-wide systems, as well as the development o f communication skills are emphasized - The IS Application Project enables the B.Sc (IS Management) undergraduate students to develop the additional depth and experience required to become a Business IT professional It allows a hands-on opportunity to apply IT solutions to problems either via industry or functional business areas Industries may range from financial services, logistics & supply chain, to healthcare services; while functional business areas refer to accounting, economics, finance, marketing, operations to name a few International Conference Internationalization o f Higher Education: North-South Perspectives IS Depth Electives provide students with the opportunity to explore IS Technology and IS Management issues in greater depth Eiectives are reviewed regularly and new ones offered as appropriate Figure The structure o f the B.Sc (ISM) Program with new Service Systems & Solutions Track \ about I exampl es a resources I tfipy s a y I i(" i Information Systems Foundation ■Seminar on E Management -IS Software fauttfoSans ■ObjKt Ofienied Application Datìopmínt - Data Management Business-Oriented Elective Courses Compulsory Hit SMU Foundation Courses •Calculus ■Inlrodiictary Economics * Academic Wilting* ■ ftalK iirs ■Software Enpinewinj) • Computer as an Analysis Tool Information Systems Advancad Topics • Enterprise Integrator ■Information Security andTnist - Architectura! Anaiysk ■ProcessMafeUIng&Sotutioíiỉ Efueprioting - Enterprise wsb Soíotíonỉ Infcrmsitcn Systemỉ OepthElcctii?s(3) L Electives - ISMOE - /toy oiher BOE University Core ■Analytical Stolls & Creative Thinking ■ Business/Government & Society ■Management Communication • EthicsS Social Responsibility • Leadership aTeam Building ■Te:hm!ogy & Worlo ữangé 2ni Major Courses IP ■a a r e ■ - Enanựes of SIS ítuđciìỉ proJc ■V !_ rp _5 o o w Ừ) 0> J CL H CD o I37 o 0) r— +- o z> (D