BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION MODERNIZATION IN THE USA

Today nobody argues the fact that engineering education should undergo some changes in the respond of changes going on in different spheres of our society. Among the main factors influencing changes in engineering education investigators make accents on the following: information; modern technologies; market; environment: social responsibility; corporation structures and the demographic situation. Too many efforts at reform attempt to look at single elements of complex interconnected systems. Thus, within the context of professional engineering practice, one must consider a system that includes many elements. Reengineering should be focused not on the enterprise's organizations, but on its products and services – in the present case, what higher education would define as its outcomes. Reengineering involves asking questions: how can we make our process more effective, more quality conscious, more flexible, simpler, and less expensive? The aim of this article is to analyze the factors influencing the engineering education modernization in the USA and the ways American investigators of engineering education suggest to make it more efficient and up – to – date.