Introduction of IDEEA (International Design and Engineering Education Association) Program

Abstract

IDEEA program was launched in January 2019 by the universities worldwide to succeed PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) program operated by General Motors from 1999 to 2018. IDEEA program provides a platform for academia and industry to meet, exchange ideas, foster collaboration and make new friendships. Scientific presentations on leading-edge research and education build an essential part of the IDEEA Forum. But an even more important aspect is the event to showcase the outcome and process of the global engineering-design collaborative project. International and interdisciplinary student teams present their product concepts – virtually and physically. They are provided a pre-conference workshop to work together in labs and to meet after several months of online collaboration.

Each year, the global forum takes place at a different member institution. In 2019, the IDEEA Forum was held at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico. This year meeting will be hosted by the University of Wuppertal in Germany and takes place from July 20–23, 2020 if Covid-19 pandemic situation is resolved completely. More than 20 universities worldwide team up to create a unique educational experience for engineering and design students.

Despite the issues of the time zone difference, language barrier, and differences in academic calendars, participating students have been satisfied with the program by understanding the mindset of other majors, and embracing the interests and background of students from different countries. The number of participating schools and students have been increasing over the years. Building a systematic approach to vitalize this program is a future challenge.