The Progress of CDIO Engineering Education Reform in Several China Universities: A Review

Higher education in China developed from elite education to popular education. The number of college students has reached more than 22 million, and about 1/3 of students were in the engineering profession. With the accelerated progress of economic globalization and advances in technology, the employers and the taxpayers claimed much higher quality of personnel training. Various types of China universities were driven to change. Their goal was to improve the quality of graduates. Originated from the reform experience of MIT and other universities, a number of colleges in China were trying and adopting CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) concept in recent years. CDIO concept was regarded as a new model for engineering education whose aims were to develop students’ ability of engineering application to solve their employment problems efficiently. It attempted to change the way of seeking knowledge so as to solve the long-term problem across a century about which was more important between knowledge-induction and ability-development in engineering education. CDIO culture model reform on mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, chemical engineering, etc., was attempted in several universities. So the following questions were reviewed, including what they did, how they carry out and what kind of problems they met when CDIO engineering education model was used in the universities in China