This review of developments in higher education in Israel and the world in the field of electronics and computer engineering, including implications on curricula updating, constitutes one of four stages of the “Electronics 2000” project aimed at creating an updated infrastructure for Israel’s electronic industry.
A survey was conducted on the development of higher education in engineering (focusing on electrical/electronics and computer disciplines) in the U.S.A., Europe and Israel while tracing trends of change in content and what caused them, in the contexts of science-technology developments that the modern world has been going through in recent decades. Accordingly, comparisons have been made between electronic engineering curricula in Israel and abroad, past and present. An analysis was also done of the influence of Europe’s unification on higher education in engineering in countries of the European community.
Special attention has been given to the general composition of the curricula (first and second degrees), to the weight of mathematics, natural sciences, engineering science subjects (theoretical/basic), applied subjects, laboratories/projects, humanities, and general subjects (English, economics, inter-personal communication, etc.) in the different countries and in Israel. The appearance of computers constitutes, without any doubt, one of the factors for the dominant changes both in professional contents in the different fields of electronics (all the way to the establishment of computer engineering leading to a B.Sc. degree) and the professional and pedagogical thinking process.
The document also offers a methodology which helps decide, in the decision making stage, whether to include a subject in the curriculum – based on the aims of the program and the characteristics of the subject.
Presented at the end is an analysis of possible trends in putting together an updated curriculum for electronic engineers in Israel leading to the first and second degrees.
