Academic Leadership in Engineering Education

Engineering institutions worldwide are undergoing significant transformation as they work to adapt themselves to the learning needs of students in the 21st century, changing trends in the requirements of the industry and society, and growing concerns about issues related to sustainable development and climate change. Future engineering graduates must be equipped to tackle complex problems in society that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are increasing calls for engineering institutions to create quality learning experiences for students, enabling them to develop deeper learning skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, life-long learning, leadership skills, and the ability to work in teams. Engineering curricula must be made multidisciplinary, innovative, and outcome-driven by integrating evidence-based pedagogies and learning mechanisms. For this to happen, academic leaders must reimagine their institutions with significant changes at the administration, governance, and leadership levels. Establishing new-age institutions that meet international accreditation standards requires dynamic academic leaders at multiple levels who can work collaboratively to achieve the vision and mission of the institution. This book is an attempt to share key learnings from academic leaders from around the world on important trends emerging in engineering education. Aspiring academic leaders will get a glimpse of the thought process and vision of such leaders, how they strategize and support their institutions for the betterment of the students, and what kind of changes they are working on to keep up with the ever-evolving environment. The book is divided into four sections. Each section comprises multiple chapters written by different academic leaders that are based on their experiences of implementing best practices at their respective institutions. Section 1 - Governance and Leadership of Engineering Institutions Section 2 - Creating Quality Learning Experiences Section 3 - Preparing Institutions to become Knowledge Hubs for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Section 4 - Empowerment of Faculty and Students for the 21st Century The sections and chapters will be of great value to multiple stakeholders in leadership positions at engineering institutions including Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, Provosts, Directors, Deans, Heads of Departments and Faculty members aspiring to be academic leaders. Each chapter will be presented through case studies from successful programs initiated and pioneered at various engineering institutions across the globe.