May 2007 Versie t.b.v. aanvraag accreditatie. Mechanical Engineering

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1 May 2007 Versie t.b.v. aanvraag accreditatie Mechanical Engineering

2 Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities (QANU) Catharijnesingel 56 PO Box RA Utrecht The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) Fax: +31 (0) Internet: QANU Text and numerical material from this publication may be reproduced in print, by photocopying or by any other means with the permission of QANU if the source is mentioned. 2 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

3 Table of Contents Foreword 5 Preface 7 Part I General Part 9 1. Administrative data Structure of the report General remarks 17 Part II Assessments of the degree courses The Mechanical Engineering Faculty, TU Eindhoven The Engineering Technology Faculty, University of Twente The 3mE Faculty Mechanical Engineering, TU Delft The 3mE Faculty Biomedical Engineering, TU Delft The 3mE Faculty Material Science and Engineering, TU Delft The 3mE Faculty Systems and Control, TU Delft 91 Appendices 101 Appendix A: Appointment notice ( Instellingsbesluit ) 103 Appendix B: Curricula Vitae of the Committee Members 107 Appendix C: Domain-Specific Reference Framework 111 Appendix D: Assessment Summary Mechanical Engineering Appendix E: Visit programmes 115 Appendix F: List of abbreviations 123 QANU / Mechanical Engineering 3

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5 FOREWORD This report is part of the quality assessment of university Bachelor and Master degree courses in the Netherlands. The purpose of this report is to present a reliable picture of the results of the degree courses submitted for this review, to give feedback to the internal quality assurance of the institutes concerned, and to serve as the basis for accreditation of the degree courses by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). The report is written in the English language because of the international composition of the Committee. The Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities Foundation (QANU) aims to ensure independent, unbiased, critically constructive assessments using standardised quality criteria as far as possible, while taking specific circumstances into account. The QANU Review Committee Mechanical Engineering has fulfilled its tasks with great dedication in a period marked by the transition to the Bachelor-Master structure. The courses are evaluated in a thorough and careful manner within a clear framework. We trust the judgments and recommendations will be carefully considered by the course providers, the management of the faculties and the boards of the universities concerned. We thank the Chairman and members of the Review Committee for their willingness to participate in this assessment and for the dedication with which they carried out this task. We also thank the staff of the university departments concerned for their efforts and for their co-operation during the assessments. Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities Mr. Chris J. Peels Director Dr. Jan G.F. Veldhuis Chairman of the Board QANU / Mechanical Engineering 5

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7 PREFACE This report describes the assessment of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in Mechanical Engineering, and related Master's programmes, of the Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente and the Delft University of Technology. The Evaluation Committee reviewed the quality of the educational programmes and processes, focussing on the topics defined in the NVAO assessment framework. The Evaluation Committee is grateful to the Mechanical Engineering Department and related departments for their efforts in preparing the self-evaluation reports and providing other documentation about the degree programmes concerned. The information provided in the selfevaluation reports served as a starting point for the assessment process and proved to be of great significance. The committee appreciated the open, constructive and stimulating discussions with the board, management, staff and students. The educational programmes provide a challenging and motivating environment in which students are offered an excellent opportunity for education in mechanical engineering. Possible areas for improvement have been recognised by the faculties, and the committee trusts that faculty management, departmental staff and students will be working together to further improve the mechanical engineering educational programmes. As chairman of the committee, I would like to express my great appreciation for the commitment and the contributions of the committee members. They showed great interest and dedication in the different stages of the demanding assessment process. Prof. J. De Schutter Chairman of the Committee QANU / Mechanical Engineering 7

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9 PART I: GENERAL PART QANU / Mechanical Engineering 9

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11 1. Administrative data 1.1. Eindhoven University of Technology Bachelor programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Bachelor Orientation academic Study load 180 EC Degree B.Sc. Location Eindhoven Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical Engineering Master programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Variant(s) DSD, TFE, CEM, AES, μnt Location Eindhoven Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical Engineering 1.2. University of Twente Bachelor programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Bachelor Orientation academic Study load 180 EC Degree B.Sc. Location Enschede Accreditation expiry date Faculty Engineering Technology Master programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Variant(s) Location Enschede Accreditation expiry date Faculty Engineering Technology QANU / Mechanical Engineering 11

12 1.3. Delft University of Technology Bachelor programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Bachelor Orientation academic Study load 180 EC Degree B.Sc. Location Delft Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Master programme: Name programme Mechanical Engineering CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Variant(s) BMD, CE, PMM, SFM, SPET, TE Location Delft Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Master programme: Name programme Biomedical Engineering CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Location Delft Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Master programme: Name programme Materials Science and Engineering CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Location Delft Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering 12 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

13 Master programme: Name programme Systems and Control CROHO number Level Master Orientation academic Study load 120 EC Degree M.Sc. Location Delft Accreditation expiry date Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering QANU / Mechanical Engineering 13

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15 2. Structure of the report In this document, the Educational Evaluation Committee for Mechanical Engineering (in this report referred to as the Committee ) reports its findings. The report consists of two parts: Part I General part (Chapter 1 Administrative data, Chapter 2 Structure of the report, Chapter 3 General remarks) and Part II Assessment of the degree courses (Chapters 1 up to and including 6) which contains the results of the educational evaluation and assessment of the mechanical engineering degree courses offered at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente and the Delft University of Technology. The general part summarises the tasks, composition, input documentation and work procedures of the Committee as well as a brief overview of the recent developments in the respective faculty organisations and degree programmes. The parts describing the evaluation and assessment of the respective educational programmes are structured in accordance with the accreditation criteria prescribed by the NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders). QANU / Mechanical Engineering 15

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17 3. General remarks 3.1. Task of the Committee The task of Committee was to evaluate and assess nine degree programmes in total, at three different universities in the period Eindhoven University of Technology Two degree programmes of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: the academic BSc programme in Mechanical Engineering; three years, CROHO 56966, start September 2002 the Academic MSc programme in Mechanical Engineering; two years, CROHO 60439, start September 2003 University of Twente Two degree programmes of the Faculty of Engineering Technology: the academic BSc programme in Mechanical Engineering; three years, CROHO 56966, formal start September 2002, although the programme actually started in September 2001 the Academic MSc programme in Mechanical Engineering; two years, CROHO 60439, start September 2004 Delft University of Technology Five degree programmes of the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE): the academic BSc programme in Mechanical Engineering; three years, CROHO 56966, start September 2002 the Academic MSc programme in Mechanical Engineering (ME); two years, CROHO 60439, start September 2002 the Academic MSc programme in Biomedical Engineering (BME); two years, CROHO 66226, start September 2004 the Academic MSc programme in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE); two years, CROHO 66958, start September 2003 the Academic MSc programme in Systems and Control (SC); two years, CROHO 66359, start September 2003 Where applicable in this report, it will be explicitly mentioned whether the text concerns the Bachelor's or the Master's programme. Otherwise the text applies to both curricula. This evaluation and assessment is based on, and complies with, the accreditation requirements of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) The constitution of the Committee A shortlist of candidates was formally approved by the QANU Board on November 24, The Committee was constituted formally on September 5, All members of the Committee signed a declaration of independence as required by the QANU protocol to assure that: the panel members judge without bias, personal preference or personal interest, and the judgement is made without undue influence from the institute, the programme or other stakeholders. QANU / Mechanical Engineering 17

18 The Committee consisted of a chairman and seven members: chair Prof. J. De Schutter, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Division Production Engineering, Machine Design and Automation (PMA), K.U. Leuven, Belgium members Dr C. Van Den Bogaert, Head of Education Department, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium Prof. A. Demaid, Department of Design and Innovation, Faculty of Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK Prof. R. Ohayon, Mechanics, Structural Mechanics and Coupled Systems Laboratory, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM), Paris, France Prof. G. Van der Perre, Department of Biomechanics and Graphical Design, KU Leuven, Belgium Ir. G.J. Wierda, Director of Moog FCS B.V., Nieuw-Vennep, The Netherlands, M. Haagsma BSc, student in Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands G. Karsemakers, student in Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. A short curriculum vitae of each of the Committee members is included in Appendix B. Ir. P.C. van Holten, QANU, was appointed secretary of the Evaluation Committee Materials presented to the Committee as a basis for the assessment The three engineering technology faculties offering the degree courses each prepared a self-evaluation report in accordance with the new NVAO accreditation criteria 1 and the QANU instructions for the compilation of a self-evaluation report 2. Appended to the self-evaluation reports, the respective faculties provided their study guides and lists of the 2004 and 2005 BSc and MSc theses of the programmes concerned. The Committee selected a total of 29 theses from three Bachelor's and six Master's programmes for review and assessment. In addition, the three faculties developed a domain-specific reference framework (DSRF), attached as Appendix C, that was used as the reference framework together with the booklet 'Criteria for Academic Bachelor s and Master s Curricula' 3. The self-evaluation documents and the DSRF were sent to the Committee members by mid-march The Committee is of the opinion that the self-evaluation reports are detailed and reflect on the existing status of the educational programmes and related subjects in an open and thorough way. The self-evaluation reports include summaries of strengths and weaknesses per subject. Both staff and students contributed to the self-evaluation reports. 1 Accreditation protocol for academic educational programmes, NVAO, 14 February Brief instructions for the writing of a self-evaluation report; QANU, March ISBN , NUR 846; Authors: A.W.M. Meijers, C.W.A.M. van Overveld, J.C. Perrenet. 18 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

19 3.4. Working method adopted by the Committee The Committee used the QANU protocol for the assessment of the Bachelor's and Master's programmes 4 This QANU protocol is an elaboration of the assessment criteria of the NVAO. The Committee held a preparatory / kick-off meeting on September 5, Based on prior study of the self-evaluation reports, the Committee discussed their contents and quality and formulated questions, in addition to the QANU protocol questions, in preparation for the actual visits. The DSRF, referred to above, is a one-page, high-level document. It is an updated version of the domain description, as used for the self-evaluation and educational visitation of the programmes in 1999/2000. The DSRF, in combination with the booklet 'Criteria for Academic Bachelor s and Master s Curricula' 5, was accepted by the Committee as an adequate framework for the 2006 educational assessment Mechanical Engineering. The Committee decided, in principle, to use all topics, facets and criteria of the QANU protocol as well as the additional questions it formulated. TU Eindhoven was visited on September 18 and 19, the University of Twente was visited on September 20 and 21, and TU Delft was visited on September Each member of the Committee attended all visits. The respective programmes of the site visits are included in Appendix E. All visits started with a two-hour preparatory meeting in which each of the Committee members reviewed a selection of the documentation on display relating to the degree courses under review. Interviews with representatives of all relevant entities of the faculty organisation were held subsequently. The Committee interviewed: lecturers, students, members of the Education Committee (Opleidingscommissie) and of the Examination Committee (Examencommissie), study coordinators, student coaches and members of the staff (including support staff). Finally, the Committee went on a tour of the laboratories and other learning facilities. A get-together was organized to meet representatives of the university board and of the faculty management. The afternoon of the last day of each visit was reserved by the Committee for review, to summarise the observations made and to prepare for the close-out meeting. Prior to the close-out meeting, open to all staff and students of the faculty, a nosurprise meeting was held attended by the Dean, the manager of the faculty and the Director of Education. However, due to time constraints at close-out during the Eindhoven visit, the no-surprise meeting was skipped, with mutual agreement. After the site visits a report was drafted by the Committee. The version of the draft report sent for review to the universities was established by the Committee after in-depth discussions in a final meeting held on November 15, in Utrecht. This version was submitted to the faculty offering the degree courses for the correction of misinterpretations and factual errors. The scores per facet in this report follow the scale prescribed by the NVAO and have the following meaning: Excellent (4) means that the quality level of this facet is very good in all aspects and withstands international benchmarking. It is an example of best practice. Good (3) means that the quality level of this facet exceeds expectations and is the result of a wellconsidered policy; Satisfactory (2) means that the level of this facet meets the basic standard of quality. 4 QANU protocol for the external quality assessment of academic Bachelor's and Master's programmes for accreditation, v3.1, Jan 2004 Aug Criteria for Academic Bachelor s and Master s Curricula, a joint publication of Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente; TU/e 2005, ISBN QANU / Mechanical Engineering 19

20 Unsatisfactory (1) means that the level of this facet is below the basic standard of quality. The score satisfactory means that all basic requirements for academic education are met and that nothing noteworthy has been observed, either in a positive or in a negative sense, relating to a particular facet. The scores per facet are summed up on a two-tier scale (score satisfactory or unsatisfactory ) per topic. In this process an unsatisfactory facet can be compensated by a good or excellent facet under the same topic. This report is based on an assessment of the period and is structured in accordance with the accreditation criteria prescribed by NVAO. All assessments are based on the status at the time of the evaluation. In general, the Committee members were impressed by the curricula and levels achieved, staff, facilities and provisions, and quality assurance systems of the mechanical engineering programmes of the three Dutch universities of technology. Rather than elaborating on these themes in the following assessment narratives, the Committee undertook to identify areas for possible further improvement. Where applicable, it will be explicitly mentioned whether the text concerns the Bachelor's or the Master's programme. Otherwise the text applies to both curricula. If, for a particular facet, the Bachelor's and the Master's programmes have been rated differently, both ratings (for example Satisfactory for the Bachelor's and Good for the Master's programme) are specified in the format: Satisfactory/Good. 20 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

21 PART II: ASSESSMENTS OF THE DEGREE COURSES QANU / Mechanical Engineering 21

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23 1. The Mechanical Engineering Faculty, TU Eindhoven 1.0. General The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) has, over the past decade, proven to be a solid organisational and financial unit within Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Until the mid- 1990s the ME department was structured along the lines of fundamentals, design and manufacturing. There had always been a strong desire for a new integrated approach incorporating fundamentals and applications. In 2001 this resulted in the establishment of three divisions each integrating fundamentals, design and manufacturing: Computational and Experimental Mechanics (CEM) with a focus on mechanics and materials Thermo Fluids Engineering (TFE); with a focus on heat and flow Dynamical Systems Design (DSD); with a focus on systems, dynamics and control. Each division consists of three tenure chairs each filled by a full professor. All groups feature so-called industrial chairs, each held by a part-time professor who forms the bridge between science and industry. As a result of the new structure, the tenure chairs have moved from being more application-oriented to being more research-oriented. A mission statement was formulated at the department level: To focus on long-term, generic, system-oriented and internationally competitive research on analysis, engineering, design and optimisation of materials, processes and products with (potential) industrial or societal relevance. To realise an educational and research programme with a balanced combination of fundamental and utilitarian aspects, thereby aiming at scientifically educated and application driven engineers Mechanical Engineering The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of TU/e offers two educational programmes which are evaluated in this report: the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's programme and Master's programme. Both programmes originate from the 5-year integral Mechanical Engineering programme (CROHO 6966), the last propaedeutic examination of which was held in September Formally, students have until 31 August 2009 to complete this programme. The Master's degree programme provides three, division-related tracks: CEM, TFE and DSD. In addition two application-oriented tracks are offered: Automotive Engineering Science (AES) and Micro- and Nano-Technology (μnt). The Mechanical Engineering courses are formally offered as a full-time and a part-time variant. However, no special programme exists for part-time students, for example evening or weekend classes. Hence no distinction is made in this evaluation report between the full-time and the part-time variants. Moreover, to date, no students have enrolled for the part-time programme. Only one fulltime programme is evaluated here. The previous educational evaluation took place in QANU / Mechanical Engineering 23

24 1.2. The assessment framework Aims and objectives of the degree courses F1: Domain-specific requirements The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to the requirements made to a degree course in the relevant domain (field of study/discipline and/or professional practice) by colleagues in the Netherlands and abroad and the professional practice. TU/e Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) has chosen its mission, developed a domainspecific reference framework (DSRF) and formulated Bachelor's and Master's programme objectives and, from there, final qualifications as documented in the self-evaluation report. With regard to education, the ME department s mission reads: To realise an educational and research programme with a balanced combination of fundamental and utilitarian aspects, thereby aiming at scientifically educated and application-driven engineers. The DSRF for Engineering Technology is an updated version of the domain description used for the self-evaluation and education visit of the education programmes in 1999/2000. It was formulated jointly by the three Dutch universities of technology (3TU: University of Twente, TU Delft and TU/e) for their engineering technology degree programmes. It describes the field of engineering technology and - in generic terms of knowledge, skills and attitude - the final competencies of the academic engineer. Engineering technology comprises, in the context of this report, mechanical engineering and related fields: biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, and systems and control. The ME Department has formulated objectives for the Bachelor's and Master's programmes that meet the highest international standards. Detailed final qualifications have been developed on the basis of these objectives. Benchmarking of the ME degree programmes and objectives is realised through the 3TU cooperation and the IDEA League (a strategic alliance between Imperial College London, TU Delft, ETH Zürich and RWTH Aachen). TU/e (and UT for that matter) benefit, by proxy, from the IDEA League s comparative work on degree programme standards and their promotion of student mobility. This benchmarking is supported by the input from an active alumni association (WIE) and the many contacts of the academic staff through international academic and research networks. The functional approach of the group of part-time professors as a key advisory body is effective in promulgating the links with industry. No formal benchmarking of the TU/e ME programme with other universities has been carried out. Based on review of the relevant documents, the Committee concludes that the final qualifications of the degree courses fully comply with the requirements set for a degree course in ME. F2: Level The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to general, internationally accepted descriptions of the qualifications of a Bachelor or Master. All three Dutch universities of technology are complimented on having developed an agreed formal statement on the nature of engineering degrees at the Bachelor's and Master's levels in their Criteria for Academic Bachelor s and Master s Curricula (2nd edition, Jan. 2005). These criteria are formally accepted by NVAO as a more expanded and relevant statement of the Dublin descriptors which must be respected according to the QANU protocol. By having developed and implemented these criteria, 24 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

25 the three Dutch universities of technology stand out positively from other universities in the Netherlands. The criteria describe, in detail, the distinction in level between academic Bachelor's and Master's degrees, and also the range of intellectual attributes and understanding of contexts that a trained engineer may require, depending on career direction. Therefore, these criteria are more suitable for a specific qualitative examination of the Bachelor's and Master's programmes concerned than the Dublin descriptors. The formulation of the scientific and engineering competence requirements is largely based on the Criteria for Academic Bachelor s and Master s Curricula, and therefore compliance with the Dublin descriptors is assured. Based on the analysis performed by the Department and the verification carried out by the Committee, it can be concluded that the final qualifications of the degree courses meet the requirements laid down in the Dublin descriptors. F3: Orientation The final qualifications of the degree course correspond to the following descriptions of a Bachelor at universities: University (WO): The final qualifications are based on requirements made by the academic discipline, the international academic practice and, if applicable to the course, the relevant practice in the prospective professional field. A University (WO) bachelor possesses the qualifications that allow access to a minimum of one further University (WO) degree course at master s level as well as the option to enter the labour market. A University (WO) master possesses the qualifications to conduct independent academic research or to solve multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary questions in a professional practice for which a University (WO) degree is required or useful. No specific objectives have been developed for the Bachelor's programme to prepare the Bachelor graduate for the labour market. The option to enter the labour market is, obviously, open to a Bachelor graduate, but few take this option, and there is some evidence that industry is looking to the three Dutch universities of technology (3TU) to provide Master graduates. The Bachelor graduate in ME has unconditional access to some 18 Master's programmes including the ME Master's programmes of TU/e, University of Twente and TU Delft, and to 15 other Master's programmes in a large number of international universities after a bridging course of at most 30 EC. More than 90% of the Bachelor graduates prefer to take their Master's degree in Eindhoven. This might be due to the fact that no hard-cut exists between the interwoven Bachelor's and Master's programmes, which does not stimulate the decision to take a Master's degree from another institute. The TU/e Master's programme in ME is offered in three division-related tracks and two applicationoriented tracks: Dynamical Systems Design (DSD); Computational and Experimental Mechanics (CEM); Thermo Fluids Engineering (TFE); Automotive Engineering Science (AES); Micro- and Nano-Technology (μnt). The Master graduates in ME possess the capability to conduct independent academic research and to solve multi- and interdisciplinary questions in an application-orientated environment. This is demonstrated by the fact that 93% of the TU/e ME Master graduates find a job almost immediately within their own or in a closely related field. QANU / Mechanical Engineering 25

26 The Master graduates in ME have ample opportunity to undertake a PhD. Each year approximately 10% of the MSc graduates start a PhD study. At the time of this evaluation, the ME-related departments counted 111 PhD students, of whom 77 held an ME Master's degree from TU/e. The score for this facet is: Satisfactory/Good Based on the score of the three facets above, the topic Aims and objectives of the degree courses rates Satisfactory Programme F4: Requirements for university degree courses: The programme meets the following criteria applicable to a degree programme at a University (WO): The students acquire knowledge on the interface between teaching and academic research within the relevant disciplines; The programme follows the developments in the relevant academic discipline(s), as it is demonstrated that it incorporates current academic theories; The programme ensures the development of skills in the field of academic research; For those courses for which this is applicable, the course programme has clear links with the current professional practice in the relevant professions. Bachelor's programme All academic teaching staff nominally spends 40% of their time on research, and full professors teach in the Bachelor's programme. The design-based learning (DBL) projects comprise about 40% (in terms of EC) of the Bachelor's programme. These DBL projects provide an active introduction in problem-solving and design (which are essential professional engineering competencies), and they include visits to companies. In the DBL projects and the Bachelor's final project, students also learn to integrate knowledge from different sources (synthesis, constructive learning). In addition, the Bachelor's final project provides a first active introduction to academic research. In summary, DBL has proven to be an effective approach to meet the university requirements in the Bachelor's programme. Master's programme While 33 of the 120 EC are offered as courses, 19 EC are available for an internship, 8 EC for projects and 60 EC (the 2 nd year) for the Master's thesis. Hence the programme provides a lot of space for professional practice (internship) and research (Master's thesis). The 8 EC for the project have now been declared 'open space' and can be filled by 3 additional courses. Some 90% of the internships are done abroad, of which about 50% in industry. A total of 60% of the Master's theses are prepared outside the university. The target level/format for the Master's thesis is a scientific paper publishable at an international conference. In addition, in the elective courses, teaching is linked with up-to-date science and knowledge. A link with local industry is realized through the involvement of part-time teachers from industry. 26 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

27 F5: Relationship between aims and objectives and contents of the programme The course contents adequately reflect the final qualifications, both with respect to the level and orientation, and with respect to domain-specific requirements. The final qualifications have been translated adequately into learning targets for the programme or its components. The contents of the programme offer students the opportunity to obtain the final qualifications that have been formulated. Bachelor's programme The Bachelor's programme has a broad scope and covers the major areas of ME. While the programme prepares students effectively for the relevant Master's programmes, it is not designed to prepare students for entering the labour market. More specifically, the Bachelor's final project is rather scholastic and focussed, while the necessary breadth is supplied by the DBL aspect of the programme. A cross-reference of courses versus the major themes is presented in a table of the self-evaluation report. In addition, a relation is established between each of the programme elements and the final qualifications, as presented in the academic criteria. This is a remarkable and very valuable exercise. The majority (70%) of the Bachelor's and Master's courses have their learning targets defined in the study guide. Master's programme The breadth and depth of the curriculum are exceptionally comprehensive, with many courses and topics taught as compulsory or provided as electives. This permits a student to select a specialisation that is of particular interest while still receiving an education in the broad field of ME. There is a strong impact of the graduation professor on the composition of individual Master's programmes, but there are guidelines which safeguard the relation between the objectives and the content of a Master's programme. These guidelines take the form of a summary of key courses, recommended courses, and interesting courses for each specialisation. The Master's programme allows the students to reach the targeted qualifications in engineering and research. No formalised policy was found saying that at least one of the a) internships, b) projects or c) graduation project is to be carried out in industry. The graduation professor is responsible for the industrial part of the student s Master's programme. In practice, there seems to be a trade-off between industrial internships (with a company) and international internships (at a university or research lab). This trade-off could work in favour of the latter, resulting in a situation that students graduate without relevant experience inside industry. However, the Committee agrees that an international internship in a university or research lab is a valuable alternative that contributes to the acquisition of the final attainment levels. F6: Coherence of the programme Students follow a programme of study that is coherent in its contents. Bachelor's programme The contents of the various parts of the programme are well matched, and there is an explicit focus on the ability of students to integrate knowledge from different sources. The Bachelor's curriculum is well designed, in particular the integration of courses; DBL (breadth) and final year (depth) projects provide coherence. The Bachelor's programme allows students to acquire the ability of independent learning needed for the Master's study. Master's programme The programme structure allows the construction of a consistent combination of courses, projects, internship and a Master's thesis. QANU / Mechanical Engineering 27

28 The coherence of each individual student s Master's programme is assured by the input of the graduation professor and approval by the Examination Committee. F7: Study load The programme can be successfully completed within the set time, as certain programme-related factors that may be an impediment to study progress are removed as much as possible. General The actual study load of a curriculum element in general corresponds to the planned study load. However, while the planned or nominal study time is 40 hours per week, students spend on average only 33 hours per week on their study, which is the main cause of study delay. By and large students do not seem to worry too much about study duration. Bachelor's programme In the courses the main principles are explained. The digestion mainly has to take place in the guided self-study courses which are set up in close association with the lectures and give the teacher valuable feedback. A DBL project can start some time after the course has been finished, can run in parallel or even occasionally precedes a course to prepare the student. Sometimes, however, students as well as teachers experience some constraints in mastering the necessary course material before it is to be applied in a project. However, stresses are alleviated by the relaxed atmosphere and the easy contacts between students and teachers. To make sure that students are adequately equipped for a DBL project, specific entry requirements in terms of the number of courses/projects passed must be satisfied before taking part in DBL project. Master's programme According to the students, completing the elective courses (33 EC) within ½ year is impaired by the scheduling of courses by the University, making it extremely difficult to complete the Master's programme within the nominal two years. However, all international students complete their Master's programme within two years. The possibility to start Master's courses prior to graduation from the Bachelor's programme increases the flexibility as well as the feasibility to remain within the nominal study time 6. Organising an internship abroad is a time-consuming exercise in itself, and in addition many students combine an internship with one or two months of holidays in the same country. This delays the study progress. The score for this facet is: Satisfactory. F8: Intake The structure and contents of the programme are in line with the qualifications of the students that embark on the degree course: Bachelor s degree at a University (WO): VWO (pre-university education), propaedeutic certificate from a University of Professional Education (HBO) or similar qualifications, as demonstrated in the admission process. Master s degree at a University (WO): bachelor s degree and possibly selection (on contents of the subject). Bachelor There is a serious and two-fold problem with the basic education level of students entering from high school (vwo): a) a lack of knowledge and understanding of basic mathematics, and b) a lack of familiarity with a learning and working culture. 6 However, the absence of a hard cut between Bachelor and Master programmes hampers the student s mobility between the two. 28 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

29 The lack of knowledge and understanding of basic mathematics is tackled by a mathematics test and a compulsory course for those failing it (the majority). The lack of familiarity with a learning and working culture is tackled by a close follow-up and coaching in the first semester and the first year. The innovative use of computer-based learning could be of benefit to all the 3TUs with this problem. The appointment of a vwo information officer who is at the same time 1st year coordinator (former vwo coordinator) is a very positive action. Master In general, adequate measures are taken by the University to realise a smooth transition, i.e. a transition programme of at most six months for Bachelor graduates from another engineering programme or from related fields like Applied Physics and Industrial Design. With the introduction of minors (for the 3TUs as from 2006), Bachelor's students from other courses can tune their programme towards admission to the Master ME programme. A bridging programme is available for students who have successfully passed one of a selected number of programmes from a polytechnic (hbo). After having successfully passed the bridging programme, such students can start a personalised ME Master's programme lasting 2 years. Admission of foreign students is checked through assessments of the Master's Admissions Committee. F9: Duration The degree course complies with formal requirements regarding the size of the curriculum: Bachelor of a University (WO): 180 credits as a rule. Master of a University (WO): a minimum of 60 credits, dependent on the relevant degree course. The Bachelor's curriculum has a study load of 180 European Credits (one EC nominally corresponds to 28 hours of study) and a nominal study duration of 3 years. The Master's curriculum has a study load of 120 EC and a nominal study duration of 2 years. The curriculum sizes of the Bachelor's and Master's programmes are in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). In some cases students take more than the nominal number of EC: for example the basic mathematics course in the 1 st year and additional elective courses in view of the Master's thesis. The size of the Bachelor and Master curricula comply with the ECTS requirements. The score for this facet is: Satisfactory. F10: Co-ordination of structure and contents of the degree The didactic concepts are in line with the aims and objectives. The teaching methods correspond to the didactic concept. Bachelor The didactic concepts (courses, cases and projects) are in line with the objectives and the contents to be realised through the programme. However, the didactic concepts cause some of the teaching staff to feel overloaded (see Facet 13). Lecture notes as well as international - study books are used. Several video lectures and interactive computer-based courses exist to help students to obtain the required level of knowledge. For example, Matlab courses for first-year students, and Mechanical Engineering and Control courses for second-year students. QANU / Mechanical Engineering 29

30 There is a good balance between lectures, guided self-study and self-study, together comprising about 60% of the study load. Master The project contents of both programmes (Bachelor's and Master's) have been pushed to a point where some lecturers of the Master's programme express their concern about the number of elective courses (33 EC) remaining for the Master's students. This number might be insufficient to cover the necessary contents matter. The Committee shares this concern. To address this concern, the multidisciplinary project (8 EC) has been declared 'open space', and can be filled in with courses as well. This open space introduces some flexibility for the students to tune the programme to their individual needs. As for the internships, special attention is required to maintain a clear and consistent quality level between them. The score for this facet is: Good/Satisfactory F11: Assessments and examinations The system of assessments and examinations provides an effective indication whether the students have reached the learning targets of the course programme or its components. The system of assessments and examinations is effective in checking the learning targets of the course programme and its components. Examination questions are, in principle, reviewed by peers. The DBL assessment consists of two parts: a group assessment and an individual assessment. Feedback is given to the student about those aspects that were good and those that could be improved. The Graduation Committee gives separate marks for six different aspects of the Master's thesis projects. In many cases the final mark is just the average of the 6 topics. However, should the Committee deviate from this method for a specific reason - the application of weighing factors is left to the discretion of the Graduation Committee - the deviation should be motivated to the student and to the Examination Committee. To ensure independent and consistent assessments, formalized rules are applied for the composition of the Graduation Committee. Based on the score of the eight facets above, the topic Programme rates Satisfactory Deployment of staff F12: Requirements for University Teaching is largely provided by researchers who contribute to the development of the subject area. Almost all tenured academic staff, 96% of which has a PhD, are active in a specific research field for at least 40% of their total workload and contribute to education for close to 40% of their workload. In this way they assure the required exchange between research and teaching. The teaching load is almost equally distributed between the Bachelor's and Master's programmes. Strictly speaking, the Bachelor's programme should occupy 60% of the teaching load (180 EC) and the Master's programme 40% (120 EC). The actual distribution corresponds to the more individual nature of education in the Master's programme. 30 QANU / Mechanical Engineering

31 All major ME-related subjects (faculty chairs) are covered by one of the 10 full professors of the ME Department. All of the full professors, except for one professor who was recently appointed, teach at least one subject in the Bachelor's programme. A strong link with the mechanical engineering industry and relevant research institutes is established by the 14 part-time professors who teach at TU/e on the one hand and have their professional basis in industry or carry out research at an institute on the other. F13: Quantity of staff The staff levels are sufficient to ensure that the course is provided to the required standards. The teaching load, expressed in terms of student to staff ratio, increased over the past years to a figure of 29.4 in 2004, based on ME Department staff only (based on total teaching staff input, the student to staff ratio equals 27.4). This increase is entirely due to the number of students attending lectures. The education model of design-based learning (DBL) adopted - students working in project groups on realistic case studies is an attractive concept to enable students to attain the required qualifications. However, it puts a relatively heavy teaching load on the staff. Hence, although the TU/e student to staff ratio is the lowest of the three Dutch universities of technology and seems adequate, signs of overloading of the teaching staff become visible - at the expense of research activities. Another cause of the perception of overloading is the uneven distribution of students over the chairs. The Committee notes that, if the distribution of academic staff across the chairs is not going to be carefully managed, some staff might become overloaded by the demanding teaching task in combination with their research activities. The score for the quantity of staff is: Satisfactory. F14: Quality of staff The staff is sufficiently qualified to ensure that the aims regards contents, didactics and organization of the course programme are achieved. The Committee noticed great enthusiasm and dedication to teaching among the staff. Very selective appointment procedures are applied for full professors and part-time professors from industry (e.g. from Philips, TNO) as well as for the recruitment of new young staff members and PhDs. Regular evaluation and appraisal of staff and course evaluations are at the heart of the quality control of staff and teaching. Regular training and sabbaticals further contribute to the high quality of the staff. The teaching process is supported internally by the Mechanical Engineering Educational Institute (OIW) and externally by the Educational Service Centre (OSC). The latter provides training of teaching skills for lecturers. The score for the quality of staff is: Good. Based on the score of the three facets above, the topic Deployment of staff rates Satisfactory. QANU / Mechanical Engineering 31

32 Facilities and provisions F15: Material facilities The accommodation and material facilities are sufficient to implement the programme. The students have access to the buildings during normal working hours. The central library is open from 08:30 till 22:30 h during weekdays. Master students can obtain, upon their request, a permit to access their laboratory during weekdays until 23:00 h. Students experience the space for lectures and self-study as cramped. Too small a number of team rooms is available. The lecture rooms are noisy and crowded, particularly in the first year, because the initial estimate of the number of students attending a course is often too low. Also, the canteen is experienced as limited in space. Lecturers confirm the poorly ventilated and limited space per student. The crowding has been noticed, and the Department is playing an active role in the new master plan 2020 for the whole campus. More than other departments of TU/e, the ME Department has upgraded its educational facilities from its own budget. Examples are the new Student Project Laboratory, the increase of the number of DBL rooms and the recent make-over of the ME DBL rooms. In 2007, another 5 million renovation is scheduled. It should be noted here that a substantial increase in the number of first-year students is expected at the technical universities in the Netherlands. The research laboratories and experimental facilities for Bachelor as well as for Master students are very well kept, up to date, and suitable for education. In the first year each student is provided with a laptop on the basis of an attractive offer made with the help of the faculty. All the necessary software for study purposes is installed on the laptop, and an efficient helpdesk for computer support exists. The laptop acquired during the first year is not suitable to run specialized software during the Master's programme. Hence, the computing facilities of the research groups provide Master's students with up-to-date software and equipment. Students show great appreciation for StudyWeb, the electronic learning environment that in many cases acts as a portal which links to information elsewhere on the web. StudyWeb is also a way to record lecture notes so students can 're-attend' a class afterwards. The score for this facet is: Satisfactory/Good. F16: Student support and guidance The student support and guidance, as well as the information given to students are adequate for the purpose of students progress. The student support and guidance, as well as the information given to students meet the requirements of the students. In the first year, and in particular in the first semester, students are coached very closely. During the first year the study coach meets with each student at least 3 times. Meetings with the study coach in the second and later years are at the student's request. The study coaches are DBL leaders and experienced staff. DBL motivates students to finish their courses because of the logical sequence of specific courses followed by a DBL case. The guided self-study is performed in groups of 20 to 30 students and one lecturer. Students who attend, highly appreciate the guided self-study. Students are obliged to maintain a study portfolio. Tutors do have access to the portfolio of students they coach. Others have to be granted access to a portfolio by the student. Extra exams are possible for students who missed or failed an examination. Students can be assisted by the study advisor or the tutor at all times. 32 QANU / Mechanical Engineering