Integrated program descriptions : A tool for communicating goals and design of CDIO programs

• The CDIO syllabus provides a generic platform for writing program goal statements. Specifically, intended learning outcomes for personal and professional skills and attitudes such as communication, teamwork and ethics can be stated by combining a topic from the CDIO syllabus with an appropriate cognitive verb that reflects the desired proficiency. However, a complete program goal statement must also include goals for mathematical, scientific and technical knowledge. Moreover, while a “pure” goal statement may be suitable for and support discussions with external stakeholders such as industry leaders who are not involved in the program design as such, deliberations with internal stakeholders such as faculty and students often need to address both the goals for the program and they way in which they are realized – the program design. In response to these needs, the paper presents a framework which brings together the goals and the design of the program. This achieved by combining the CDIO syllabus and the CDIO curriculum design tools, in a framework that also includes the statement of program-specific goals for disciplinary knowledge. We call this framework integrated program descriptions. In the paper, the contents of these components and the process of implementing them at Chalmers and KTH are discussed. The KTH case involves the CDIO-based Vehicle Engineering program. The Chalmers application spans about 70 engineering programs, both CDIO-based and non-CDIO-based. Benefits and challenges are discussed.

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