Some observations on ssme academic programs based on the cdio approach

Then, results of a benchmarking survey of experts’ opinion on how core modules in SSME disciplines meet different levels of learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach are analyzed.. To

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON SSME ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

BASED ON THE CDIO APPROACH

Nguyễn Thanh Tuna Dr.

In te rn a tio n a l S ch o o l, V N U H anoi, V ie tn a m

Nguyễn Hải Thanh, Asso Prof.

In te rn a tio n a l S ch o o l, V N U H anoi, V ie tn a m

Abstract

SSME (Service Science, Management and Engineering) is a new m ulti-disciplinary effort that integrates aspects of established fields such as operations research, engineering, m anagement sciences, business strategy, social and cognitive sciences, computer science, and legal sciences to train business prospective leaders for a service mindset CDIO (Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate) is conceptual design, implementation and operation, which is originated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) Basically, CDIO is a solution to improve the quality of training to meet social requirements determined on the basis of outcomes o f academic programs

In this paper, first, SSME concepts and principles of the CDIO approach are reviewed Then, results of a benchmarking survey of experts’ opinion on how core modules in SSME disciplines meet different levels

of learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach are analyzed Next, two SSME-related B.Sc programs, namely B.Sc (Information System Management) program in the Singapore Management University and B.Sc (Business Information Management) program in the University of Industry, HỒ Chi Minh City, Vietnam are observed Finally, a possible proposal on design and implementation o f a SSME academic program based on the CDIO approach at VNU-IS is discussed

K e yw o rd s: SSME, CDIO, academic program, benchmarking survey

1 WHAT IS SSME?

Services now represent 80% o f the USA economy According to IBM, China’s service sector has grown 191% during the last 25 years and now makes up about 35% of the nation’s economy And services account for more than 50% o f the economies in countries such as Brazil, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the UK Because of their importance, services, their development, and their delivery have become popular discussion topics at universities and corporations This has led to the development of services science, a discipline concerned with finding ways to increase productivity and innovation in services- related industries and tasks by applying scientific means and methods Universities throughout the world - most notably in North America, Europe, and Australia - are offering courses and graduate-level certification in service science, with the long-term goal of establishing academic degree programs [9] Famous universities, such as the USA’s Massachusetts Institute o f Technology and University of California, Berkeley, Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Federate de Lausanne, Italy’s Bocconi School of Management, and the UK's University of Manchester, are investigating service studies [9]

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Companies, including Accenture, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Hewlett-Packard, and IBM are researching the discipline’s benefits and supporting the development of workers with skills in computer technology and other fields, such as management science, organization theory, technology management, engineering, and the social sciences However, as a formal discipline, services science is so new that many researchers are working hard to know exactly what it is

SSME means Service Science, Management, and Engineering [16], [17], [18] SSME basically is to improve productivity, quality, performance, compliance, growth, and learning in co-production relationships It applies scientific, management, and engineering disciplines for one organization beneficially performs fo r services

Service innovation is very important concept in SSME There is socio-technical systems theory in service innovation A fram ework for describing and explaining the relationship between technical and non­ technical elements in a work organization, based upon systems theory and the observation that technology and human are interdependent in achieving organizational performance

There are key factors fo r service innovations: Science & Engineering - technical innovation, Social Sciences - social-organizational innovation, Business Administration and Managem ent - business innovation, Global Economy & Markets - demand innovation [5], [12], [13]

SSME is so important today because the world is becoming flat and networked, dependent on information and information technology Science needs to provide tools and methods to study services and develop solutions to problems that span multiple disciplines Graduates may be solution designers, consultants, engineers, scientists, and managers who will grow into becoming entrepreneurs, executives, researchers, and practitioners [5], [12], [13]

Services are the largest part of the USA economy and fastest growing sectors in developing countries In more details, GDP growth depends on companies’ ability to earn revenue and make profits Revenue and

multidisciplinary skills Multidisciplinary skills depend on getting students and employees trained in service science

http://www.research.ibm.com/ssme/influencers.shtml Í161 ri71, f181

IBM needs better trained people: services professionals & researchers IBM also needs more knowledge about sustainable service innovation techniques Innovation is the key to value creation and capture, hence the key to sustainable business advantage Besides, it is vital that IBM implements systematic methods for studying and creating knowledge about service systems: investment in science & research pays in new knowledge [16], [17], [18]

More literature on w hat Service Science and SSME are can be found at [1], [4], [7], [8], [10], [11], [19] and

[20].

2 THE CD SO APPROACH

2.1 CDIO framework

CDIO is an initialism for Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate The CDIO Initiative is an innovative educational fram ework fo r producing the next generation of engineers The CDIO concept was originally

conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the late 1990's In 2Q00, MIT in collaboration with three Swedish universities -C h a lm e rs University of Technology, Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology - formally founded the CDIO Initiative It became an international collaboration, with universities around the world adopting the same fram ework [21]

CDiO collaborators recognize that an engineering education is acquired over a iong period and in a variety of institutions, and that educators in all parts of this spectrum can learn from practice elsewhere The CDIO network therefore welcomes members in a diverse range of institutions ranging from research- led internationally acclaimed universities to local colleges dedicated to providing students with their initial grounding in engineering The collaborators maintain a dialogue about w hat works and what does not and continue to refine the project Determining additional members of the collaboration is a selective process managed by a council comprising original members and early adopters [22]

Initially, CDIO was developed fo r engineering education "to educate students who are able to Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate complex, value-added engineering products, processes and systems in a modern, team-based environment” [2], [3] The framework provides students with an education stressing engineering fundam entals set in the context o f Conceiving - Designing - Implementing - Operating real- world systems and products Throughout the world, CDIO Initiative collaborators have adopted CDIO as the fram ework of their curricular planning and outcome-based assessment In Vietnam, several higher education institutions have adopted the CDIO approach with the aims to develop learning outcomes for their undergraduate and graduate training programs other than engineering education [15]

2.2 CDIO based curriculum

CDIO is an innovative education model that initially aims at three overall goals of educating students to be able to [3]:

- Master a deeper working knowledge of technical fundamentals;

- Lead in the creation and operation o f new products, processes, and systems;

- Understand the importance and strategic impact of research and technological development on society

To create a CDIO based curriculum, it is essential to follow standard 2 of the CDIO approach which sets

“specific, detailed learning outcomes for personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process and system building skills, as well as disciplinary knowledge, consistent with program goals and validated by program stakeholders” Essentially, it can be understood that the CDIO curriculum bases upon the society demands

A CDIO based curriculum is a list of knowledge, skills and attitudes rationalized against the norms of contemporary engineering practice, comprehensive of all known skills lists, and reviewed by experts in many fields In this light the learning outcomes of a CDIO-based curriculum consist o f four expectations of competence required by stakeholders that an engineering undergraduate student should possess or achieve when he/she leaves the university (see Figure 1):

- Technical knowledge and reasoning;

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- Personal and professional skills and attributes;

- Interpersonal skills;

- CDIO in social and enterprise context

Figure 1 Four learning outcome blocks

4 CDIO

1, Technical Knowledge

and Reasoning

2, Personal & Professional Skills & Attributes

3 Interpersonal ' Skills: Teamwork and Communication

Of these, the first three blocks of competence are the foundation to create the CDIO (conceive, design, implement and operate) competence for each engineer upon graduation [23]

In more detailed the four blocks of a CDIO based curriculum for engineering education can be specified

as shown in Box 1 [23]

B ox 1 A CDIO based curriculum for engineering education

1 TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND REASONING

1.1 KNOWLEDGE OF UNDERLYING SCIENCES

KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE

2 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND

ATTRIBUTES

SOLVING

2.1.1 Problem Identification and Formulation

2.1.2 Modeling

2.1.3 Estimation and Qualitative Analysis

2.1.4 Analysis With Uncertainty

3.2.3 Written Communication 3.2.4 Electronic/Multimedia Communication 3.2.5 Graphical Communication

Communications 3.3 COMMUNICATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES 3.3.1 English

3.3.2 Languages of Regional Industrial Nations 3.3.3 Other languages

4 CONCEIVING, DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING, AND OPERATING SYSTEMS IN THE ENTERPRISE AN SOCIETAL CONTEXT

4.1 EXTERNAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT 4.1.1 Roles and Responsibility of Engineers

2.1.5 Solution and Recommendation

DISCOVERY

2.2.1 Hypothesis Formulation

2.2.2 Survey of Print and Electronic Literature

2.2.3 Experimental Inquiry

2.2.4 Hypothesis Test, and Defense

2.3 SYSTEM THINKING

2.3.1 Thinking Holistically

2.3.2 Emergence and Interactions in Systems

2.3.3 Prioritization and Focus

2.3.4 Trade-offs, Judgment and Balance in Resolution

2.4 PERSONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

2.4.1 Initiative and Willingness to Take Risks

2.4.2 Perseverance and Flexibility

2.4.3 Creative Thinking

2.4.4 Critical Thinking

2.4.5 Awareness of One’s Personal Knowledge, Skills,

and Attitudes

4.1.2 The Impact of Engineering on Society 4.1.3 Society’s Regulation of Engineering 4.1.4 The Historical and Cultural Context 4.1.5 Contemporary Issues and Values 4.1.6 Developing a Global Perspective 4.2 ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS CONTEXT 4.2.1 Appreciating Different Enterprise Cultures 4.2.2 Enterprise strategy, Goals, and Planning 4.2.3 Technical Entrepreneurship

4.2.4 Working Successfully in Organizations 4.3 CONCEIVING AND ENGINEERING SYSTEMS 4.3.1 Setting System Goals and Requirements 4.3.2 Defining Function, Concept and Architecture 4.3.3 Modeling of System and Insuring Goals Can Be Met

4.3.4 Development Project Management 4.4 DESIGNING

4.4.1 The Design Process 4.4.2 The Design Process Phasing and Approaches

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2.4.7 Time and Resource Management

2.5 PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

2.5.1 Professional Ethics, Integrity, Responsibility, and

Accountability

2.5.2 Professional Behavior

2.5.3 Proactively Planning for One’s Career

2.5.4 Staying Current on World of Engineering

3 INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: TEAMWORK AND

COMMUNICATION

3.1 TEAMWORK

4.4.3 Utilization of Knowledge in Design 4.4.4 Disciplinary Design

4.4.5 Multidisciplinary Design 4.4.6 Multi-Objective Design (DFX) 4.5 IMPLEMENTING

4.5.1 Designing the Implementation Process 4.5.2 Hardware Manufacturing Process 4.5.3 Software Implementing Process 4.5.4 Hardware Software Integration 4.5.5 Test, Verification, Validation, and Certification

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3.1.1 Forming Effective Teams 4.5.6 Implementation Management

3 A BENCHMARKING SURVEY ON HOW CORE MODULES IN SSME DISCIPLINES MEET DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES BASED ON THE CDIO APPROACH

There are 7 core modules in SSME disciplines [17], [18]:

Services

Systems

Management, Marketing, and Operations

Productivity and Innovation

Methods

Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations

Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action

Services module discusses the emerging importance of services in economies and movement towards a

global service economy Besides, customers as co-producers o f value and elements o f innovation (e.g.,

clients, business models, technology, and people) are on the focus of research Furthermore, how the emerging field of SSME brings together the disciplines such as com puter science, operations research, industrial engineering, business strategy, management sciences, social and cognitive sciences) is also concerned

System module discusses general types of systems (e.g., natural, manufactured, socio-technological) and services being socio-technological systems Also, co-production as the service system differentiator and value in a service system are topics to be discussed

Management, Marketing, and Operation module discusses management, market, and operations considerations that are specific to services Furthermore, strategic planning, policies to empower, and measurements also are additional topics

Productivity and Innovation module discusses measurement challenges, resistance to productivity, engineering and interpretive models and people

Methods module includes considerations for the use o f methods in the services lifecycle from engagement through solutions design and delivery, introduction to the use of methods in services, discussion of the spectrum of pure invention to automation, as well as why methods can be valuable and how methods are applied and possible limitations

Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations focuses on how supply chain principles and processes are at w ork in service operations

Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action module reviews the motivations for creating SSME and begins to explore what could be considered interesting problems for future service research It includes some suggestions for institutions and policy makers

In order to benchmark a SSME academic program / curriculum, the following approach can be of use [24], W e have recently conducted a benchmarking survey on how core modules in SSME disciplines meet different levels o f learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach Am ongst 14 interviewees sampled for the survey, 11 have Ph.D degree and the other 3 have M.Sc degree in the field of

Departments/Faculties of IT/Computing Science from different universities in Vietnam Each of interviewees was asked to fill up a table with 7 rows and 4 columns to rate a suitability level (from 1 to 5)

of a core module of SSME disciplines with respect to the 4 learning outcomes based on the CDIO approach The results of the survey are summarized in Table 1

The table shows the summary ratings of SSME core modules based on the CDIO approach The vertical axis is SSME core modules proposed by IBM The horizontal axis is CDIO components Ratings are from

1 to 5 Rating 1 means “not suitable" and rating 5 means “very suitable" Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviation o f the data As can be seen from the data, the most suitable module for the CDIO model is Methods module (3.96) while Service module is the least suitable module (3.46)

Table 1 also shows that all SSME modules most support "Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” component (4.04), while these modules are not very helpful for the

“Interpersonal Skills: Teamwork and Communication" (3.39)

The data from the survey also compare the performance of each SSME module versus each CDIO component

Services module is very helpful for “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” com ponent (4), but it does not seem suitable for “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning” component (2.35)

Systems module supports all CDIO components quite well within the range (3.07, 3.21, 3.92, 4.07)

Management, Marketing, and Operations module is not much related to “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning" but the rating is reasonable fo r other components (higher than 3)

Productivity and Innovation module is related to all components well, especially with “Technical Knowledge and Reasoning" and “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise" (4 and 4.07 respectively)

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Table 1 The benchmarking survey sum m ary results

Thanh Tùng, Nguyễn Hải Thanh, Nguyễn Thanh Tùng, Phạm Nhật Minh, Trần Đức Quỳnh, Nguyễn Văn Định,

Võ Đinh Hiếu, Nguyễn Tuấn Dũng

Rating 1-5 (1; not suitable, 5: very suitable)

CDIO

Components

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND

REASONING

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICA-TION

CONCEIVING, DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING, AND OPERATING SYSTEMS

IN THE ENTERPRISE AN SOCIETAL CONTEXT

Average score

Core Modules

Management,

Marketing, and

Operations

Productivity

and Innovation

Developing

Supply Chains

to Support

Service

Operations

Challenges,

Frameworks,

and Call to

Action

Methods module highly supports all components (higher than 4) except “ Interpersonal Skills: Teamwork and Communication”

Developing Supply Chains to Support Service Operations module is most suitable to “Conceiving, Designing, Implementing, and Operating Systems in the Enterprise” (4.14)

Challenges, Frameworks, and Call to Action module is not very suitable to any CDIO component (all below 4)

It is also of interest to evaluate the consistency of the data from the survey There are total 28 items which are taken the mean and the standard deviation O f these items, there are only 3 items having the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean (variation coefficient) greater than 0.25 On average, the ratio is 0.18 The results show that the variation of the raw data taken is quite small and the survey evaluation is quite consistent

4 OBSERVATIONS OF TWO SSME-RELATED B.sc PROGRAMS (ISM AND BIS)

4 1 B.sc (In fo rm a tio n s y s te m m a n a g e m e n t) p ro g ra m an d its n e w s e rv ic e s y s te m s &

s o lu tio n s tra c k in th e S in g a p o re M a n a g e m e n t U n iv e rs ity

Over the past five years, School of Information Systems (SIS) from SMU has been pioneering new educational approaches right at the intersection o f information technology, IT solutions and business needs The B.Sc (ISM) Program offered by SIS is built upon three foundation pillars [25]:

- Foundations and applications of information systems technology and information systems management in the context of business

- Exposure to complex, real-world business problems and processes, which teach IT in the context of business by using numerous real-world business scenarios in course discussion and assignments

- Cross training in business, management or social science areas through foundation, core courses and electives offered by the other SMU schools, and through 2nd major options

The structure of the B.Sc (ISM) Program with new Service Systems & Solutions Track shows that all 7 core modules of SSME disciplines can be built and integrated effectively and efficiently as B.Sc (ISM) program with a 2nd major [26] (see Figure2)

4.1.1 Information technology & system block (16 courses)

- The Information Systems Foundation courses emphasize the critical thinking and technology skills to create information systems for business solutions Students with prior background may apply to sit for waiver tests to qualify for exemptions from several of these IS foundation courses

- Courses on Information Systems Advanced Topics equip students with the capability to define, design and deploy robust and secure IS systems fo r businesses The concepts o f analysis, integration, architecture and enterprise-wide systems, as well as the development o f communication skills are emphasized

- The IS Application Project enables the B.Sc (IS Management) undergraduate students to develop the additional depth and experience required to become a Business IT professional It allows a hands-on opportunity to apply IT solutions to problems either via industry or functional business areas Industries may range from financial services, logistics & supply chain, to healthcare services; while functional business areas refer to accounting, economics, finance, marketing, operations to name a few

- IS Depth Electives provide students with the opportunity to explore IS Technology and IS Management issues in greater depth Eiectives are reviewed regularly and new ones offered as

appropriate

Figure 2 The structure o f the B.Sc (ISM) Program with new Service Systems & Solutions Track

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SMU Foundation Courses

•Calculus

■ Inlrodiictary Economics

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2ni Major Courses

University Core

■ Analytical Stolls & Creative Thinking

■ Business/Government & Society

■ Management Communication

• EthicsS Social Responsibility

• Leadership a Team Building

■ Te:hm!ogy & Worlo ữangé

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4.1.2 Business management and application block (8 to 10 courses)

theories, concepts and working tools essential in the modern business environment They lay the

groundwork for a better understanding of the roles that technology plays in today's businesses These

courses include 2 compulsory courses and 4 electives that broaden and deepen students' understanding

of business fundamentals Students will choose the electives from the lists of core courses offered by the

other schools of SMU for their concentrations