Practical example of technical college's engineering education through external contest

Abstract

KTC (Kanazawa Technical College) has continued to investigate advanced engineering education as CDIO initiative member. In fact, several improvements were made in experiment classes and graduate studies based on CDIO concepts; Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate. In this paper, a new engineering education trial through an external contest is introduced. The CDIO concept is extremely activism and it is considered that engineering education based on CDIO could be carried out more effectively by practical experience trough external contests such as Robocon. This time the Micro Hydro Power Generation Idea Contest was experimentally selected for the Electrical and Electronic Engineering department at KTC. The results showed that the contest contained plenty of CDIO elements. The students experienced irreplaceable activities that considered real regional needs, and as a result their various skills and thoughtfulness grew noticeably. Therefore, it was concluded that participation in external contests is very effective for CDIO initiative conscious engineering education. It is also necessary for educators to work with companies, municipalities and citizens to prepare many contests as a field of growth for students.