INTEGRATED SYSTEMS DESIGN EDUCATION

Integrated Systems Design refers to the design, development and integration of products and systems. Central to successful ISD is the co-ordination and incorporation of contributions from many professions and technologies. This presents challenges for organisations in the composition and supporting of integrated systems. One challenge is that many engineering graduates enter industry with little or no explicit knowledge of ISD and systems thinking. This in turn results in reduced organisational efficiency and increased post employment training. The hypothesis is simple; provide engineering students with ISD principles and you will provide organisations with graduates who can contribute to industry quicker. The Royal Academy of Engineering appointed a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, with the overall aim to produce a pilot scheme integrating systems design education into engineering programmes. This paper charts the key project findings, beginning with a review of ISD practice within industry and academia. From this review, an analysis matrix was developed and piloted allowing Universities to analyse the extent ISD is being taught and identify gaps in knowledge.