Rethinking Quantitative Skills in a Data-Driven Society: A View from the Middle East

An examination of undergraduate Engineering programs in a selection of Middle East universities shows how the core of quantitative skills is still dominated by calculus. On the other hand, a flourishing literature emphasizes the increasing significance and pervasiveness of data in the contemporary society. In this work, we speculate about the need for a shift towards an integrated educational model that gives due importance to data-related competencies and exploit the potential offered by modern computer-assisted teaching technologies. We argue that this shift can be an advantage in terms of graduate employability in a fast-changing job market and more generally in an increasing flexibility of future Engineers to face the challenges of a data-driven society.