ICEE:
International Conference on Engineering Education

Engineering schools in regions around the world are engaging in a critical and comprehensive examination of their undergraduate and graduate education systems. In order to meet the development needs of the 21st Century, new efforts have been implemented that seek to improve the quality of the education experience for students. Among the many issues of concem are the application of information technology as a teaching aid, hands-on experience for undergraduate students, and distance and life-long learning. Unlike past engineering education reforms, the current activities have involved an increasingly wide range of engineering schools around the world working in partnership with each other, and with industry, government, and professional organizations. These efforts are put in place in recognition of the need for a structural change in how and what engineering students should be taught.

The collaborative or partnership approach in engineering education is central to many of the ongoing efforts. Examples include the engineering education coalitions that began in the United States in the early 1990s. Similar programs have been initiated in other nations.

Organized as an information exchange forum, ICEE also emphasizes the importance of advancing the state of the art through collaboration, partnership and networking. It is a conference series that highlights the worldwide progress and experiences in engineering education; it is also a platform for creating mutually beneficial collaborative efforts.

Accordingly, ICEE is usually organized around a two part format: a traditional 2-3 days conference followed by a 1-2 days international workshop to discuss future cross-regional collaboration efforts in education and research. Regular stand-up presentations of papers, as well as poster sessions are a part of the conference. Participation from academia, industry and government representatives are welcome. Keynote remarks by leaders in engineering and technology are a regular feature. Booths for conference-related exhibits may also be arranged for sponsors and attendees.

Funds for hosting ICEE usually come from government, industry and other sponsors. Income from conference registration fees is another important source of income. The budget for each conference is the responsibility of the hosting institution.

While each ICEE is identified with the host institution and city but not with the country, the venue is rotated to different regions of the world, so that the same region will not play host more than once every five years when eligible and willing hosting institutions are available.

ICEE is led by an International Steering Committee. In coordination with the iNEER Board, the Committee reviews general procedure and policy for ICEE, including proposals for conference sponsorship. The Committee meets twice a year, once during the ICEE and again in the following autumn.

As of December, 2000, the following ICEEs have been convened or are being planned:

ICEE	1994:	Taipei
	1995:	Taipei
	1997:	Chicago/Carbondale
	1998:	Rio de Janeiro
	1999:	Ostrava/Prague
	2000:	Taipei/Tainan
	2001:	Oslo/Telemark
	2002:	Manchester
	2003:	Valencia
	2004:	Gainesville
	2005:	Krakow (tentative)

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