21世纪美国高等工程教育面临的主要问题及应对政策分析

Analysis on the Main Problems and Countermeasures of U.S Higher Engineering Education in the 21st Century

进入21世纪,美国高等工程教育面临学生"逃离工程"、教育脱离工程实践、本土高层次工程人才培养数量短缺及工程教育结构与社会产业发展对接不够等突出问题。美国政府采取了变革性应对政策:注重K-12工程教育与高等工程教育的衔接、实施学生保留及工程素养培养计划、出台资助法案激励本土青年攻读工程类研究生、调整高等工程教育人才培养方案、鼓励大学与政府及产业界联合培养工程人才。其政策效应已显现,高等工程教育入学率、保留率和毕业率持续提高,学生的工程素养得到提升,本土工程研究生数量逐渐增多,高等工程教育结构与社会产业发展需求匹配度增强。

In the 21st century,the main problems in U.S.higher engineering education were as follows:students’ escape from engineering,engineering education divorced from practice,shortage of local high-level engineering talents,and insufficient connection between education structure and social industry development.The U.S took some countermeasures:focusing on the cohesion between k-12 engineering education and higher engineering education,implementing student retention and engineering literacy training programs,promoting financial legislation to encourage local youth to pursue graduate studies,adjusting engineering education programs,and encouraging universities to jointly train engineering talents with the government and industry.The countermeasure have some effects:the enrollment rate,retention rate and graduation rate of higher engineering education have continuously improved,the engineering literacy of students has improved,the number of local engineering postgraduates has gradually increased,and the structure of higher engineering education has better matched with the development needs of social industries.