System Integration in Education

Abstract

Today's universities perform many functions within many highly integrated systems. One of these functions within the system of an institution for higher learning is the transfer of sufficient and practical knowledge to undergraduate students so that, upon graduation, they are ready to begin technical careers. This function has come under fire lately for not effectively preparing graduates for professional careers. The typical response to this type of criticism is to attempt to find and implement more effective knowledge transfer mechanisms. While this may have some effect, it is hypothesized that this treatment ignores many of the true sources of the problem.The objective of this thesis is to develop a procedure that can be used to integrate the effects and capabilities of each of the university's systems toward the design of a superior education program. This is to be accomplished with the study of this multifunctional and integrated multi-system university and subsequent application of the Systems Engineering approach to the design of a total, integrated, systems-wide design process. This process can then be applied to the design of any of the undergraduate hard science programs. This thesis demonstrates the application of this process to the undergraduate Chemical Engineering program.