CDIO: An International Initiative for Reforming Engineering Education

With support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Linkoping University and Chalmers University of Technology of Sweden, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the USA, launched the CDIO Initiative to improve undergraduate engineering education in their countries and, eventually, worldwide. The Initiative is an open-architecture endeavour that is designed to be adaptable and adoptable by any undergraduate engineering programme. In 2002, the Technical University of Denmark joined the Initiative and, in 2003, other schools in Canada, South Afri ca, the United Kingdom and the USA were aligning themselves as well. CDIO is a closely coordinated programme with parallel efforts at participating schools. The Initiative's vision is to provide students with an education that stresses engineering fundamenta ls that are set in the context of Conceiving - Designing - Implementing - Operating (CDIO) real-world systems and products. The article describes the Initiative's launch, progress and impact.