Benchmarking and QFD Joint application to the development of engineering courses

In this paper, we describe a first approach to a comprehensive program of applied research, with the ultimate aim of establishing a methodology for the design of engineering courses in the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IPS). The first step (pilot case) was to design a script to compare mechanical engineering courses in a limited number of higher education institutions (HEI). Meanwhile a literature research was performed aiming to identify proven methods to design and develop courses. Previous research led us to select the QFD (Quality Function Deployment) methodology.
The second step was to collect information through personal visits to two HEI´s. One is offering a course of 120 ECTS and two years. The students have the opportunity to obtain the degree in mechanical engineering through an additional year, totalling 180 ECTS. The other one is offering a mechanical engineering degree with 240 ECTS and four years. The IPS is offering a mechanical engineering degree with 180 ECTS and three years.
The third step is to deepen the information about the contents of the CU´s (curriculum units), the evaluation of the total load of students and the detailed application of QFD todesign some courses. A fourth step will be focus in the use of QFD to validate the whole syllabus of a course.

Filipe José Didelet Pereira has PhD, MSc and BSc degrees in Mechanical Engineering and is an Associate Professor (Professor Coordenador) at Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Setubal
Polytechnics. He was for several years a Maintenance Engineering Coordinator and Supervisor in the chemical industry. His main scientific areas of research are reliability prediction of flow and thermal equipment by means of mathematical and functional models and maintenance and mathematical modelling for process equipment. He has several publications in the precedent areas.
José Filipe Castanheira Pereira Antunes Simões, BEng MPhil PhD. Lecturer in the scientific area of Technology and Industrial Organization, Mechanical Engineering Department, at Setúbal School of Technology /Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal.

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Engineering; Course; Design, Benchmarking