Memo+17

1)Literature Review and archive analysis This study will based on the literature in Comparative Education, Engineering Education, and Personal development. The in depth review of work in these fields will help me to develop a framework for my study. Also, historical documents in education policy, university funding, labor markets, etc. are important in understanding the context of the engineering education at present. 2)Ethnographic Interview My objective interviewees include a broad range of people. As my primary concern, I will interview engineering students at different stages (freshmen, senior students, final year students, graduate students), as a continuation, I will interview engineers in industry to study their retrospect of their educational experiences in colleges. The interview with university faculty will be divided into elementary course instructors, major courses instructors, and social science and humanity instructors. To understand the educational orientation of schools, interviews will be done to the university administrations. I will also interview employers in industry/business to know about their expectations for employees. Interview with educational officers will enrich my understanding of the educational governance and policies. And finally, as an important parameter which influences the objective of students, the attitude of parents will also be collected. 3)Participant Observation To have more concrete experience of the interactions between industry/business and college students, I will participate in some activities such as the lectures given by industry/business leaders on campus, the employment conferences, and the competitions organized/sponsored by companies. 4)Data Analysis The data analysis will combine the emphasis of representation and diversity. Generalized interpretation will be made to depict the structural factors of engineering education, ethnographic cases will also be integrated to maintain diversity.
 * Study Components**