Luleå University of Technology (LTU) joined the CDIO Initiative in 2015, and a pilot project involving four engineering programs is now well underway. Studying this case, it strikes us as interesting that this happens now, as LTU could obviously have joined CDIO at least a decade earlier. In order to understand the internal processes leading to this outcome, key persons are interviewed. The history of other reform approaches at LTU is analysed, in particular the Arena concept, which appears to have hindered LTU from joining CDIO, and the Pedagogical Idea, which is compatible with CDIO and eventually led to the adoption,.
Using the LTU case as illustration the following questions are addressed: - What makes a university likely to adopt a reform approach (in this case CDIO)? - When can different approaches coexist, and when are they perceived to compete (so that one must replace the other)?
Drawing on neo-institutional theory and literature on change in higher education, we consider two mechanisms for innovation: as "local development" and as "ideas and concepts that travel between institutions". In practice, these mechanisms are in dynamic interplay. Ideas and concepts need local ownership if they are to be successfully implemented. Travelling ideas cannot be just copied, but must be interpreted, translated and transformed according to local conditions and needs.
This leads us to explore the relationship between CDIO and LTU Pedagogical Idea. How can a university assume ownership of CDIO and transform it to the context? What aspects of the LTU Pedagogical Idea could be of particular interest to the CDIO community?
Finally, we critically reflect on some limitations of educational reform concepts.
Proceedings of the 12th International CDIO Conference, Turku, Finland, June 12-16 2016