CDIO in Gdansk: People-oriented Strategy

The CDIO system implementation in Poland meets problems and Gdansk University of Technology (GUT) is still a single higher education institution in Poland accepted as the member of CDIO Initiative. The paper detects and characterizes the existing problems to be solved. In particular, the different groups of people are considered as supporters or fighters against CDIO idea, their attitudes being considered and applied strategy demonstrated.

The first supporting group includes industrials, especially owners and leaders of small and medium enterprises. The second group is composed of students, who want to be more industry-oriented, thus possessing more chances for a better appointment. They are especially interested in change in curricula, in team projects, in performing the projects based on their own ideas.

The only group which may be against the CDIO implementation is the academic staff. The main objections appear against two important pillars of CDIO system: team projects and new complex curricula. Those determinants are carefully analyzed and described to the specific work conditions in Poland, like conservative attitudes, law limitations, management and financing problems, bureaucratic problems, shortage of time and staff. The people-oriented strategy involves at GUT, among others: invitation of all deans and faculty members for partnership in CDIO implementation; preparation of 15 Mio Euro worth project; preparation and implementation of a special Faculty Development Program in order to change the attitudes of teachers and make them supporters of the CDIO educational system.

Proceedings of the 9th International CDIO Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 9 – 13, 2013.