To effectively compete in building knowledge-based economies, Arab countries must invest in producing highly qualified and accredited engineers that can actively engage in the nation’s techincal capacity building. The industry, in recent years, observed graduating students were technically adept but lacked many abilities required in the real-world of engineering situations. There is a growing need for change in engineering education in its shape, contents, objectives, outcomes and socio-economical pertinence and impact. The Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) is an innovative approach to reforming engineering education in the Arab region. With its detailed Standards and Syllabus, the CDIO initiative is adaptable across all engineering disciplines. It has been adopted in more than 120 world-renowned universities. CDIO focuses on building engineering programs of study centered around active and experiential learning experiences for students such as project-based learning, problem-based learning and research-based learning, multidisciplinary knowledge and specific learning outcomes. This keynote address will discuss the essentials of the CDIO initiative in details.
