How to teach electronics packaging technology?

The preparation of engineers for the 21st century's requirements of rapidly developing information technology as well as microelectronics and electronics packaging technology is a real challenge for education. An approach that teaches electronics packaging technology and associated topics, providing lecture courses, lab sessions and independent research studies supported by a prototype manufacturing environment can hopefully achieve the main goals. Supporting projects are also essential for the department in order to develop the prototyping laboratories. From a teaching viewpoint, the advanced educational structure and the application of appropriate didactic methods has great importance. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics retained both the electronics and the technical informatics topics in the curriculum that enables teaching of both topics on a wider horizon. The curriculum has three levels. In the first semester, natural sciences and computer programming are taught. In the middle of the curriculum, emphasis is laid on the core knowledge of electronics and information technology. In the final semester, specific courses are organized to teach current information on selected subjects. The teaching of electronics packaging technology meets the requirements of this three-level approach. A method developed by the Department of Electronics Technology (BME-ETT) is also demonstrated which makes education in electronics packaging technology more efficient.