The Beta Coalition: regional collaboration between 2-year and 4-year engineering colleges

In response to numerous studies of engineering education, most recently “Engineering Education for a Changing World”: the report of a joint project of the Engineering Deans Council and the Corporate Roundtable, and ABET's “Engineering Criteria 2000” by which programs will be evaluated in the future, NSF has provided extensive funding through the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, enabling coalitions of leading engineering schools to develop prototypes of the new undergraduate engineering program. The common theme for these collaboration efforts is to create a logical development of the subject material that assists students in mastering key concepts and using design activities to bridge between subjects and develop interest in engineering. The use of sophisticated instructional technology permits the coalition partners to create products, which can be transferred to other institutions. The Beta Coalition, recently established by the Watson School at Binghamton University, USA, and the Department of Engineering Science at Broome Community College, will facilitate this transfer