Challenges of the biomedical engineering education in Europe

Abstract

Higher education in Europe has passed through a very dynamic period of changes during the last ten years. Since the signing of the Bologna Declaration in 1999 by the Ministers of Education from the EU states, European higher education system has aimed toward establishing harmonized programs enabling students and teachers to extensively exchange knowledge, ideas and skills. Education in the field of Biomedical Engineering has experienced changes also because of the research and development in the field which was more intensive than in other fields. Besides research in new power sources, it is the most intensive and productive research field. Much of the development in BME education in Europe is influenced by the European research policy expressed through the 7th Framework Programme where health is the major theme. In order to foster and support the changes in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) according to the needs of research sector and the labor market, the Tempus scheme of projects was established. Tempus scheme aims to support the modernization of higher education and create an area of co-operation in the countries surrounding the EU. Our Tempus project, CRH-BME "Curricula Reformation and Harmonization in the field of Biomedical Engineering" aims to create guidelines for updating existing curricula in the field of BME in Europe in order to meet recent and future developments in the area, address new emerging interdisciplinary domains that appear as the result of the R&D progress and respond to the BME job market demands. In this paper, some policy and economic factors affecting BME education in Europe are discussed and the results of a BME education survey we prepared within the Tempus CHR-BME project are presented. The number of BME programmes in Europe has in the last decade significantly increased and there are more BME specializations as the result of growing complexity of the research and production in the field.

Promoting harmonization of BME education in Europe: The CRH-BME Tempus project

“…• Engineering and physical sciences (1) Basic engineering and physical sciences (2) Engineering and physical sciences focused on BME applications • Biological and Medical sciences (3) Basic biological and medical sciences (4) Biomedical sciences focused on BME applications • (5) General introduction to BME and BME specialization -compulsory or elective • Transferrable skills (6) Generic skills (verbal and written communications) (7) Ethics (general, medical, research) (8) Management (9) Practical experience -visits to/from companies, clinics, industry or lectures/seminars by relevant staff • (10) BME research project for the thesis The engineering and biological contents of the 5 program types are specified as either basic or focused on BME applications (Applied). The basic categories include topics (or contents) that may be most efficiently presented to, and best absorbed by, the students if taught primarily in a traditional way with only limited direct links to BME applications, which can, however, be exploited to further motivate students.…”

“…Problems that biomedical engineers are expected to solve today vary tremendously and this diversification can only be expected to increase further on with new and rapidly emerging technologies and demands of the health sector. For this reason any BME study program must provide, in addition to a sound BME foundation, specialization elements within a narrow field of BME, which address current and future needs [2].…”

Better understanding of homologous recombination through a 12‐week laboratory course for undergraduates majoring in biotechnology

“…Due to advances in modern molecular biology and biotechnology in recent decades, scientists have been able to explore a wide variety of living systems, leading to an information explosion in many different fields of biology. Importantly, the rapid progress and broad applications of modern life science not only impact our scientific understanding and daily lives, but also pose new challenges to higher education . As textbooks for biology and medicine become increasingly more comprehensive and detailed, the learning outcome at the undergraduate level can be disappointing when students default into patterns of rote learning and content memorization in the absence of genuine understanding.…”

Competencies in Mathematical Modelling Tasks: An Error Analysis

“…New innovations and technological advancements, coupled with a greater awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, create a demand for different knowledge and skills in the biomedical technology industry (Magjarevic, Lackovic, Bliznakov, & Pallikarakis, 2010). This industry-driven mandate requires innovative models of learning.…”

“…This industry-driven mandate requires innovative models of learning. Besides traditional approaches, learning should include: authentic tasks (Harris, Bransford, & Brophy, 2002); problem-oriented learning (Magjarevic et al, 2010); information and communication technology (Mantas, Ammenwerth, Demiris et al, 2010); and small-group collaborations (Khan, Desjardins, Reba, Breazel, & Viktorova, 2013) to enhance problem-solving and decision-making competencies (Huang, 2007). In South Africa (SA), there is scant research on the competencies needed in the biomedical sciences and the specific contribution from the Mathematics discipline.…”