Developing merged CDIO based curricula for diploma (B.Eng.) IT study programs at DTU

Starting 2007, the Danish government drew up a new map of universities through a process of mergers of a number of universities and research institutions (UFM 2007), as part of the national innovation strategy. In the beginning of 2013, the Engineering College Copenhagen (IHK, now DTU Ballerup) merged with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Lyngby).

The goal of the merger was to educate ever more innovative diploma engineers to fulfill the needs by Danish industry through combining a practice-oriented development environment and a research-oriented environment. Merging a university with an engineering college implies merging two different cultures: established teaching staff, different study lines; a difficult undertaking at best.

Existing study lines must be merged, overlaps and differences identified and handled, and in general a common understanding and language must be established. The two institutions represented before the merger well 3500 B.Eng. students. The goal of the merger was to combine the best of the existing educations rooted in a practice-oriented development environment and a research-oriented environment.

At the same time, the merger was supposed to contribute to the national innovation strategy. In this paper we describe the process of developing new, merged B.Eng curricula in the IT field (Diploma IT), as part of the merger between DTU Lyngby and IHK. Particular attention will be given to the following subjects: • The design process used to develop the new merged study programs; • Involvement of stakeholders in designing the new curricula; • Introduction of a common interdisciplinary innovation course in the programs; and • Education of teaching staff: Integration into one organization.