Preparing engineering students for the international virtual workplace

The "workplace" for engineering is increasingly at the interface of three environments: the virtual environment, in which designs can be created and explored, with activities that range from interaction via the Internet to 3D visualization and immersion in alternative designs of engineered systems; the product realization environment, in which physical embodiments of designs can be produced and evaluated; and the human environment, in which people work together in face-to-face and virtual teams, the latter often internationally dispersed, to design and implement products and processes. Functioning at the interface of these environments is a challenge that must be met by engineering graduates. We discuss how Stevens is addressing this and also considers issues concerning virtual student teams.