25 years of FIE Proceedings: a look through the bookshelf

Summary form only given. The Frontiers in Education (FIE) conference was launched in 1971. As engineering educators, we participate in a process. The notion of a destination is antithetical to what we see as continuous improvement in all phases of our life, including education. The issues of 1971 are similar to the issues of 1995. Issues considered then were educational technology, continuing education and lifelong learning, resources, learning theories, motivation, rewards and students. These issues remain, and we have added quality issues, design and the Internet. Though the issues are relatively constant, the problems are not. A problem then was the availability and proper use of the overhead projector; now it is presentation software. A problem then was the transition from the slide rule to the calculator for individual calculations, now it is the personal computer. A problem then was to be sure that each student learned as an individual, now it is to develop a learning environment where teamwork and quality are major concerns. A problem then was design, and while we have made much progress, we still have work to do. A problem then was evaluation teaching effectiveness of faculty-it still is, but we are starting to make some progress. This conference has has provided an international forum for the exchange of ideas and accomplishments. The ideas have been publicly shared, criticized evaluated extended and improved. Awards have been presented that recognized major contributions of our colleagues, and have emphasized the importance of quality in engineering education for the future of our society