The Charles Sturt University Model - Reflections on Fast-track Implementation

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has established a new degree in Civil Systems Engineering, with the first intake of students commencing in February 2016. CSU initiated its engineering course as a response to demand from local government and regional industry to address a shortage of engineers in the regions. While the genesis of the program was based in a regional outlook, the mission of CSU Engineering is far more than just providing access for regional students – there was a deliberate mission to anticipate and pre-empt global trends in higher education. The key aim is to train entrepreneurial engineers in a regional setting. Regional engineering practice requires a number of valuable and transferrable skills – resilience, adaptability, a willingness to accept responsibility early, communicating with non-engineers. These skills are essential for regional practice; however they are also in demand throughout all of industry. As the only Australian engineering program based in a Faculty of Business, we have set ourselves a goal of educating a very different type of engineering graduate, and doing so in a very different learning environment. The engineering degree program has been developed on a fast-track timeline, with just 503 days from University Executive approval through to the commencement of the first cohort of students. This paper details the specific goals of the program and the non-traditional nature of the curriculum that has been developed to meet them, and discusses the challenges that were overcome to make the program happen within the timeline provided.