TWENTY YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: DOES IT CHANGE SOMETHING IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION?

 THE CASE OF ECOLE NATIONALE DES PONTS ET CHAUSSEES

 JM 241

Publications Jean MICHEL
Page d'accueil Jean MICHEL

 

Communication au colloque EPFL, Lausanne, 1994

 An historical short-cut

          Founded in 1747, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées developed during more than 150 years a strong international activity considered today as a good example of what an educational institution could and should do in this field. The founder of the School, Jean Rodolphe Perronet, as well as his collaborators and his successors, travelled a lot in Europe during the second half of the 18th century, visited many places in which innovations where stimulated, developed contacts with institutional partners. They were often members of foreign academies and received numerous publications from foreign institutions.

         As early as 1775, it was decided to prepare young engineers to be aware of the international professional life. During the 19th century, the best students, at the end of their studies, were offered the opportunity to travel abroad for a period of six months in order to examine and understand the developments of engineering works in various European countries (it was recently said by a British author that these young French engineers were in fact Napoleon' spions). Courses in foreign languages were proposed to the students as early as the beginning of the 19th century. The great international exhibitions during the second half of the past century allowed the School to reinforce its international activities, with interesting presentations of engineering works and also of educational programmes (as well as students works). The library of Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées keeps rich testimonies of this international activity.

         But, if this international activity was extremely important during the past century and culminated just before the first world war, the period coming just after (especially between the two world wars but also the decades of the fifties and sixties) was not so much internationally oriented, at least if one considers the institutional life of the School (individuals, as for instance great engineers, still continued to work abroad and played an important international role). But, for this period, one can observe a real decline of the scientific publication "Les Annales des Ponts et Chaussées", as well as a very few recruitment of foreign students (Europeans) and a less important presence of the School on the international scene. During this period also, foreign languages are no more taught at Ponts et Chaussées and visits abroad are completely forgoten.

         It is only during the first years of the seventies that Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées considered again the necessity to define an international policy and to develop international activities. This is mainly due to an important managerial and pedagogical change, four or five years after the "1968' revolution". The new management staff of the School proposed, as soon as 1973-1974, to allow ENPC' students to spend six months or one year abroad, within well-known technical Universities. This new orientation needed the establishment of institutional partnerships with various foreign Universities (MIT, Berkeley and Boulder in the United States, Imperial College and Newcastle in U.K., Stuttgart, München and Berlin in Germany, Madrid in Spain, Lausanne in Swizzerland, etc...). During five, eight years, many ENPC'students (around more than hundred)  benefited from this experience abroad and professors started to consider possible scientific cooperations with foreign colleagues.

         When the new European programmes (JSP -Joint Study Programmes-, ERASMUS, COMETT, TEMPUS,...) were proposed and developed, when also binational exchange schemes were also established (College Franco-Allemand, for instance between France and Germany), ENPC was able to rapidly propose, with some of its partners, a reinforcement of its international cooperation. ENPC succeeded in the creation of new international projects, such as the set-up of common curricula which allow students to get a "double-degree" (under certain conditions) from ENPC and from a foreign University. Thus, it exists now such innovative educational routes with the Universities of Madrid and München, but the traditional exchange programmes were also stimulated by the European schemes. many students also do a practical training period abroad, in industry. One has also to mention especially here the implication of ENPC in the TEMPUS scheme: partnerships were rapidly proposed to major Technical Universities from East European countries (Prague, Budapest) and allowed students and staff exchanges. Special programmes such as "COPERNIC" were created for welcoming engineering students from East European countries, with emphasis on managerial and socio-political skills. At last, ENPC organizes a postgraduate Master course in International Business.

         The recent development of the ENPC' international activity introduced some important changes in the way to consider engineering education. It was rapidly recognized that it can exist different ways to educate and train an engineer and that the French approach is only one possibility among others. The German, the British or the Spanish approaches are culturally different and it is important to better know these national specificities in the development of engineering education. At Ponts et Chaussées, this awareness of the international and intercultural dimension of engineering education is now much more "collective" than ten or fifteen years ago. Nevertheless, onecan say that the international cooperation needs now a new thought, needs much more creativity than in the past. There are many actual constraints (economical, pedagogical) which limit the development of the international cooperation, but there are also some more deep cultural and institutional limitations which prevent to imagine new schemes for a true international engineering education.

 

 

The management of the international activity

         Twenty years ago, when ENPC explored the possibility and decided to strenghten again its international cooperation, this was mainly the fact of very few people, really convinced that this was absolutaly necessary for the successful development of the School and for improving engineering education. Some few professors and management staff members were the propagandists of this new idea of an international cooperation, but not without serious contestations from other influent professors ("Why to send students abroad?", "Have we not the best curriculum, the best staff, the best pedagogical method, etc...?"). It is important to say, here, how it was and how it is essential to found such an international activity on the willingness and the motivation of individuals who believe in an open international development of higher education. But it is also important to mention the important role played by the management team, especially the Director of the School and the executive board. Without such a support from the direction of the School and such a political orientation of the international activity, it is impossible to hope to develop very creative international programmes (as for instance, the "Double-Degree", the MIB course or the COPERNIC'scheme) and to promote institutional projects which are not only the sum of individuals wishes and experiences.

         The second important factor that one has to mention, when one looks at the managerial dimension of the international activity, is the existence of a good logistic support which facilitates the success of the various projects and which allows a long term development of the international programmes. The international cooperation needs a minimum of coherence and of permanence as well as a systematic and well-organized administrative problem-solving support. This is generally ensure by a special department (in fact two at ENPC, for historical reasons: one for the traditional international cooperation with African partners, another one for exchanges with European and American Universities). But, it is important to say that this logistic support is, in no way, neither a political decision maker and nor a burocratic office. It is mainly a "problem solver" (there are so many problems to solve when one wants to develop international cooperations and exchanges). It tries also to keep traces of the various international projects and activities and to facilitate the communication on this affairs within the School.

         A third component resides in the necessary and useful coordination of all international actions. At ENPC, it was decided, ten years ago, to mobilize the various departments and research structures for this international activity. It appeared obvious that everybody in the School should be informed about the current developments of the international policy and activity. Thus, a monthly plenary meeting was set-up with representatives of the various components of the institution. These meetings are chaired by the General Director himself, the coordinator being the Executive Director. This mutual information and this coordination of the various international actions are very useful: synergies are explored, reinforcements of pertinents programmes are proposed, ideas for new developments are collectively examined. For an institution, such as ENPC, with a few number of permanent staff, with limited budgets, such a collective approach seems to be largely appreciated as an efficient management way of the international policy and activity.   

         But, if a general coordination is considered by everybody as strongly  necessary, it must be said also that the ENPC' approach does not prevent creative and opportunist actions. ENPC' experts, researchers and professors are invited to develop their own international projects, under the condition that these projects are economically supportable. Creativity is stimulated, though it is often difficult for the average professors and researchers to imagine new international perspectives. Information on international affairs is provided to everybody at Ponts et Chaussées; lectures are also proposed to professors and students about the various national and cultural approaches related to engineering education and about also the ENPC' policy for international cooperation.

         The general international policy of the School, lastly, consists in a mix of institutional cooperations (mostly devoted to students' exchanges and joint  engineering educational programmes) and specific projects for which individual professors and researchers are directly involved. A flexible but controlled definition of the strategical axes of this international policy is seeked and communicated to everybody in the School. This international policy is explicitly mentionned in the official "Projet pour l'Ecole" (the ENPC' Charter)

 

 

Problems concerning the international activity

         Twenty years after the beginning of a new development of the international activity of ENPC, it is possible to mention a certain number of problems and limitations. In other words, to establish and develop an  international policy is not so easy and the final result is not so glorious, and this for many reasons.

         First of all, and contrary to the business, economical or industrial international cooperation, the academic international activity is relatively fragile, based on short term views and individual agreements. Rarely, the international cooperation between Universities and Engineering Schools is founded on long term institutional projects, which could transform, in depth, the conditions of education and research. It is for instance obvious that the natural staff mobility (and staff turn over), the individual or personal implication of professors and researchers, the particular approach of decision making within a University are as many factors which limit the development of a long term international cooperation. It is interesting to observe, for instance, in the case of ENPC, that very well negociated partnerships (around the mid-seventies) with well-known foreign Universities knew serious difficulties five or ten years after when the Head of a concerned department retired or when students were not encline to take part to the programmes (for only opportunist reasons). 

         In the ENPC' case, it must also be said that the important number of part-time teachers (mainly working in industry) does not facilitate a strong developement of the international activity. If the participation of these experts from industry to the courses is generally recognized as very efficient, unfortunately these part-time faculty members are not really concerned by the international policy and activity of the School and sometimes claim that their best students go abroad instead to attend their lectures.

         The relatively small size of the School is also, in some ways, a negative factor for the development of international activities. It is difficult to find students who speak a given foreign language, who are interested to work abroad within a given University for a long period and who respect the necessary conditions (quality). It is also difficult to send more than a given percentage of French students abroad: due to the fact that other pegagogical routes are also proposed such as practical period (one year) of training in industry, the risk is to have no more students who can attend the ENPC' courses. Nevertheless, the small size can also be considered as a positive factor, as far as the political and managerial dimensions of the international activities are concerned (better control and feed-back, better communication and consolidation).   

         Economical and administrative factors also limit the international cooperation. First of all, and obviously, students and staff exchanges cost a lot of money (travel, accomodation,...). Generally speaking, when budgets for education are restricted, it is much more difficult to find financial resources for supporting the international policy of the School. The now very classical European programmes (ERASMUS, TEMPUS,...) were considered, during a certain period, as a new chance for the development of international cooperations, but some years after, one becomes more sceptic: to prepare and to maintain a European project costs a lot of efforts and consumes much energy and money. The financial help is always very limited and does not necessary facilitate a generalization of existing schemes. In many institutions, these European financial programmes are often considered now as an illusion, with to much burocratic work, though their true impact on concerned individuals (students or faculty members).

         It is also important to mention here the serious difficulty to imagine, establish and develop heavy and structural international projects. If students and staff exchanges are relatively easy to decide and to set-up, it is not so simple to make a decision, within a University or an Engineering School, for a more advanced inter-institutional cooperation. Contrary again to the industrial or financial business, academical institutions are not so much encline to merge their forces ("their capital") for developing structural projects, as for instance international partnerships for distance and multimedia learning or big research projects. Universities still continue to be Universities, they do not imagine to become knowledge suppliers on an international, worldwide market. In other words, we need now, after two decades of modernization of the academic world, a new revolution which could consist in a true internationalization of our activity, as it is now rhe general case for other businesses.

 

 

Nevertheless, some interesting results

          The most important result of the development of international activities at ENPC during the two last decades is certainly the existence of a group of young engineers who now are much more conscious of the international dimension of their future professional life. They are aware of the cultural differences which exist in different parts of the world even in very scientific and technical fields. The learning of foreign languages is generally considered as an essential part of the curriculum of an engineer and an experience of study abroad for some months or one year is well appreciated. Young researchers too are invited to think and work internationally.

         The second impact of these efforts for the development of international cooperations resides in the change of mentality among faculty and management staff members. Nowadays, people at ENPC admit that other educational and scientific approached exist. They understand that,  behind apparent differences, there are deep cultural reasons or factors which are interesting to know and learn. They also accept to combine their own perspective on education and training with others and to create new curricula based on an intercultural understanding and cooperation.

         At last, one can say that, during the twenty last years, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées rethought the importance of a consolidated international presence and rediscovered also its own role within the worldwide network of higher education institutions. It was very interesting for many ENPC staff and faculty members, when visiting colleagues abroad, to see how much ENPC was well-known for its long tradition of engineering education (with emphasis put by foreign colleagues on the role played by great French engineers educated at Ponts et Chaussées). Unfortunately, this tradition (including a true and active international cooperation with foreign Universities) was forgoten during the period of the years 1920-1970 by several generations of teachers and students, more preoccupied by national affairs. The new and recent experience of ENPC' international activities is like a "rebirth". It is possible now to better understand the deep sense of what an engineering School should be and do on a growing international market, taking into account this need for a well established and efficient international cooperation.

 

 

         To conclude, one could say that an international policy, for an institution such as Ecole des ponts et Chaussées, is never an obvious fact. If people (students, faculties, researchers) can be internationally oriented, educational institutions are often more conservative and more nationally and locally centered (the day to day life, the current problems,...).

         It seems important to take a certain distance with daily affairs, to examine the real potentialities and resources for developing an international activity. It is also essential to look at a long term perspective (minimum five years, but much more if possible) and certainly to evaluate the past international experiences (but few institutions do that).

         Motivation of people is the most important component of the success of an international policy. This means that everybody within the institution should be prepared to take part and to efficiently contribute to international programmes. Communication on international affairs, whatever the means, should be stronly organized in this perspective.

         At last, there is no serious and permanent international activity without a clear definition of its aims and a precise determination of its means and resources and without also an intelligent and responsible management of such an international policy. This is what Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées tried to do during the twenty last years for the benefit of its members, its students and its reputation.