FAQ
Technical Standards in Engineering (TSE) Program
What is the TSE Program?
A free open-source fully customizable curriculum on the fundamentals of technical standards developed by a cross-functional team of engineers and related technical individuals that can be adapted for any engineering discipline and incorporated into existing courses.
What problem is the TSE program addressing?
Many professors, lecturers, and teachers are not positioned or incentivized to provide technical standards education. However, the engineering profession expects recent graduates to have a fundamental grasp of technical standards and hands-on experience locating, interpreting, and applying technical standards to solve engineering problems. The TSE Program is a resource that provides educators and academic institutions an easy free way to incorporate fundamental technical standards content into their programs or courses with minimal effort.
What is meant by the phrase “fundamentals” of technical standards?
By fundamentals, we refer to the parts of technical standards that are largely unchanging and similar across most technical standards and standards development organizations. We aim to answer questions such as “What is a technical standard?” “Why are they important?” “How are they used?” and Where would I see them on the job?”
Who is the intended audience for the program?
Educators (e.g., professors, librarians) who primarily interface with engineering students and new hires. The content focused on students with little to no prior experience with technical standards (e.g., freshman) in a 4-year ABET-accredited (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.) university.
What is the current scope?
The current scope of the program includes content associated with the following nine modules:
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Definition of Standards
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History of Standards
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Development Process
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Standards Parts
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Standards Comprehension
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Conformity Assessment
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Engineering Design Process
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Importance
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Call to Action
Will the content include specific technical standards (the documents, not the titles)?
No. The content will not include specific technical standards as most if not all technical standards are associated with a fee. We intend to keep the program free for all. We include free standards options (e.g., free to view online only, old revisions, publicly available) in the resource section; however, these are usually not the most in-demand standards. If you know of any, please share them with us.
Will the technical standards discussion be limited to United States?
No. U.S.-based standards, development organizations, and processes are more prominent in the curriculum. International examples are included, as they are necessary to explain the past, present and future of technical standards; however, they are less frequent. We are seeing an increase in demand from international educators and have plans to increase the international-related content. Help is welcome!
What stage is the TSE Program currently in?
As of July 2024, the TSE Program is in the initial pilot phase and content refinement stage.
How long does it take to complete the TSE Program?
The modules are intended to serve as stand-alone modules and be completed in 45 minutes or less by most freshman engineering students. Educators average 20-30 minutes. Additional content made available to educators (e.g., introduction, resources) is estimated to take less than an hour to view not including the time spent visiting external websites.
Is there a certificate program associated with the TSE Program?
There is currently no certificate program associated with the TSE Program as the content is still under development and review. Following the formal deployment of the TSE Program, we intend to provide a certificate program free of charge.
When can I get my hands on this content to start implementing it into my courses?
The TSE program managers are open to discussing providing content access to interested individuals in advance of the official release (i.e., while the content is still under development and review) if it would be of assistance.
When is the timeline for the formal deployment of the TSE Program?
We are currently on schedule for the fall of 2025.
Content Reviewers
I want to look at the content. Do I need to be a reviewer?
No. We are happy to give you access to the curriculum. If you notice any errors or important details that should be added, please contact us so that we can make the proper updates.
How can I participate in the content review process?
Fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/2024TSEreviewer. We will be in touch shortly.
What is the anticipated time commitment for reviewers?
Twelve hours. Each module and its associated survey can be completed in an hour. Additional content (e.g., introduction, resources) and the full program review survey are estimated to take an hour to review.
Can reviewers choose what they want to review?
Yes. We would appreciate it if each reviewer went through each module; however, we understand time is limited.
What is the timeline for the content review process?
The next review is anticipated in the Spring or Summer of 2025. Please check back for updates.
Have any standards development organizations (SDO’s) been contacted to support the review process?
Yes, we have contacted multiple SDO’s. Multiple reported interest in the TSE Program and are supporting the content review process.
General
Where can I direct my questions?
All questions about the TSE Program can be directed to the program managers: Amy Kurr and Jimmy Landmesser, Jr. at programtse@gmail.com.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License. What does that mean?
It means you can share and adapt the materials as you like so long as you give credit to the creators, do not use the material for commercial purposes, and license all of your adapted material under the same license. You can read more at this website: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en.