Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perspectives on Engineering Education Quality in Tunisia After 50 Years of Statehood

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Advances in Engineering Education in the Middle East and North Africa

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdelwahed, S. (2012). Integration of ICT in teaching practices: Why and how successful development of use of ICT in Tunisia? The Journal of Quality in Education, 3, 40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abdessalem, T. (2011). Scope, relevance and challenges of financing higher education: The case of Tunisia. Prospects, 41(1), 135–155. doi:10.1007/s11125-011-9177-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abu-Faraj, Z. O. (2014). Biomedical engineering education in the Middle East and North Africa. Biomedical engineering (MECBME), 2014 Middle East conference on 17–20 Feb. 2014, Doha Qatar. IEEE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arif, R. (2014). Social movements, YouTube and political activism in authoritarian countries: A comparative analysis of political change in Pakistan, Tunisia & Egypt. Theses and Dissertations. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/4564.

  • Augusti, G., Borri, C., & Guberti, E. (2007). EUR-ACE and ENAEE: A proposal and a tool for a European system for accreditation of engineering education. International conference on engineering education—ICEE 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belhaj, F., Ben-Ayed, O., & Kammoun, R. (2013). Student perception of higher education quality in Tunisian business schools: Case of the University of Sfax. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 5(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Othman, R. (2011). Quality reform and academic freedom. Arab network for quality assurance in higher education, Abu Dhabi Conference, 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben Sedrine, S., & Gobe, E. (2004). Les Ingénieurs Tunisiens: Dynamiques récentes d’un groupe professionel. Paris: L’Harmattan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckner, E. (2011). The role of higher education in the Arab state and society: Historical legacies and recent reform patterns. Comparative & International Higher Education, 3, 21–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catusse, M., Destremau, B., & Verdier, E. (2010). L’Etat face aux débordements du social au Maghreb. Formation, travail et protection sociale. Paris: KARTHALA Editions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chabchoub, A. (2013). Satisfaction surveys of students, an approach to measure the quality of education: The case of engineering schools in Tunisia. Journal of Quality in Education, 4, 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBoer, J. (2012). Why the fireworks?: Theoretical perspectives on the explosion in international assessments and implications for the Gulf. Presentation to the Gulf research meeting, July, 2012, University of Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2007). Bologna declaration. http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/bologna/bologna.pdf. Accessed 1 June 2007.

  • Fayolle, A., Ben Salah, A., Ben Salah, I., & Belkacem, L. (2010). Efficacité des pépinières dans la création d’entreprise innovante: cas de la Tunisie. Innovations, 33(3), 157–179. doi:10.3917/inno.033.0157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fourati, H. (2010). La migration hautement qualifiée depuis et vers la Tunisie. http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/13455.

  • Gana, A., & Richard, Y. (2014). La régionalisation du monde: Construction territoriale et articulation. Tunis: IRMC Institut de recherche sur le Maghreb contemporain, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gassab, M., & Ben Ouada Jamoussi, H. (2011). Determinants of Graduate Unemployment in Tunisia. Working Papers, 16, AlmaLaurea Inter-University Consortium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gyimah-Brempong, K., & Ondiege, P. (2011). Reforming higher education: Access, equity, and financing in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia. Geneva: World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddad, I. (2009). Les étudiants, l’université de masse et la ville durable. Le cas de la Tunisie. THÈSE NO 4542 (2009). Présentée Le 3 Décembre 2009, À La Faculté Environnement Naturel, Architectural Et Construit, Laboratoire De Construction Et Conservation, Programme Doctoral En Architecture Et Sciences De La Ville. Lausanne: École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haouas, I., Sayre, E., & Yagoubi, M. (2012). Youth unemployment in Tunisia: Characteristics and policy responses. Topics in Middle Eastern and African economies Vol. 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, S. (2014). Revolution in Tunisia: A historical analysis of the uprisings that began the Arab spring. 13th Annual celebration for undergraduate research and creative performance (2014). http://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curcp_13/85.

  • Hendrickson, B. (2014). Imperial fragments and transnational activism: 1968(s) in Tunisia, France, and Senegal. History dissertations. http://iris.lib.neu.edu/history_diss/15.

  • Hundley, S., Brown, L. G., Fox, P., Didion, C., & Sayre, D. R. (2013). The attributes of a global engineer: Purpose, perspectives, and progress. American society for engineering education, Paper ID # 6198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klaas, B., & Dirsus, M. (19 September 2014). Bridging the two Tunisias. Foreign Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Presse de Tunisie. (22 October 2003) 30.000 étudiants a l’horizon 2006. 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mabrouk, S. (25 March 2007). L’union fait la force. Jeune Afrique, pp. 62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masdar Institute. (2006).Press release: Classes start for first students at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Technology and development progam, MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Megahed, N., & Lack, S. (2011). Colonial legacy, women’s rights and gender-educational inequality in the Arab world with particular reference to Egypt and Tunisia. International Review of Education, 57(3–4), 397–418. doi:10.1007/s11159-011-9215-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melonio, T., & Mezouaghi, M. (2010). Financing higher education in the Mediterranean region: The case of Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia. Agence Francaise Developpement.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melyani, M. (2014). Interstices N°3: Enseignement supérieur et nouvelle gouvernance au Maghreb. Paris: Revue Semestrelle, L’Harmattan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milovanovitch, M. (2014). Trust and institutional corruption: The case of education in Tunisia (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 2439311). Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network. http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2439311.

  • MIT. (2013). MIT & MIT: About us. http://web.mit.edu/mit-mi-cp/about/index.html. Accessed 1 Jan 2013.

  • Naddami, A., Fahli, A., Gourmaj, M., Pester, A., & Oros, R. (2014). Importance of a network of online labs in Magrebian countries. In remote engineering and virtual instrumentation (REV), 2014 11th international conference on (pp. 77–78). Porto: IEEE. doi:10.1109/REV.2014.6784227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2013). Programme for international student assessment. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/. Accessed 1 Jan 2013.

  • Pekkarinen, T., & Pellicer, M. (2013). Education and allocation of skills in Tunisia: Evidence from an education reform. IZA Journal of Labor & Development, 2(1), 1–21. doi:10.1186/2193-9020-2-14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinalda, B., & Kulesza, E. (2005). The Bologna Process—harmonizing Europe’s higher education: Including the essential original texts. Opladen: Barbara Budrich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Technology (MESRST). (1999). Technoparks and innovation. Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Technology (MESRST). (2005). Les Indicateurs de l’Enseignement Supérieur. Ministry of Higher Education. Republic of Tunisia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Technology (MESRST). (2006). Baccalaureate orientation guide. Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Technology (MESRST). (2007). Websites of higher education and scientific research institutions and students and university services. Republic of Tunisia, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology. http://www.universites.tn/anglais/divers/site_etab_ang.htm.

  • Romdhane, L., & Mlika, A. (2011). Teaching and research in mechanism theory and robotics in Tunisia. In M. Ceccarelli (Ed.), Technology developments: The role of mechanism and machine science and IFToMM (pp. 451–459). Netherlands: Springer. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-1300-038.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Salah, R. M., Alves, G. R., & Guerreiro, P. (2014). Reshaping higher education systems in the MENA region: The contribution of remote and virtual labs. In remote engineering and virtual instrumentation (REV), 2014 11th International Conference on. Porto: IEEE. doi:10.1109/REV.2014.6784265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salmi, J. (2013). Constructing a differentiated tertiary education system. Policy note prepared for AusAID, May, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shahani, A. (20 October 2014). Tunisia’s emerging tech sector hampered by old policies. http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/10/20/357590073/in-tunisia-democracy-doesn-t-create-jobs. Accessed 30 Nov 2014.

  • Systèmes, d’information: Un master en partenariat Tunisie-USA. (n.d.). http://www.tunisia-today.com/archives/10702.

  • Tamtam, A., Gallagher, F., Naher, S., & Olabi, A. (2013). The impact of language of instruction on quality of science and engineering education in Libya: Qualitative study of faculty members. European Scientific Journal, 9(31). http://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/2045.

  • UNESCO Institute of Statistics. (2014). UIS. http://www.uis.unesco.org. Accessed 1 Jan 2014.

  • United Nations. (2005). The UN Millennium Development Goals. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/. Accessed 1 June 2007.

  • World Bank. (2010). Tunisia country brief. http://www.worldbank.org/. Accessed 1 Jan 2011.

  • World Bank. (2013). Tunisia country program evaluation. Retrieved from the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group, ieg.worldbankgroup.org. Accessed 1 Dec 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zghal, R. (2006). Les Femmes Ingénieurs en Tunisie: Représentations, Roles et Contribution. Credif.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the thoughtful feedback from anonymous reviewers in the preparation of this chapter. Data collection was facilitated by gracious hosts of the authortion shaped thace at the office of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations in Tunis. Finally, this chapter would not have been possible without the kind investment of time and openness provided by the interview respondents who shared their general perceptions and personal experiences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Jennifer DeBoer

Authors
  1. Jennifer DeBoer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer DeBoer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Mahmoud Abdulwahed

  2. Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Mazen O. Hasna

  3. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Jeffrey E. Froyd

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix A—Semi-structured interview protocol

Interviews covered the following topics broadly. Greater emphasis was placed on questions in domains pertinent to the respondent’s individual profile (e.g., faculty member, student). The following interview protocol served as a semi-structured framework for the in-depth interview. Follow-up, probe questions built upon responses to these general questions.

Structural Perspective:

Describe to me your understanding of the development of the current diploma over the past 50 years? What have been some of the key milestones or change points in the structure of the EE system?

What are the essential components of the current Tunisian engineering diploma system?

Perceptions of Quality:

What is your perception of the success of the Tunisian diploma system?

What components of the Tunisian diploma system are the most successful? Which components still need to be revised?

Student Qualifications:

Tell me about your experience as a student (current or former) in the Tunisian EE system. What experiences stick out in your mind?

What knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences do Tunisian graduates have? What tools do they still lack upon graduation? How are these skills assessed before matriculation and after graduation?

Teacher Qualifications:

Tell me about your experience as a professor (or in working with professors) in the Tunisian EE system. What are your tasks (research, teaching, mentoring, etc.), and how are you supported?

What are the skills and experiences expected of professors? What is the conventional training experience, and what was your own experience becoming a professor?

Industry Connections:

What is your experience as an entrepreneurial entity in Tunisia?

What experiences does industry require of engineering graduates? What experiences are seen as lacking?

What institutional connections exist between industry and academia in Tunisia?

Cultural Context:

What cultural factors do you see interacting with the structure of the EE diploma in Tunisia?

How do you perceive cultural factors to have interacted with the development of the engineering diploma requirements and curriculum?

Social Context:

What demographic characteristics of Tunisian engineering graduates can be observed in recent graduating classes?

How do individual- and society-level demographics interact with the environment of EE in Tunisia?

Political Context:

How have historical political factors such as connections to France, the structure of examinations, the prestige of engineering diplomas over technical diplomas, and the financial situation shaped the EE system?

How have the major recent political changes shaped the current state of EE or its foreseeable future?

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

DeBoer, J. (2016). Perspectives on Engineering Education Quality in Tunisia After 50 Years of Statehood. In: Abdulwahed, M., Hasna, M., Froyd, J. (eds) Advances in Engineering Education in the Middle East and North Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15323-0_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15323-0_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15322-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15323-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation