Abstract
Computer engineering (CE) is a discipline that best serves the semiconductor, micro-architecture, computer equipment manufacturers, and other similar high tech industries which generally do not exist in developing communities. Therefore, there is often a mismatch problem between the curricula offered by CE departments and the actual needs of such communities. Nevertheless, most attempts for engineering curricula revitalization in developing countries focus on bridging the gap in applying the curriculum models, designed for, and meant to serve the developed communities. Hence, this work presents a new curriculum approach in which the student's learning experience is expanded outsideCEto include a technology area of interest to the community. The article revises the typical CE curriculum model and visualizes it as a funnel structure, called the Single Funnel Model (SFM). SFM directs students to core computer engineering courses or courses in a specific concentration area. However, the need for concentration in developing communities with moderatetech industries in a country like Saudi-Arabia is questionable. Hence, to better serve such communities, it is suggested that concentration areas be replaced by technology wide areas called Technology Expansion (TE) areas. Such a curriculum structure is called the Dual Successive Funnels Model (DSFM). To assess the problem and the suggested model, members of the academic community in the field in universities in the Middle East and Gulf countries were surveyed. The investigation revealed that the academics were, on the average, neutral on the extent of the problem, whereas they think that the new DSFM based on TE suits the needs of their developing communities better than the current SFM based on concentration. They also think that it can help the students develop their professional skills and lead to better integration in work environments.