Preface: International Engineering and Technology Education Conference (IETEC’11)

The inaugural International Engineering and Technology Education Conference (IETEC'11) held at Taylor’s University, (Selangor), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 16 and 19 January 2011. The IETEC'11 was organised to foster cooperation between a wide range of stakeholders of engineering and technology education to facilitate educational policy developments, learning, teaching and research that will help enhancing 21st century skills for global engineers and technologists. The IETEC’11 was jointly organised by an enthusiastic consortium of universities composing of Taylor's University Malaysia, CQUniversity Australia, the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (Malaysia (UTHM). The IETEC'11 was structurally organised in order to promote active participation of all attendees and presenters via plenary presentation sessions, key note addresses, interactive workshops and panel discussions. In addition, facilities were provided for group meetings and one-on-one interaction of the participants to discuss issues of engineering and technology education and to network with conference participants and organisations. With ever growing importance of quality of higher education to improve learning and teaching, the conference set out to create a meeting place not only to foster cooperation between a wide range of stakeholders of engineering and technology education but to initiate an international discourse to enhance educational policy, learning, teaching and research that will help shape and enhance skills for global engineers and technologists. Approximately 100 participants from countries covering the Asia Pacific, North and South America, Europe, the Indian sub continent and the Middle East regions had the opportunity to interact and discuss concepts, ideas and practices at the conference. The conference stimulated highly productive discussion and reflection. This publication is but one outcome of the conference. All papers contained in the Proceedings were presented at the conference. The proceedings are structured around four sections; keynote addresses, the refereed papers, the non-refereed papers and posters. All papers included in the “Refereed papers” section of this proceeding were refereed (double blind) by independent peer referees. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all contributors for submitting quality papers and posters. Special thanks are to our reviewers, sponsors, supporters, exhibitors, conference speakers and special guests to make this event a great success! We look forward to assembling again in 2012. Arun Patil & Chenicheri Sid Nair, Editors, January 2011.