Development of a mechatronics course at Monash University, Australia

There is an increasing demand to produce Mechatronics Engineers to cope with the modern day intelligent products. Universities around the world are wasting no time in responding to industry´s demands for a new breed of engineers. Due to the growing awareness of the importance of Mechatronics training in developing countries, AusAID* has sponsored a program to help in the development of Mechatronics courses in six different Thai Universities. Also, Monash University, Australia has recently developed a new course in Mechatronics. This paper presents the experience gained from Mechatronics course development in both Australia and overseas. It also discusses the educational philosophy adopted to produce a new generation of engineers. This is to meet the new Millennium´s demands for more intelligent and smarter products.