The planning and execution of a grand challenge scholars programme: A case study of Taylor’s University’s School of Engineering

In 2008 the national academy of engineering,usa (nae) presented 14 grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century. in an effort to prepare future engineers to address and eventually solve these challenges,the grand challenge scholars programme (gcsp) was created. over 20 schools of engineering (from north america,malaysia and singapore) developed their own gcsps and gained endorsement from the nae for their educational models. this paper presents an implementation plan of the taylor’s university’s school of engineering’s grand challenge scholars programme (tgcsp). the aim of this paper is to provide insight into the structure of the tgcsp as well as the details of how the entire programme is governed. also shared are the best practices adopted by the school and the key results obtained by its scholars to date. the paper will also highlight key areas for improvement,in the spirit of continual quality improvement (cqi) that would lead into the enhancement of the programme in the foreseeable future. © school of engineering,taylor’s university.