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Designing Quality Engineering Curricula to Produce Industry Ready Graduates: A Whole of Course Approach

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Ensuring Quality in Professional Education Volume II

Abstract

Designing engineering curriculum for industry ready graduates requires a whole of course approach that embeds and scaffolds competency development through time. The main design features of a quality engineering curriculum include scaffolding of discipline knowledge, skills application and professional engineering competencies, student participation in authentic tasks and self-assessment, reflective practice and critical thinking. To this end, a course wide assessment ePortfolio offers opportunities for students to collect, collate and most importantly synthesise evidence to demonstrate the evolution of their professional engineering competence over time. An embedded Competency Development Model (CDM) allows a cyclic and developmental approach to learning which incorporates capacity building and progressively scaffolds complexity relevant to students’ current academic life and their future industry practice. This assessment driven model focuses on the processes of embedded competency rather than just on the products and outputs. The processes involve explicit exploration of real world engineering projects, experiences and theoretical and professional perspectives including modelling discipline and professional processes by industry experts. Reflective practice emphasises improvement over time through guided reflective activities and assessment focused on current study and future professional requirements. Models of understanding are also explored using coaching, visualisation and feedback techniques so that students can modify, record and report back on their experiences and hence incorporate more complexity into their thinking and experiences about engineering. This process allows students to explore and analyse their own learning processes at a meta-learning level and enables the development of strategic control over their study including personal and professional development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia

    Neal Lake & Julienne Holt

Authors
  1. Neal Lake
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  2. Julienne Holt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neal Lake .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Karen Trimmer  & Fernando F. Padró  & 

  2. Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Tara Newman

Appendix: Engineers Australia (EA) Stage 1 Competency Standard Categories

Appendix: Engineers Australia (EA) Stage 1 Competency Standard Categories

Knowledge and skill base

  • 1.1. Comprehensive, theory based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline.

  • 1.2. Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline.

  • 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.

  • 1.4. Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline.

  • 1.5. Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline.

  • 1.6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline.

Application skills

  • 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.

  • 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.

  • 2.3. Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.

  • 2.4. Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects.

Personal and professional skills

  • 3.1. Ethical conduct and professional accountability.

  • 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.

  • 3.3. Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanor.

  • 3.4. Professional use and management of information.

  • 3.5. Orderly management of self and professional conduct.

  • 3.6. Effective team membership and team leadership.

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Lake, N., Holt, J. (2019). Designing Quality Engineering Curricula to Produce Industry Ready Graduates: A Whole of Course Approach. In: Trimmer, K., Newman, T., Padró, F.F. (eds) Ensuring Quality in Professional Education Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01084-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01084-3_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-01083-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-01084-3

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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