Are engineering programs meeting the 2035 professional and personal requirements?

Are engineering programs meeting the 2035 professional and personal requirements?

CONTEXT The Australian Council of Engineering Deans Engineering Futures 2035 report has shown that “professional skills are certainly as important as technical skills” and that contemporary graduates require these skills now more than ever. As such, a shift in the education trends towards nontechnical skills are paramount. It is even more important to begin this development in first year education to allow students to being to develop their professional and personal attributes from their first day. The engineers Australia (EA) stage 1 graduate competencies are made up of 16 skills and attributes, only 6 are “technical”. There are 3 elements in the stage 1 competencies, and they are ‘knowledge and skill’, ‘engineering application ability’ and ‘professional and personal attributes’.

PURPOSE OR GOAL This study provides a critical review of the professional and personal learning outcomes of the firstyear engineering subjects taught in Queensland universities. The learning outcomes from each course were mapped to the 16 stage 1 competencies to determine if there is a balance between the 3 element areas. Part of this study investigated the differences in learning outcomes between a common and non-common first year engineering program.

APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS Each university in Queensland that offers a Bachelor of Engineering in the three main areas of engineering (electrical, mechanical and civil) had their first-year units learning outcomes mapped against the stage 1 competencies. A comparison between the universities, majors and difference between a common and non-common first year was investigated. A comment on how these learning outcomes are derived and implemented will be made, alongside an overall statement regarding if Queensland universities are currently meeting the requirement set by the 2035 report.

ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES The results of this study showed that Queensland universities are not meeting the mark (personal and professional development) of the 2035 report in first year education as technical learning outcomes are still being prioritized over non-technical by a ratio of 2:1. Most institutions are currently omitting the project and professional graduate competencies for first-year education, with some core competencies not examined in first year. This review shows which core competencies need to be delivered and that a common first year is currently not designed to meet the 2035 reports requirements.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY This study showed the areas of weakness in first year tertiary engineering education in Queensland with respect to the 2035 report requirements. This study is transferable across the country and shows that educators are missing the mark in first year education. It provides a comprehensive evaluation and strategic path forward to fix it.

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