Creating Holistic Engineers to Solve the Grand Challenges of the Future

Una Beagon writes that continued growth in construction depends on third level Institutions securing a talent pipeline of Civil & Structural Engineers with suitable skill sets to bring about, maintain and operate large multidisciplinary projects

Using Phenomenography in Engineering Education

A phenomenographic study of academic conceptions of professional skills in engineering programmes in Irelan

A Phenomenographic Study of Academics Teaching in Engineering Programmes in Ireland: Conceptions of Professional Skills and Approaches to Teaching Professional Skills

Engineers play a central role in addressing the challenges which face society. However, the influence of globalisation, disruptive technological change and socially complex problems will greatly affect the way engineers work in the future. As a result, there have been calls to embrace transformational change in engineering education, yet the literature reveals that many reform efforts have fallen short. Industry and society will therefore continue to look to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to better prepare engineering graduates with the new skills needed to face the challenges of the future. Notwithstanding the critical and valued role that technical engineering subjects have within an engineering programme, the literature suggests that there is a need for a greater focus on the development of Professional Skills. A key factor in the development of Professional Skills in engineering students lies in the interaction with academics. The values and actions of the academics with whom they interact, all have a part to play in how a student understands and values the various skills they learn. Hence, focusing on academics and their approaches to teaching professional skills forms a basis for supporting reform in engineering education. However, fundamental changes to how academics teach professional skills may only result from changes to their conceptions of what professional skills are. Thus, it is critical to not only understand how academics teach professional skills, but to understand their conceptions of professional skills and how this influences their teaching approaches. This is a gap in the current literature yet is a fundamental prerequisite for supporting reform in academic practice and thus transformational change in engineering education. This PhD study uses phenomenography to shed light on academics’ experiences in regard to professional skills, with three specific objectives. The first is to better understand the variation in academic conceptions of what is meant by “professional skills”. The second examines the variation in academics’ approaches to teaching professional skills. Finally, the study considers if relationships exist between these two factors, how differing conceptions may influence the approaches to teaching and the implications of these relationships for practice and policy. The outcome of this study provides a framework for describing the phenomenon of Professional Skills in an engineering context. Academics revealed their Conceptions of Professional Skills in six ways: Communication Skills, Technical Skills, Enabling Skills, A Combination of Skills, Interpersonal Behaviours and Acting Professionally. Academics in this study also described five Approaches to Teaching Professional Skills: Transmitting Knowledge, Practicing, Coaching, Mirror Industry Environment and Role Modelling. Finally, the findings show that there is a relationship between academics’ approaches to teaching professional skills and their conceptions of what professional skills are. All outcomes are contextual to academics teaching on engineering programmes in Ireland. This overall framework can be used in two ways. Firstly, from a top-down approach: to provide evidence for policy decisions, such as curriculum design and accreditation criteria to encourage and enhance the development of professional skills in engineering students. Policies which are multi-layered and relevant to all academic staff are more likely to be successfully implemented. Secondly, the findings can also be used in a bottom up approach: as a learning and teaching resource for engineering academics. The outcomes allow academics to reflect on their own teaching approaches and expose them to a more powerful understanding of the ways in which they can help develop professional skills in engineering students. This study aims to give insights into the engineering academic community in Ireland and the outputs can ultimately be used to increase opportunities for engineering students to develop professional skills, resulting in a better prepared engineering graduate who can both face into and overcome the challenges of the future

The Academic Perspective: A Study of Academic Conceptions of the Importance of Professional Skills in Engineering Programmes in Ireland

This presentation outlines a phenomenographic research study which aims to explore engineering academics experiences and conceptions towards developing professional skills within engineering students in Ireland. The research is undertaken in two phases. Phase One is an online survey circulated to academics teaching on engineering programmes in Ireland (n=273). Phase Two will consist of in-depth interviews. The overall phenomenographic study aims to answer the research question; What are the qualitatively different ways that academics experience and conceptualise teaching and the development of professional skills in engineering programmes in Ireland

Attracting Diverse Talent to the Engineering Professions of 2030 : EU Research Project

This conference examines education in Irish engineering in an international context, including skills to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to succeed in a digital world. International and national speakers will address global challenges, future engineering skills, academic standards, and graduate mobility. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share ideas on educating students in this field and to shape Engineers Ireland’s accreditation process. Part of an EU Research project

Teaching Professional Skills in Engineering Programmes: The Academic Perspective

Teaching Professional skills in Engineering Programmes: The Academic Perspective A plan for using phenomenography to explore academic conceptions of their role in developing professional skills in engineering student

Teaching Professional Skills in Engineering Programmes: The Academic Perspective

My interest in preparing engineering students for a successful career in industry stems from personal experience of recruiting, mentoring and managing graduates in civil and structural engineering consultancies. The range of skills, abilities and values of each graduate was varied, and it became apparent that academic achievement, whilst important, was not the defining skill for achieving early responsibility or promotion within the company. More often, the graduate who could communicate well and self-direct his/her work was given more responsibility and opportunity. The intent in this paper is to present a plan for a PhD research study in order to elicit critique and advice in the design of the study, including the research questions and the methods proposed

A-STEP 2030 – New Research Project Presents a Picture of the Skills Needed for Engineers to Solve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Communication and Technical Skills will still be the most important attributes required of engineers in the future, according to a new study by the A-STEP 2030 Erasmus+ funded project. The project which is led by ENSTA Bretagne, France and has academic partners in TU Dublin, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Aalborg University in Denmark aims to develop innovative teaching approaches for engineering students which will attract a more diverse student body to the engineering profession

Attracting Diverse Talent to the Engineering Professions of 2030 Activity 1 Outcomes

As the world’s focus turns to the future and not the present, the engineering profession must respond to the ever increasing need to bring about a sustainable future. The objective of this paper is to support the reform of engineering education by acknowledging and building upon the current awareness and understanding of sustainable development held by key stakeholders in the process. This paper presents the outcomes of a study involving twelve focus groups with Academics, Employers and Students in four European countries (Denmark, Finland, France and Ireland) as part of the A-STEP 2030 European Project. Based on the findings, it is clear that the key stakeholders closely associate the theme of the environment with Sustainable Development. There is also mention of the pillar of economy, but less so, that of society. The findings also reveal differences in the awareness of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 13 (Climate Action) being most widely noted. The findings allow educators to engage in discussion with students to build a more complete understanding of aspects of sustainable development and to act in redesigning curricula to ensure engineers can contribute to a sustainable future

Introducing PBL into Civil and Structural Engineering

The benefits of problem based learning for students are a deeper understanding of lecture material, and the development of problem solving and collaboration skills which will greatly enhance their educational experience. This approach has been successful in other programmes as it departs from the traditional ‘what I am told I need to know’ to ‘what I need to know to solve the problem’ promoting self-directed learning. Lecturers in turn transition from the giver of information to the facilitator of learning through support, guidance and monitoring. This project introduced an active learning element into two concrete technology modules by replacing traditional laboratory exercises with a project requiring students to design, test and report on a series of concrete mixes and aggregate samples in the context of a real life assignment. Previously, the details to conduct the laboratory were provided to the students. This project, carried out in groups, required students to apply the theoretical knowledge from lectures thereby increasing their understanding of the material, developing their learning and teamwork skills and appreciating the context in which engineers work