ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATES AND THEIR SELF-REPORTED CONFIDENCE AND PROFICIENCY LEVELS IN LIFELONG LEARNING (A12)

This paper reports on what we found when we surveyed second-year students in a Technical Communication class, once at the beginning of the semester and again at the end, and then when we surveyed two senior capstone design classes, one in Mechanical Engineering, one in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and one in Civil Engineering. In all these iterations, we asked students to indicate their levels of confidence and proficiency in their writing and speaking skills (communication skills), teamwork and personal skills development (lifelong learning). When we surveyed our second-year students, they indicated that they were only moderately confident in their communication skills (the aggregate was mostly 3 or slightly more on a scale of 5). At the end of the semester, when we asked them what they believed would be the competency level expected of them in these areas when they graduated, that number jumped to 4.5 on average. These students, however, were also decidedly more confident in their teamwork and lifelong learning skills, where the average hovered close to 3.5. On average, the capstone students were likewise confident in these areas, even slightly more so (3.87). Given the rapidity with which technical information grows and the complexity of the world around us, engineering students must be more prepared than ever to develop the drive to keep learning so that, as practicing professionals, they are equipped to maintain their competence and contribute to the advancement of knowledge.

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THE SELF-REPORTED CONFIDENCE AND PROFICIENCY LEVELS OF UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN AN ENGINEERING TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION COURSE

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.v0i0.5805 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Anne Parker ◽

Kathryn Marcynuk

Keyword(s):

Lifelong Learning ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Technical Communication ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Communication Course ◽

Proficiency Levels ◽

Undergraduate Engineering ◽

Personal Strengths ◽

Personal Skills ◽

Initial Survey

We have conducted surveys at thebeginning and the end of semesters in an EngineeringTechnical Communication course, surveys that aredesigned to determine how confident our students feelabout “Communication Skills” and personal skillsdevelopment, or “Lifelong Learning” (defined here asthe ability to devise ways to develop broader knowledgeand to identify personal strengths and weaknesses). Ourobjective is to see whether students’ confidence levelsincrease and then compare these levels with wherestudents believe they should be once they graduate. Inthis paper, we report on the data obtained from thesetwo surveys conducted from Winter 2013 until Winter2015. Normally, one section of the class completed thesurveys, although two sections (A01 and A02) completedthe surveys in both the Winter 2013 semester and in theWinter 2015 semester, for a total of 9 classes thatparticipated.. So far, we have found that students doindeed feel more confident in all the surveyed areas atthe end of the semester.Yet, regardless of their growing confidence,many students also feel they have not yet achieved thelevel of proficiency expected of them once they graduate.For example, for “personal skills” (such as applyingcritical inquiry and analysis to engineering problemsand doing the communications that support theengineering work), 5 represents an ability to lead orinnovate in a particular area, and 3 indicates an abilityto understand and explain. In our surveys the aggregatewas 3.4 for the initial survey (n=450 students) and 3.5for the end-of-term survey (n=378). Most telling,however, is the level students feel they must achieve bythe time they graduate (4.5). In other words, byacknowledging that lifelong learning is an importantattribute, one that they will have to continue to developif they are ever to achieve the level expected of them,students demonstrate a remarkable level of selfawareness.

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Implementation of the Second-year course in an Engineering Professional Spine

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.v0i0.13070 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Umar Iqbal ◽

Deena Salem ◽

David Strong

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Research University ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Employability Skills ◽

First Year ◽

Computer Engineering ◽

Core Courses ◽

Second Year ◽

First Time ◽

Academic Year

The objective of this paper is to document the experience of developing and implementing a second-year course in an engineering professional spine that was developed in a first-tier research university and relies on project-based core courses. The main objective of this spine is to develop the students’ cognitive and employability skills that will allow them to stand out from the crowd of other engineering graduates.The spine was developed and delivered for the first time in the academic year 2010-2011 for first-year general engineering students. In the year 2011-2012, those students joined different programs, and accordingly the second-year course was tailored to align with the different programs’ learning outcomes. This paper discusses the development and implementation of the course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department.

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Adopting a Strategy for Enhancing Generic Skills in Engineering Education

Industry and Higher Education ◽

10.5367/ihe.2014.0206 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 185-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Evangelia Krassadaki ◽

Kleanthi Lakiotaki ◽

Nikolaos F. Matsatsinis

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Skills Development ◽

Generic Skills ◽

Team Working ◽

High Level ◽

The University ◽

Academic Year

It is remarkable how often academic staff discover students' weaknesses in expressing their thoughts in written and oral contexts, and in team working. To examine these weaknesses, a study was conducted in 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 of students taking an engineering course. Students self-reported an initial high level of weakness in both communication skills (writing and speaking), while expressing higher levels of confidence in their team working skills. This suggested that there was significant potential for improvement in both forms of communication skills and a lower potential for the improvement of team-working skills. On that basis the Technical University of Crete organized short training workshops based on experiential learning methods, during the academic year 2012–13. Other factors taken into account were the lack of awareness of such skills in traditionally-organized Greek universities; the inability to redesign all courses, currently dependent on a content-based curriculum, on a competency basis; and findings in the international literature, which highlight specific generic skills of engineering students as essential to their studies and future career prospects. The aim was to enhance the three skills of writing, speaking and team working. Participation was voluntary and open to students from all schools in the university. This paper assesses this initiative and analyses the contribution of the workshops to skills development.

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Cross-Disciplinary Service-Learning to Enhance Engineering Identity and Improve Communication Skills

International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship ◽

10.24908/ijsle.v12i1.6664 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 41-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jennifer Keshwani ◽

Krista Adams

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Elementary Education ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Technical Information ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Technical Content ◽

Elementary Education Students ◽

Student Reflections

Traditional engineering curricula often do not provide opportunities for students to experience working with non-technical collaborators on real projects. Such interactions may help engineering students develop relevant communication skills. In this study, junior level engineering students collaborated with junior level elementary education students to develop afterschool STEM clubs for elementary children. The study sought to identify the effects of a cross-disciplinary, project-based service-learning experience on: a) the development of a deeper understanding of engineering as a discipline and b) the development of skills necessary to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience. This paper describes the learning outcomes achieved by engaging undergraduate engineering students in cross-disciplinary working relationships. The results suggest that the cross-disciplinary experience affected learning in the knowledge, skills, attitudes and identity of student participants. Student learning was assessed through analysis of questionnaire responses and student reflections. The results also confirmed that simply knowing technical information does not correlate with the ability to communicate that same information. Students reported that they gained experience communicating technical content with non-technical audiences and developed leadership skills. Opportunities to learn communication skills were identified through student comments in course questionnaires and end of the semester focus group discussions.

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EFL Engineering Students’ Research Article Genre Knowledge Development through Concept Mapping Tasks: A Qualitative Interview-based Study

Journal for the Study of English Linguistics ◽

10.5296/jsel.v7i1.14870 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 45

Author(s):

Emmanouela Seiradakis ◽

Ioannis Spantidakis

Keyword(s):

Concept Mapping ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Genre Analysis ◽

Computer Engineering ◽

Primary Research ◽

Research Article ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

Second Year ◽

Genre Knowledge

This qualitative study explores how the use of concept mapping can function as a genre knowledge scaffold within an experimental course that aimed to teach EFL undergraduate students how to read primary research articles in their discipline. Using semi-structured student interviews, the study explored the development of the rhetorical, formal, process and content research article genre facets of three second-year Electrical and Computer Engineering students after working collaboratively on three specially designed concept mapping tasks underpinned by the theories of genre analysis and metacognition. Our data suggest that the process of visual conceptualization encouraged students to engage in deeper forms of genre analysis and explore the different dimensions of the multifaced research article genre construct.

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THE “ENGINEERS HAVE FEELINGS” PROJECT: INTEGRATING MENTAL WELLNESS AND LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS IN FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING COURSES

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA) ◽

10.24908/pceea.vi0.14154 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Robyn Paul ◽

Destiny Dedemus ◽

Melissa Boyce ◽

Kim Johnston

Keyword(s):

Lifelong Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Academic Engagement ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

First Year ◽

Learning Skills ◽

Curricular Intervention ◽

Undergraduate Engineering ◽

Mental Wellness

To address an identified need for programming that helps Engineering students to develop skills in coping, resilience, and lifelong learning, we designed, implemented, and reflected on the effectiveness of a curricular intervention on Engineering students’ mental wellbeing, academic engagement and achievement, and perceptions of support. This intervention has implications for the development of a model of the curricular components necessary to benefit undergraduate students’ academic engagement, success, and perceptions of student support. It may also be used to inform curriculum development across many university programs.

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