Development of professional competencies in engineering education
This paper reports on a study conducted at a Swedish university in which engineering students reflect on their attainment of professional competencies using generic graduate attributes as a guiding framework. In this study, the nine graduate attributes from Curtin University in Perth, Australia were...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Published: |
Frontiers in Education
2011
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44741 |
| _version_ | 1848757088567689216 |
|---|---|
| author | Cajander, A. Daniels, M. Von Konsky, Brian |
| author2 | Frontiers in Education |
| author_facet | Frontiers in Education Cajander, A. Daniels, M. Von Konsky, Brian |
| author_sort | Cajander, A. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper reports on a study conducted at a Swedish university in which engineering students reflect on their attainment of professional competencies using generic graduate attributes as a guiding framework. In this study, the nine graduate attributes from Curtin University in Perth, Australia were used as this framework. The Swedish students were asked to reflect on their understanding of the competencies, and to select three on which to focus over the course of the semester. Students predominantly selected professional skills, thinking skills, information skills, communication skills, and intercultural understanding. In a subsequent reflection, students were asked to self-assess improvement of their chosen attributes. Results showed that while the teaching staff judged that the students had further developed the competencies, students lacked a framework to see this for themselves and reported difficulty in reflecting on progress in professional competency attainment. This suggests that a more holistic approach should be taken earlier in the degree to focus student attention on professional competencies, and provide ongoing experience reflecting on progressive achievement. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:22:32Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-44741 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:22:32Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | Frontiers in Education |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-447412017-09-19T08:20:28Z Development of professional competencies in engineering education Cajander, A. Daniels, M. Von Konsky, Brian Frontiers in Education Reflections Professional competencies Open-Ended Group Projects Engineering education Graduate attributes This paper reports on a study conducted at a Swedish university in which engineering students reflect on their attainment of professional competencies using generic graduate attributes as a guiding framework. In this study, the nine graduate attributes from Curtin University in Perth, Australia were used as this framework. The Swedish students were asked to reflect on their understanding of the competencies, and to select three on which to focus over the course of the semester. Students predominantly selected professional skills, thinking skills, information skills, communication skills, and intercultural understanding. In a subsequent reflection, students were asked to self-assess improvement of their chosen attributes. Results showed that while the teaching staff judged that the students had further developed the competencies, students lacked a framework to see this for themselves and reported difficulty in reflecting on progress in professional competency attainment. This suggests that a more holistic approach should be taken earlier in the degree to focus student attention on professional competencies, and provide ongoing experience reflecting on progressive achievement. 2011 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44741 10.1109/FIE.2011.6143003 Frontiers in Education restricted |
| spellingShingle | Reflections Professional competencies Open-Ended Group Projects Engineering education Graduate attributes Cajander, A. Daniels, M. Von Konsky, Brian Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title | Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title_full | Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title_fullStr | Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title_short | Development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| title_sort | development of professional competencies in engineering education |
| topic | Reflections Professional competencies Open-Ended Group Projects Engineering education Graduate attributes |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44741 |