No abstract

a BACKGROUNDThere is growing evidence that engineering students' professional formation is shaped by the interplay of explicit learning activities and various influences from the wider educational context. The unintended outcomes of these processes, or Accidental Competencies, formed the lens for an empirical investigation of this social learning system. PURPOSE (HYPOTHESIS)The exploratory inquiry addressed the following research questions. What are influences that contribute to engineering students' professional formation? How does it occur and what are resulting competencies and incompetencies DESIGN/METHODData was collected internationally in focus groups with 67 students in their transition from university into professional practice. The students' accounts were analyzed qualitatively using the software NVivo7. From the iterative analysis based on a grounded theory approach, categories and subordinate clusters of influences, mechanisms, and outcomes emerged. RESULTSThe following three forms of representation provide an authentic view of the social learning system under investigation: (i) a contextual model of competency formation illustrates the complex nature of the learning processes; (ii) an overview of the coding structure presents seven competence clusters (Flexibility, Interaction, Plan, Professional Realities, Self, Social Context and Technical); and (iii) thick descriptions from the students' accounts trace three characteristics of the complex learning processes (compound influences, ambiguity of outcomes, context-dependent nature of learning outcomes). CONCLUSIONEngineering education is a complex system where a range of influences outside the realm of explicit instruction contribute to the development of students as professional engineers. This study provides an evidence-based framework to consider this complexity in reflective teaching practice and innovative curriculum design.

Valuable knowledge acquired by small manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) over time can be lost through the exit of staÚ. The diÝculty of retaining knowledge lies in the fact that part of the knowledge involved is tacit in nature and is highly, if not totally, inarticulable. This paper analyzes the explicit/tacit nature of the design knowledge involved in projects undertaken by an SME. It is analyzed to provide a model of knowledge application and a schema for eliciting the mental process during knowledge application and the types of knowledge used respectively. The tacit characteristics associated with the application of design knowledge are explored. The paper also discusses the tactics that can be employed to tackle the knowledge retention problem as experienced by the SME.

Data required to prepare solutions with desired solute potentials at any temperature from 0 to 40°C are scattered, often have inappropriate units, and usually require involved calculation or are not available. We wished to prepare a program so that anyone could obtain pertinent information simply. Adequate published data could be found only for mannitol, PEG 8000, NaCl, KCl, and sucrose, with water displacement by mannitol and PEG 8000 having to be measured. The program sends tabular output to the screen and it may be written in a disk file, making observation of relationships and preparation of graphical representation simple. A sequence of data may be generated over temperature, concentration, or potential ranges by specifying an initial value, interval size, and number of intervals. Values are given for temperature, water density, molal and molar concentrations, g solute g−1 water, osmotic coefficient, g and mL water displaced g−1 solute, solute potential (MPa), and g solute and g water needed for a requested volume of solution.