A quantitative definition of engineering professional profiles

Abstract

A professional profile is a set of knowledge and skills. In this paper we propose a methodology to define professional profiles giving a quantitative assessment of skills and knowledge associated with an engineering curriculum. This approach can be used to evaluate the curriculum flexibility, i.e., if the curriculum offers the students diverse and flexible approaches and routes to learning. We describe a mathematical model that allows us to calculate the compliance level accomplished by a student with regard to one or more different profiles. Our proposal has been applied in the Undergraduate Program of Electrical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia Keywords: Profile, professional profile, individual profile, ideal profile, electrical engineering, curriculum, knowledge, skills, fuzzy implications, aggregation operators. RESUMENUn perfil profesional es un conjunto de conocimientos y habilidades. En el presente artículo se propone una metodología para definir perfiles profesionales basada en una evaluación cualitativa de habilidades y conocimientos asociados con un plan de estudios de ingeniería. Esta metodología puede ser usada para evaluar la flexibilidad curricular, es decir, si el plan de estudios ofrece a los estudiantes enfoques y rutas de aprendizaje que sean diversos y flexibles. Aquí se describe un modelo matemático que permite calcular el grado de satisfacción logrado por un estudiante con respecto a uno o varios perfiles. Esta propuesta ha sido aplicada en el programa de pregrado de Ingeniería Eléctrica de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia.Palabras clave: Perfil, perfil profesional, perfil ideal, perfil individual, ingeniería eléctrica, plan de estudios, conocimientos, habilidades, implicaciones difusas, operadores de agregación. The way that professional profiles are currently established involves common features (educational outcomes) that give us the basis to get to know the principal elements of a profile. These features can be classified in two major groups: skills and knowledge. In other words, a profile can be visualized as a set of skills and knowledge. ReceivedWe have developed a methodology to evaluate professional profiles in the context of an engineering curriculum. We consider this methodology as a potential tool in educational institutions since it allows us to know if the curriculum fulfills the current expectations of the new professionals training.

Correlation between academic performance and absenteeism in a Production Engineering program

“…When young people initiate their studies in a higher education institution, it is natural that they bring with them expectations in relation to the program, to their academic formation and their future as professionals (Mello, Jung & Stamm, 2017). Educational institutions propose professional profiles according to what industry, organizations and society expect from new professionals (Barrera et al, 2015). The challenge for the educators of the current days is to create a positive learning environment in the classrooms with the hope that this environment leads to a greater participation of the students, to a decrease in the absenteeism levels and to the improvement of the students' performance (López-Bonilla & López-Bonilla, 2015).…”

Soft Skills in Engineers, a Relevant Field of Research: Exploring and Assessing Skills in Italian Engineering Students

“…This is because engineering is more isolated from human relations than other disciplines. In these disciplines, the result is the most important thing, and focusing on personal matters is not necessary to obtain successful results (Barrera, Duarte, Sarmiento and Soto, 2015). However, currently, the classical vision of an engineer working alone, designing some personalized product, has changed.…”