A Systematized Literature Review: Defining and Developing Engineering Competencies

Abstract

Essential competencies have been identified for engineers working in industry. These competencies include (but are not limited to) critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. Engineering education research has shown however, that engineering undergraduate students often fail to develop these crucial competencies. Industry has also noted that recent graduates exhibit competency gaps. To address these gaps, it is important for higher education institutions to seek to understand the competencies identified as necessary in industry. Moreover, one could argue educational institutions should develop and assess students' competencies based on these professional demands.This research systematically reviews literature related to this topic. This review seeks to answer two questions: 1) What are the competencies engineering students must have to be successful in the world of practice? 2) How can engineering education help students to develop these competencies? A total of 30 articles were identified as relevant and reviewed. Two themes were applied: 1) Identification of engineering competencies 2) Approaches to address competency shortfalls. Review of the literature suggests that while educational institutions are mostly aligned with engineering competencies hailed as important to ABET, there is still room to improve. The most frequent competencies mentioned in the literature include communication skills, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Results suggest developing a continuous improvement mindset will encourage both educators and their institutions to include stakeholders such as industry into account as they systematically assess and review their graduating engineering students and undergraduate programs. Further, to date there does not appear to be a single accepted approach or best practice for incorporating targeted competencies into engineering curricula.

The Graduate Specialization in Engineering Education

“…Ed) is critical to address multiple national priorities, including increasing the productivity, innovation, and competitiveness in Canada in multicultural, sustainable, and responsible ways and generating opportunities for diverse, underrepresented groups [9]. These transformations are expanding the competencies necessary for engineers today, requiring the development of innovative engineering curricula to assist engineering students in cultivating and making full productive use of their diverse technical and professional strengths [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

How Do Biomedical Engineering Graduates Differ from Other Engineers? Bridging the Gap Between BME and Industry: a Case Study

“…Workshops hosted at recent BMES meetings have identified the leap from university to a career in industry as a continuing national challenge for BME students and alumni. While strides are being made to better utilize industry feedback in the formation of engineering program curricula [10], a more holistic understanding of the factors influencing BME career outcomes is first necessary. This study therefore seeks to identify differences between BME and three other OSU engineering majors (Mechanical (ME), Chemical (ChE) and Materials Science (MSE) Engineering), via analyses of metrics representative of student progression through the university-to-industry pipeline.…”

Unleashing the Power of Data Analytics to Examine Engineering Students’ Experiences and Outcomes

“…With a similar focus on student learning, this society defines learning analytics as "the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs." 1 Main data sources for learning analytics include data collected from virtual learning environments and student information system of postsecondary institutions [26]. While the definition does not make prediction and action explicit, these two purposes appear to be embedded in practice.…”

“…Engineering students develop competencies through classroom learning, work-integrated learning outside the classroom, and extra-curricular activities on and off campus [1][2][3]. In two ways, current engineering education research (EER) does not adequately reflect these multiple interlinked experiences that contribute to competency formation.…”