Convergent Approaches for Developing Engineering Leadership in Undergraduates

Abstract

is helping develop a new Engineering Leadership Program to enable students to bridge the gap between traditional engineering education and what they will really experience in industry. With a background in both engineering education and design thinking, her research focuses on how Hispanic students develop an identity as an engineer, methods for enhancing student motivation, and methods for involving students in curriculum development and teaching through Peer Designed Instruction.

In search of a definition and frameworks for engineering leadership development

“…Leadership programs parallel to, rather than integrated into, the engineering core curriculum also enable students to practice leadership in a course setting. Engineering leadership programs provide explicit curricular opportunities such as majors, minors, certificates, and individual courses (Graham et al., 2009, Kendall et al., 2018; Klassen et al., 2016) specifically related to leadership development.…”

“…Engineering leadership development has foundations in various fields yet maintains a unique perspective because of its inclusion of technical mastery. The very nature of leadership, being a people‐focused discipline, could be considered at odds with the culture of engineering (Kendall et al., 2018). Despite this, engineering leadership awareness has grown in the past 20 years and has inspired engineering leadership development activities at universities in the United States and abroad.…”

The history of engineering leadership development in academia: Influences, influencers, and a general roadmap

“…The study also recognized the importance of cross‐cultural and global perspectives in programs (Graham et al., 2009). A similar 2018 case study report outlined approaches to teaching engineering leadership at four universities focused on re‐thinking engineering education for the 21st Century (Kendall et al., 2018). Key features of EL education included: technical mastery, teamwork, contextual awareness, and effectual behavior.…”

Looking to the future: Four key purposes of engineering leadership education

“…Many EL educators differentiate leadership development from managerial training by fostering personal exploration and growth through experiential education opportunities (Graham, 2012; Graham et al., 2009; Kendall et al., 2018; Klassen et al., 2016; Paul & Cowe Falls, 2015; Rottmann & Handley, 2020). This emphasis on personal growth is echoed throughout the leadership development literature (Avolio, 1999; Conger, 1992).…”