External Engineering Competitions as Undergraduate Educational Experiences

Experiential learning in engineering education: The role of student design competitions and a case study

“…the tutors significantly higher resource demands than traditionally structured lectures and assignments. 36…”

“…With specific regard to the authors’ experience, on top of the above-mentioned ‘active learning’ values student design competitions also generate awareness on side aspects that are not usually part of engineering studies; as such they become complementary to traditional academic education. As a matter of fact, individual growth is promoted from the point of view of the so-called soft skills, 34–36 those personal attributes that indicate a high level of emotional intelligence and facilitate interpersonal behaviour, 37 such as in the areas of project management, communication, language and fundamental values for team work like team spirit and related ethics: loyalty, trust, empathy, mutual respect individual responsibility versus team work balance the presence of well-defined roles leadership, interaction, collaboration, inclusion concreteness, autonomy, proactivity, adaptability a constructive management of problems and personal conflict sharing workflow, tools, methods and objectives …”

We are Thriving! Undergraduate Women in Engineering Student Project Teams

“…They provide an opportunity to break out of the boundaries of the core curriculum. Students learn how to generate a production schedule, to adhere to a budget, to raise funds, and to design-test-redesign intricate technological equipmentall relevant to developing appreciation for their authentic roles within the many different expressions of engineering [5]. And, they provide students with leadership and followership experiences on projects that matter deeply to the many communities active in the search for solutions to problems [6].…”

Overview of Student Innovation Competitions and Their Roles in STEM Education

“…On the other hand, student competitions go beyond and offer students soft skills, which are the key to successful experiential learning [6]. In engineering education, senior capstone projects have become typical venues for teaching soft skills as well; however, these are often still limited with class-time and curriculum expectations [7]. Capstone projects, by nature, are towards the end of students' educational careers, and therefore, students may not have time to practice the soft skills they just have exposure.…”

“…However, students with experiential learning experiences demonstrate more significant gains in these soft-skill areas. Student competitions, therefore, play an essential role in engaging students in further design activities that go beyond the curriculum [4], [7].…”