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Stakeholder perspectives on professional skills priorities in engineering curriculum: A systematic literature review
Conference proceeding

Stakeholder perspectives on professional skills priorities in engineering curriculum: A systematic literature review

Zachary Quince, Samuel Cunningham and Sarah Dart
Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE 2024), pp.862-871
35th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, 35th (Christchurch, New Zealand, 08/12/2024–11/12/2024)
12/2024
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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Abstract

professional skills systematic review graduate competencies Washington Accord Engineering education Higher education
CONTEXT: The Washington Accord sets out the professional competencies that should be developed through an engineering student’s education. Although this includes both technical and professional competencies, engineering curriculum has historically prioritised the development of technical skills. This is further compounded by the competing perspectives of three key stakeholder groups – academic, industry, and students. PURPOSE: The purpose of this literature review is to develop understanding of different stakeholders’ perspectives of what professional skills are important for an engineering graduate. In this study the following research questions are addressed: (1) what has been the focus of empirical studies on the professional skills expected of engineering graduates?; and (2) how do the professional skills expected of engineering graduates vary by stakeholder group? APPROACH: A systematic literature review approach guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework was applied. A database search returned 1595 records, which were screened based on set criteria including publishing date and quality of journal. Selected papers were then mapped to the seven professional skill competencies of the Washington Accord. OUTCOMES: In total, 17 papers were identified as meeting the screening criteria. Most reviewed articles being published from 2020 onwards indicated that this area is increasing in interest. Out of the 17 papers, one investigated the perspective of academics, 12 considered professional engineers, and 7 included students’ perspectives. Teamwork and communication skills were typically ranked among the most important, with environmental and sustainability often ranked lower for importance. CONCLUSIONS: The review highlighted the importance of communication and teamwork skills as perceived by professional engineers, students, and academics. Environment and sustainability skills were not ranked highly among the stakeholders. Skills such as ethics varied in importance between stakeholders. Given the varying perspectives of the stakeholder groups, it is recommended that future work explores the similarities and differences between the graduate needs of industry, and the skills that academics believe are important for graduates. This would contribute to efforts to better align engineering curriculum with industry needs.

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