Professional Engineering Education Best Practice Study For First Year, Multi Disciplinary Courses

Highly beneficial professional engineering courses are those that include both components of theory and hands-on learning. Hands-on group design projects can be viewed as essential because they tie together all of the theory and force students to start thinking like real engineers. Through the presentation and assessment of design projects, students can recognize their strengths and weaknesses (time management, communication skills, problem solving ability, etc.) early on so that they can develop these skills in future courses. This approach of combining theory and practice is consistent with criteria set forth by Engineers Australia and ABET for engineering degree programs. Both organizations encourage a realistic understanding of professional practice, including project management and ethics, and require students to be able to work in multi-disciplinary groups and communicate effectively. Although universities have the entire duration of the degree program to meet these requirements, students benefit greatly from early exposure. The purpose of this study was to discuss best practices for introductory courses that focus on professional engineering skills and practice. Through internet-based research, information was gathered about 82 courses at universities in Australia, the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Courses that were multi-disciplinary and mandatory for first-year students were analyzed to determine best practices; the University of Queensland's Introduction to Professional Engineering course was used as a case study.