Transcript Attributes of a Global Engineering Project

Stephen P. Hundley
Patricia L. Fox
Lynn Brown
Alan Jacobs
Catherine Didion
Daniel Sayre
Hans J. Hoyer
Goal: Enhance the employability of engineering graduates and increase
the international competitiveness of ASEE’s members.
Objectives:
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To identify the attributes to prepare a globally-oriented engineer
capable of effectively living, working, or performing in a global
setting
To use these attributes to target appropriate interventions at various
stages of a global engineer’s educational and professional
development
To refine and improve the attributes over time to reflect changing
circumstances, stakeholder input, and cross-cultural norms
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Engineering Grand Challenges
Engineer of 2020
ABET, Inc.
Tuning Project (European Union)
Association of American Colleges and
Universities’ Essential Learning Outcomes and
Project Kaleidoscope
Lumina Foundation’s Degree Qualifications
Profile
National Survey of Student Engagement (U.S.)
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Process began in early-2008 and involved
Corporate Member Council (CMC) members
developing a list of competencies
Job descriptions, literature reviews, subject-matter
expert input, etc.
Initial list of 48 attributes
After further review and validation from CMC
members, a total of 20 attributes of a global
engineer emerged
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Partnered with IFEES organizations/societies to
translate survey into 13 languages
Launched via SurveyMonkey and collected over
1,000 usable cases
Analytic work centered on understanding the
most important attributes at various stages of
an engineer’s development
◦ Upon completion from high school
◦ Upon completion from college/university
◦ Early-career professional
1.
Demonstrates an understanding of engineering, science, and
mathematics fundamentals
2.
Demonstrates an understanding of political, social, and
economic perspectives
3.
Demonstrates an understanding of information technology,
digital competency, and information literacy
4.
5.
Demonstrates an understanding of stages/phases of product
lifecycle (design, prototyping, testing, production,
distribution channels, supplier management, etc.)
Demonstrates an understanding of project planning,
management, and the impacts of projects on various
stakeholder groups (project team members, project sponsor,
project client, end-users, etc.)
6.
7.
8.
Demonstrates an understanding of the ethical and business
norms and applies norms effectively in a given context
(organization, industry, country, etc.)
Communicates effectively in a variety of different ways,
methods, and media (written, verbal/oral, graphic, listening,
electronically, etc.)
Communicates effectively to both technical and nontechnical audiences
9.
Possesses an international/global perspective
10.
Possesses fluency in at least two languages
11.
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13.
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15.
Possesses the ability to think both critically and creatively
Possesses the ability to think both individually and
cooperatively
Functions effectively on a team (understands team goals,
contributes effectively to team work, supports team
decisions, respects team members, etc.)
Maintains a positive self-image and possesses positive selfconfidence
Maintains a high-level of professional competence
16.
17.
18.
Embraces a commitment to quality principles/standards and
continuous improvement
Embraces an interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary perspective
Applies personal and professional judgment in effectively
making decisions and managing risks
19.
Mentors or helps others accomplish goals/tasks
20.
Shows initiative and demonstrates a willingness to learn
High School
Graduates
1.
University Graduates
Early-Career
Professionals 1-5 yrs
Communicates effectively in a variety of different ways, methods, and
media*
2.
Possesses the ability to think both critically and creatively*
3.
Shows initiative and demonstrates a willingness to learn*
4.
Functions effectively on a team
5.
Possesses the ability to think both individually and cooperatively
6.
7.
8.
Demonstrates an understanding of engineering, science, and
mathematics fundamentals
Demonstrates an understanding of information technology, digital
competency, and information literacy
Maintains a positive self-image and possesses positive self-confidence
* These 3 attributes are common across
all career-levels and cultures
Early-Career Professionals (1-5 yrs):
Stage 3
- Functions effectively on a team
- Possesses the ability to think both individually
and cooperatively
The global university graduate will
demonstrate an understanding of:
Stage 2
- engineering, science, and mathematics
fundamentals
- information technology, digital competency, and
information literacy
The high school graduate:
-Demonstrates an understanding of engineering,
science, and mathematics fundamentals
-Maintains a positive self-image and possesses
positive self- confidence
Stage 1
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The assumption is that students are given the tools and
competency (knowledge) during the first stages of their
education
Respondents
3 Categories of Qualitative Responses (non-bolded comments are respondent repeats)
Language -
Missing Attributes
How attributes might be used
Additional recommendations
English
• Cultural sensitivity
• Tolerance to other People and
perspectives
• Open-mindedness and ability to
adapt
•Ability to behave ethically across
cultures
• Improve the curriculum to reflect
global attributes
• Better prepare students for global
workforce
• Incorporate into existing initiatives
(e.g., ABET)
• Share results widely with various
stakeholders
• Attributes project is a good
initiative
• Equip students with “real
world” perspectives
• Better prepare students for
global marketplace
• Involve business in
preparing global engineers
Turkish
• Tolerance to other
people and perspectives
• Social responsibility
• Research and analytical
thinking skills
• Problem-solving and
improvement capabilities
• Improve the curriculum to reflect
global attributes
• Better prepare students for global
workforce
• Use attributes as selection tool for
students/employees
• Attributes project is a good
initiative
• Provide student exchange
programs
• Better prepare students for
global marketplace
•Involve business in preparing
global engineers
Korean
• Peer evaluation systems
• Develop rubrics for evaluation of
global attributes
• Improve the curriculum to reflect
global attributes
• Emphasize the “soft skills” needed
by engineers
• Attributes project is a good
initiative
• Develop “certificate of
qualifications” to be used
internationally
• Ability to design systematically
Spanish
• Social responsibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Tolerance to other
people and perspectives
• Cultural sensitivity
• Improve teachers’ attitudes
toward global subjects
• Improve the curriculum to reflect
global attributes
• Create guides that can be used to
teach content
• Share results widely with various
stakeholders
• Attributes project is a good
initiative
• Conduct survey regularly to
measure progress
• Develop scenarios across
various countries
• Involve business in preparing
global engineers
Missing Attributes
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Cultural sensitivity; tolerance to other people/perspectives; openmindedness and ability to adapt; ethical behavior across cultures; social
responsibility; research/analytical thinking skills; problem-solving
capabilities; ability to peer review; entrepreneurship
Uses/Recommendations
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Improve curriculum; better prepare graduates for global work; alignment
with ABET; selection tool for students/employees; develop learning
modules and assessment rubrics; emphasize the “soft skills” needed by
engineers; improve teachers’ approaches toward teaching international
concepts
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All attributes have been validated as being important for a global
engineer; some attributes are more important than others and the
proficiency-levels needed at different “stages” of a professional’s
development necessarily vary
Considerable agreement across all languages on the “most important”
and “most proficient” attributes needed, with some variance between
order of importance and proficiency
The means for importance and proficiency of each attribute are lower for
H.S. Graduates, increase for University graduates, and are the highest for
Early-Career Professionals; thus, this results in a stair-stepping effect
for attributes at each stage
There are statistically-significant language- and role-based differences
for some of the attributes, although most of the differences are not in
the top attributes
Most qualitative verbatim responses identify a nuanced or more specific
discussion of missing attributes, how attributes might be used, and
additional recommendations
2012-2014
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Attribute outcome definitions, adaptation, and improvement
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Development of outcome statements for each attribute
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Validation of outcomes statement for attributes through focus
group research
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Create cross-cultural working groups to develop curricular
guides related to specific attributes
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Pursue grant funding to pilot-test implementation
Today’s Focus Group/Discussion
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Group formation
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Instructions
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Deliverables
Q&A / Discussion
Contact Information:
Stephen P. Hundley, Ph.D.
Chair and Associate Professor
Department of Technology Leadership and Communication
Purdue School of Engineering and Technology
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
[email protected]
+317-274-2876 (work)
+317-847-8383 (mobile)