Monitoring and stimulating development of integrated professional skills in university study programmes

Abstract

In Swedish higher education, quality assurance mainly focuses on course module outcomes. With this in mind we developed a qualitative method to monitor and stimulate progression of learning in two modularized engineering study programmes. A set of core professional values and skills were triangulated through interviews with students, teachers, alumni and industrial employers and aligned with national intended learning outcomes, thus defining the aims of progression. Student teams (pre-university, first, third, and fourth & fifth year) were observed addressing real industrial cases/problems of key relevance to these programme objectives. We report on observed progression and hurdles in developing approaches to industrial problem-solving; appropriate use of technical and scientific language; knowledge of chemistry, biochemistry and engineering; statistical reasoning; knowledge of economic consequences; team behaviour; project documentation; and understanding of professional ethics and risk. Our results demonstrate student progression in most areas, but also a shift in ethical focus from protecting the public towards protecting corporate interests.

Keywords:

• learning progression
• university study programme
• professional training

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to students, teachers, and colleagues in industry that volunteered their time to participate in this study, and to our Lund University colleagues Torgny Roxå for always asking challenging questions. The study was funded by the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, STINT-Sweden, and the Transatlantic Institute for Assessment in Higher Education (TIAHE). A particular thanks to Steven Culver, Virginia Tech, for valuable suggestions that helped us improve this article.