Developing Engineering Students’ Professional Skills Keywords: professional skills, professional development, engineering students Developing Engineering Students’ Professional Skills Benjamin Ahn, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Aerospace Engineering Designing a course and a digital badge program to develop and certify engineering students’ professional skills.

Why? What problem are you solving? In the 21st century, engineers must offer more than technical expertise—they must lead, collaborate, communicate in multidisciplinary teams, and make ethically sound decisions What are your educational objectives? Educating engineering students to effectively develop and apply professional skills

When? What is the developmental history of your innovation? Developing an Engineering Professional Development Course Semester-long course Topics: Leadership, teamwork, communication, … Format: Flipped class (Lecture clips, short quizzes, online discussions, and in-class activities) Developing a Digital Badge Program Certify students’ professional skills

Where? Have you tried this in other institutions? Leadership Exploration And Development Program Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Eight weeks in summer 2015 Two 2-hour-long sessions per week 80 students Students explored leadership practices through design-and-build activities, role-playing activities, and student-led activities

What? What learning activities and materials have you developed? Design-and-build team activities, role-playing activities, and student-select and -lead educational activities and events What is your theory of change? Create a safe learning environment in which students from diverse backgrounds and experiences feel free to challenge themselves and others, while developing their professional skills What has worked really well? Team-based leaning activities involving small groups of students (5 to 6) who worked together throughout the course

Prognosis? How are you documenting impact? Course evaluations from students and TAs Student peer-to-peer evaluation Student self-reflection Feedback from recent graduates and employers How do you plan to scale-up? Students in all engineering disciplines at ISU What advice would you like from others at FOEE? What professional skills are needed for the 21st century engineers? How to design in-class activities which promote engineering students’ professional skills (contents, formats, etc.)? How to effectively develop online materials for a professional development course?