1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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?