Skill development
Skill development layers for Design and Problem Solving in the EA Stage 1 Competencies
From Engineers Australia
Source: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=0446A3D5-B812-B0F4-4B66-8AF85D4C337B&siteName=ieaust
Professional engineers are required to take responsibility for engineering projects and programs in the most far-reaching sense. This includes the reliable functioning of all materials and technologies used; their integration to form a complete and self-consistent system; and all interactions between the technical system and the environment in which it functions.
Stage 1 competency represents the level of preparation necessary and adequate for entry to practice leading to these responsibilities. A graduate engineer would be expected to work initially under the supervision and guidance of more experienced engineers, while experience is gained.
Stage 1 competency corresponds to completion of a 4-year Bachelor of Engineering degree accredited by
Engineers Australia. The Manual for the Accreditation of Professional Engineering Programs provides guidance on the topics and subject areas expected to be covered in particular engineering disciplines. It is not expected that candidates will have demonstrated every detail of the knowledge, competencies and attributes that follow; but they must demonstrate at least the substance of each element. Assessment will be made in a holistic way.
As students progress throughout the degree, we aim to progress from teaching and memorisation of facts, to the ability to undertake creative design. We encourage you to assess the changes in your skill levels as you progrss through your uni degree.
Credit to Tim Lever for producing this table.
| Skill development | Related competency elements from EA Stage 1 Standards |
|---|---|
|
Independent design |
2.3 a. Ability to engage with ill-defined situations and problems involving uncertainty, imprecise information, and wide-ranging and conflicting technical and non-technical factors. 2.4 c. Experience in personally conducting a major design exercise to achieve a substantial engineering outcome to professional standards, demonstrating (relevant) capacity. 2.5 d. Alternatively, experience as a member of a team conducting such a major design exercise, and ability to demonstrate a key contribution to the team effort and the success of the outcome |
| Creative design |
2.1 c. Ability to address issues and problems that have no obvious solution and require 3.3 a. Readiness to challenge engineering practices from technical and non-technical 3.3 b. Ability to apply creative approaches to identify and develop alternative concepts |
| Guided major design project |
2.3 d. Understanding of the process of partitioning a problem, process or system into manageable elements, for purposes of analysis or design; and of re-combining these to form the whole, with the integrity and performance of the overall system as the paramount consideration. PE2.4 c1-12 Design project skills including capacity to elicit and define acceptance criteria, consider constraints and risks, write functional specifications, seek advice from appropriate sources, identify and analyse possible design concepts, propose and agree on optimal solution, ensure maximum functionality, safety and sustainability of chosen solution, develop design plan, specify equipment and operating arrangements, ensure integration and consistency of the system as a whole, devise and document tests to verify performance and take any corrective action necessary. |
| Fuzzy problemsolving | PE 2.1 a. Ability to identify the nature of a technical problem, make appropriate simplifying assumptions, achieve a solution, and quantify the significance of the assumptions to the reliability of the solution. |
| Standard problem solving | PE2.1 b. Ability to investigate a situation or the behaviour of a system and ascertain relevant causes and effects |
Bloom's Taxonomy
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom's_Taxonomy
Source: http://www.c21te.usf.edu/materials/institute/ct/bltax.gif