Work in progress - educational implications of personal history, undergraduate experience, and professional values of practicing engineers

Our study gives voice to the practicing engineer—to let those professionals speak directly about their academic preparations for careers in engineering. In doing so, we gather primary data that reveals the need for change, innovation, and collaboration within undergraduate engineering curricula. Here, we pull information from three sets of data: a) online survey of college of engineering alumni from a large, public university (n= 280); 2) observations on-site within four engineering organizations (n=34); c) interviews completed by freshmen engineering students of practicing engineers (n=60). First, we explore commonalities and differences revealed through the participants' personal narrative about academic and career trajectories. Secondly, we look at their statements about what they value in work projects and colleagues. Common themes emerge from these practicing professionals about the undergrad experience: increase interdisciplinary work, emphasize communication, develop business skills, do more real design work, and foster mentoring relationships. As one participant advised new engineering graduates, “Put away your textbooks and find a mentor…you learn by doing.“