Engineering Leadership Education: A Review of Best Practices
Date
2015-05-12
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Abstract
In the past, intellectually talented engineers with strong technical skills were sufficient for the needs of society. However, in the 21st century engineers are now working in the corporate world, disconnected from the hands-on aspect of engineering. Professional skills such as leadership have become critical for graduating engineers entering the workforce. There is currently a broad understanding of engineering leadership education program offerings [1,2], however there is a lack of understanding of the programs’ designs in comprehensive detail. Thus the question is, based on a review of engineering leadership programs’ goals and competencies, what is the main focus of these programs? Case studies of engineering leadership education programs were analyzed, including seminar courses, certificates, minors and bachelor programs. Specifically, the goal and competencies from each program were compared to determine consistencies and variations in the programs. Five themes emerged for the fundamental goal of engineering leadership education programs: effective leadership, innovation and technology, independent learning, experiential learning and systems thinking. The analysis of the competencies found a diverse spread across the programs. Overall, six key competencies emerged: communication, innovation, results, creativity, teamwork and ethics. This analysis provides insight on the focus of engineering leadership education, the design of engineering leadership programs and the progress in the field.