Contextual factors of engineering practice: implications for engineering education

The role of an engineer transcends technical knowledge and problem-solving skills. Engineers are expected to undertake a range of responsibilities and, besides being technically proficient, engineers must have strong analytical skills, creativity, ingenuity, professionalism, and leadership skills. Gaps in graduate competence are, nevertheless, often highlighted and the need for change in engineering education is well acknowledged, including the need for greater relevance of education to the profession, the need to engage more intensively with industry to strengthen the authenticity of engineering education, and the need to determine the quality and effectiveness of engineering degrees and the educational experience. This thesis focused on one specific competency, the knowledge of contextual factors that impact engineering; a competency (as required by accreditation authority, Engineers Australia) that engineering graduates must be able to demonstrate at the point of entry to practice. It includes concepts of sustainable development, international practice, human factors, business management, the engineering workforce, and the interactions between engineering systems and people. In addition to accreditation requirements, this competency offers the opportunity to contextualise engineering education to engineering practice, address other competency gaps, and has inherent value in allowing students to be more aware and prepared for the profession. However, there is a lack of literature on the contextual factors that impact engineering, how they are understood, and whether those understandings are correct, as well as on the educational perspective of how contextual factors are addressed within the undergraduate curriculum. This thesis looked at, and beyond, the education sector to investigate the issue from a practice perspective, thus contributing to two fields of research: the understanding of the concept of contextual factors, and the education of contextual factors. The two key research questions included (i) What are the contextual factors that impact engineering? and (ii) What experiences are currently used to develop engineering students' knowledge of contextual factors? Case Study and Phenomenography research methodologies were utilised, using interview, focus group, and document analysis research methods. Data was gathered via four Investigations which focused on various stakeholder groups (practising engineers, employers, academics, and stakeholders of engineering education) and sources of data (interview transcripts, documents, concept maps, and company websites). Data was analysed using phenomenographic data analysis, case study data analysis, and thematic and content analysis. Following the determination of current academic understandings about contextual factors, this research further ascertained the contextual factors that impact engineering from a practice perspective. Categorised into four overarching groups, they include: (i) Contextual factors that are inherent in the nature of the engineering profession, (ii) Factors inherent in the everyday work of engineers, (iii) Factors inherent in the workplace environment, and (iv) Factors that are essential considerations when carrying out engineering work. Of significance, contextual factors were found to have an impact 'on' engineers or be impacted 'by' engineers; they can also have either a profession or a work focus. From an education perspective, also, the research determined specific initiatives that are currently used to develop knowledge of contextual factors, thus providing evidence and practical examples of value to education providers. The research findings contribute to the value attributed to contextual factors from both professional and educational perspectives. Based on the significant findings and implications, the research suggests several recommendations, including the need for better (and more mindful) understanding of contextual factors by all stakeholders, the need to emphasise the value of the competency, the need for better integration into the curriculum, and the need for better education of academics to ensure learning outcomes are clearer and more accurately aligned to competency development. The major findings of this thesis provide empirical evidence of the contextual factors that are relevant to engineering, how they are understood, and ways in which they can be taught and addressed within the undergraduate engineering curriculum. In addition to the theoretical relevance of the findings, this research also provides practical value to education and accreditation providers, current and prospective engineering students, graduates, and industry. The research contributes to engineering education, engineering practice, policy and decision making, and scholarly research and literature. This thesis advanced existing literature and knowledge. It is the first of its kind to understand contextual factors from an engineering perspective with insight from multiple stakeholders, and to investigate contextual factors using the current methodology, thus providing insight for future research and development. Overall, knowledge of contextual factors is essential for engineering practice and is the key competency that holds the potential to contextualise engineering education to the profession. This thesis contributes towards achieving this goal.