Convergent approaches for developing engineering leadership in undergraduates

Abstract

Here we describe a shared approach to engineering leadership that provides the foundation of four disparate engineering programs, all of which undertake to support and develop undergraduate leadership either explicitly (University of Texas at El Paso and James Madison University) or implicitly (Olin College of Engineering and the Integrated Engineering Programme at University College London). All four programs have independently converged on similar pedagogical approaches to engineering leadership that include both a broad conception of technical excellence and elements of interpersonal interaction. This emergent model of engineering leadership bears striking similarities to some recent top-down models of engineering leadership. In taking our programs as case studies, we demonstrate a focus on both student academic and personal development. These cases probe some of the shifts that have taken place in engineering education on both sides of the Atlantic in response to calls from professional policymakers and educators for technical education to include the development of professional and interpersonal skills, and consideration of the broader social context of technical work. Collectively, these four case studies also illustrate how intentional, carefully-scaffolded learning experiences in collaborative project-work and design lay the groundwork for our students to continue to develop as engineering leaders after graduation.