Preparing the global engineer: How learning to teach in a service-learning project develops effective communication skills in engineering students

Abstract

Globalisation, mass migration, the digital revolution and a growing need for environmental stewardship are changing the way goods and services are designed, produced, distributed, consumed and disposed of. To be able to work successfully, both domestically and globally, engineers need the capacity to understand changing contexts, constraints and cultures and have the capability and drive to work with people who define and solve problems differently. As the engineering workplace evolves, there are increasing demands from industry for engineering faculties to produce student graduates who are technically able and possess proficient professional skills. Monash University's Schools' Technology Project has been specifically designed to develop a range of professional skills in their final-year engineering students. The project is a service-learning program placing students into schools to design and teach STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) units of work. This paper is a phenomenological description of how the experiential learning opportunities provided during the project enhance one aspect of student professional skill development: effective oral communication.