Integrating alternative credentials to enhance academic experiences in engineering students Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Continuous engineering courses commonly take place after the students graduate from higher education institutions. However, there is a gap between the skills required by the industry and the skills set provided throughout engineering courses. For this reason, both higher education institutions and industrial organizations, started questioning whether universities should have a bigger role in providing ready-to-work engineers, by assuring that the right skills are implemented in higher education programs. Moreover, continuous engineering education is an important strategy to promote engagement in higher education students as well as to strengthen their professional development. In this context, the innovative integration of a collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Health (Secretaria de Salud) department was implemented in the Introduction to Professional Development course from the Biotechnology Engineering program at Tecnologico de Monterrey. This collaboration consisted in a series of 4 different in person certifications in disciplinary topics. A survey at the end of the course was applied to the students to evaluate, in a ten-point scale, the course in different parameters such as methodology and learning activities, intellectual challenge level, and learning guidance. The obtained results were compared to a control course without the integration of the certification program. After the courses' implementation, the methodology and learning activities increased from 8.52 to 9.76, the intellectual challenge level increased from 8.52 to 9.72, and the teacher's learning guidance was increased from 9.04 to 9.79. In conclusion, the integration of alternative credentials in higher education courses, not only prepare better up-to-date professionals for industrial challenges, but increases the students' satisfaction regarding their courses. © 2024 IEEE.

publication date

  • January 1, 2024