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In this paper, we address the lack of a unified approach to understanding engineering practice by developing and presenting a taxonomy of common engineering activities. The taxonomy consists of 86 common engineering activities linked to 17 engineering competencies and the 11 International Engineering Alliance graduate attributes. The list of activities was developed using a six-step process, including multiple systematic literature searches and surveying engineers. The taxonomy provides a critical foundation for better understanding what engineers do, particularly in the Australian and New Zealand context. The taxonomy has potential utility in both engineering practice research and engineering education curriculum reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a novel theoretical framework of engineering ethics, specifically how engineering professional practitioners make sense of ethics. Multiple regression was applied to 2009 survey data (N=2276, 38% return) of practising engineers, to identify groups of competencies correlated with ethics. These were identified as values within an ethics worldview model. The model has two compartments. One is the development of a professional worldview, whereby professional engineers reconstruct their own values over time, and then seek to embody those in their own life. The other is an awareness of the need for professional judgement in complex decision-making. All the significant variables identified in the survey may be accommodated in this model. While the raw data (ex 2009) were dated, the method and findings help move the field forward by providing new insights into how practising engineers make sense of ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent report by the Foundation for Young Australians that derived from an analysis of 4.2 million job advertisements in Australia from 2012 to 2015, revealed that the demand for professionals possessing creative problem-solving skills grew by 249%. This paper reflects on the successes of engineering educators in developing creative graduates and discusses the means to instil the skills of creative problem-solving. It considers research evidence of the suitability of heuristics (methods) for problem framing and idea generation that are sourced from the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) for enhancing the creative problem-solving skills of engineering students. Twelve TRIZ heuristics are considered. A repository of TRIZ educatinal materials (TRIZ Repository) is introduced. The outcomes of four studies from Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand that embedded educational materials offered by the TRIZ Repository into existing courses are presented. This paper concludes that TRIZ heuristics are suitable for embedding into courses that require students to tackle open-ended problems. As demonstrated by the studies, even one class devoted to a TRIZ heuristic can statistically significantly enhance students' creative problem-solving self-efficacy. The TRIZ Repository of educational materials may enable many engineering educators to instil creative problem-solving into their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when the routine tasks traditionally carried out by engineers are being undertaken by either technicians or technologists with access to powerful IT systems or AI with machine learning algorithms, there is an urgent need to reframe the education of engineering students beyond rote learning. This involves providing a learning framework to support creative problem-solving as specified by many of the Graduate Attributes required by the Washington Accord for accreditation of tertiary engineering degrees. At the same time, there is a growing movement towards STEAM led education that couples the traditional STEM subjects with the Arts in order to produce more creative and innovative engineers. Based on experience of developing a new design paper for undergraduate students that meets the needs of a specific group of people in society, this paper explores options to incorporate STEAM style education into engineering degree programs that builds on lessons learnt from the best of professional practice. The result is a multi-disciplinary framework coupled with pedagogical practices from the Arts and Design that focuses learning on the human sciences, natural sciences, craftsmanship and design thinking to provide holistic engineering education under pinned by technical competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a case study on how an established, mature engineering faculty, with a large population of students can make the successful, high risk, step change transition towards the delivery of CDIO objectives: "Graduating engineers who can conceive-design-implement-operate complex value-added engineering systems in a modern team-based environment" (Crawley et al, 2011). The successful results of the project demonstrated the effectiveness of the systems thinking and CDIO approach, and endorsed this as the basis for a major change strategy. Not only did it demonstrate the quality of all the students on the course, their potential and commitment to engineering, but it also demonstrated willingness of the faculty to take a risk and to embrace change. The project scenario opened up an otherwise overlooked teaching resource: that of practitioner lecturers with many years of experience of implementation and operation of major projects. These skills were essential to the scoping, design, planning and implementation of the project as well as giving the backdrop of best practice from industry. Auckland's experience of introducing a major step change may be used as a template for other universities who may wish to follow Auckland's example. This project shows the value of a hearts and minds approach to change as it brought together students, staff and best practice under a multidisciplinary systems thinking and CDIO approach; all united in the interests of reconstructing Christchurch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years a Women in Engineering Forum was run in conjunction with the Australasian Association for Engineering Education conference, but in recent years "women in engineering" has fallen off the radar to a large degree. There is a widespread perception that the issues of concern for women have been addressed, and that women are now incorporated into the mainstream of engineering education and the engineering profession. Yet Australia and other western countries still have participation rates for women in engineering education that are lower than any other field of education and that have stagnated or declined for the last decade. This paper reviews a range of recent data and studies to examine the current picture of women in engineering education: the statistics, student experience and faculty issues. It concludes with a look to the future: what still needs to be done? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civilisation's quality of living and vitality of their economy are inextricably linked to healthy ecosystems. Engineers harvest the earth's biophysical resources and generate ensuing wastes, so are critical players for ensuring that ecosystems can support current and future sustainable civilisations. Educating future generations charged with mitigating environmental degradation through resource conservation is essential for sustainability to eventuate. This can be fostered through teaching "Eco-Logical" Engineering. Natural Resources Engineering students at the University of Canterbury engaged in prescribed desktop research to recognise capital in waste streams. Projects adopted decentralised engineering solutions in partnership with local ecosystems to ensure survival of the interdependent biotic and fiscal economies. All projects aligned with the core principles of ecological engineering with a particular focus on mass conservation and were contextual, real-world national problems. Students identified that sustainable engineering solutions in New Zealand require integrated technical robustness, promising cost-benefit returns and ecological connectivity. Pedagogical outcomes include helping equip students with the knowledge, technical insight, creativity and context required for challenging and complex problem-solving in the engineering profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper marks the 90th anniversary celebration of the formation of Engineers Australia in 1919 and whose theme is "Looking forward, looking back". This profiles the attributes and competencies of the professional engineer of the 21st century, and gives an outline of the educational, professional and industrial infrastructure needed to be in place to produce that engineer. The professional engineer is ideally perceived to have technical expertise of world-class standing, and to be an integrator who can operate and manage across borders and boundaries in a complex business environment. As change-agent, the professional engineer provides the creativity, innovation and leadership to shape industry for a successful future in which industry has a reciprocal responsibility to participate. The process will involve exposure to best-practice educational and industrial training and be supported by Engineers Australia providing relevant Continuing Professional Development programs to maintain professional engineering proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one on the challenges faced in engineering education, one on competency deficiencies of engineering graduates and one on professional development for engineers.