The competence dilemma in engineering education: Moving beyond simple graduate attribute mapping

A decade ago, major reviews of engineering education in Australia and the USA resulted in a new, outcomes-based approach to program accreditation in engineering. These outcomes are based on a set of Graduate Attributes derived to meet the perceived needs of industry into the future. However, recent reports suggest that engineering graduates may not have the competencies required for contemporary practice, even though program outcomes have been designed to meet the stated needs of industry. This observable gap between education and practice points to a set of underlying causes that we call the competence dilemma in engineering education. This paper reviews the fundamental assumptions on which outcomes-based education is built, in a way that was not considered at the time of the earlier changes to program accreditation. It also critically examines the nature of this perceptual gap between the Graduate Attributes that universities are striving to produce in their graduates and the competencies needed in practice in order to perform satisfactorily in industry. This entails the inclusion of the students’ attitudes and self-concept in the conception of professional competence. This analysis of this competence dilemma suggests a more holistic view of competence formation. On this basis, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study into identifying alternative ways in which students’ competence is formed and influenced in education. The analysis of the empirical study leads to a multi-scale systems model of engineering competence, where the attitudes and self-image are located on a meta-level, and organise and contextualise the individual’s particular set of competencies in a specific work situation. At a time when authorities in both countries are reviewing the operation and success of outcome based education in engineering, this paper points to an evidence-based way forward to address the competence dilemma.