Engineering schools facing the thorny issue of training students in collaborative skills: feedback from the field

Abstract

In a context of transformation and increasing complexity of work due to the development of information technologies, communication and digital networks, the question of the acquisition and development of collaborative skills of engineers in training arises with a particular sharpness. Achieving their acquisition in practice is a major challenge. In France, although included in the training programs for students, the world of training is struggling to find the teaching and learning adapted and capable of developing collaborative skills in engineering students. Thus, the practices and methods implemented are different from one institution to another. It goes without saying that the acquisition and development of collaborative skills that are highly sought after on the labor market are unequally distributed among graduates of the major engineering schools. Thanks to a recombination of theoretical approaches, a qualitative and quantitative study conducted at ISAE-Supméca, a French engineering school, in order to obtain an overview of the collaborative skills developed by the students during specific problem- and project-based learning modules, and also in order to provide a critical analysis and feedback about the development of collaborative skills into the students' training program through these applied professional projects that immerse them in work contexts close to the future professional realities. The results show a strong gap between skills development and a focus on the development of skills from the “Process – Deliberation” category.