Meeting the demands of industry: A study on identifying and teaching emerging technologies in Engineering Education

Abstract

As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, it is crucial for engineering faculties at contemporary universities and higher education institutions to continuously update their curricula. This is to ensure that graduates are equipped with the skills and knowledge required to design, develop, and implement emerging technologies in various industries (Wahyuningsih et al., 2020). However, there is a lack of consensus on which emerging technologies should be included in the engineering curriculum and how they should be taught. This study aims to identify the emerging technologies that should be included in the engineering curriculum and the best practices for teaching these technologies to engineering students. By addressing this gap in knowledge, this study contributes to the development of a comprehensive and up-to-date engineering curriculum that prepares graduates for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The objective of this research was to identify the most relevant emerging technologies, assess the current teaching practices and identify areas for improvement, and identify the key skills and knowledge that engineering students need to develop to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. There were two phases to this study. An online survey was done in phase one to gather quantitative data from engineering educators on attitudes and perceptions on the emerging technologies that are most relevant to the engineering field, the current practices for teaching these technologies, and the key skills and knowledge that engineering students need to develop. In the second phase, a focus group interview was conducted to gather more in-depth qualitative data on how emerging technologies can be integrated into the curriculum. This research study found a comprehensive understanding of the emerging technologies that should be included in the engineering curriculum and the best practices for teaching these technologies to engineering students.