Students cognitive abilities enhancement through computer software interaction: Engineering educators’ perception

Abstract

In this digital age, the deployment of modern technology in the workplace to mitigate the global challenges is paramount. The academic program, therefore, as accredited by the regulatory and accreditation bodies, whose sole objective is to ensure the production of quality industry-ready engineering graduates. These products are expected to be technology savvy and proficiently skilled in the use of computer software (CS) for productivity towards engineering activities. Unfortunately, the engineering institutions are presently not producing engineering graduates who are competent in computational thinking (CT) skills to meet the industry needs. A study explores the engineering educators’ perceived contributions and gains achieved while employing computer application software in the courses they teach towards the cognitive ability enhancement of the engineering students. This paper provides an in-depth exploratory inquiry into the employment of CS in engineering education, focusing on the contribution towards the cognitive enhancement of engineering students. The research follows a phenomenographic approach by evaluating the experiences of the engineering educators from different engineering disciplines in the higher education institutions, namely Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering, to gain valuable insights. Data collected from participants through a semi-structured, in-depth interview and analyzed with qualitative data analysis technique using NVivo 12, a computer-based qualitative analysis software. The evaluation indicates an increase of cognitive abilities leading to the development of expert knowledge, general intellectual skills, and capacities as well as personal qualities. This study will directly impact on the engineering educators and students, the engineering faculties, and stakeholders.