Abstract:

The faculty of Mechanical Engineering (3mE) of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands is implementing the concept of the ‘reflective engineer’. Meaning that students will be more aware and well-prepared for future needs. Not only technical and engineering skills suffice but are also educated in interpersonal skills. That students have a better understanding of learning by reflection (Hermsen et al., 2022). To facilitate students in their reflections an e-portfolio tool was introduced for bachelor and master students. The conference proceeding elaborates on the process of the implementation of a supportive e-portfolio tool for engineering students by supporting them to reflect and motivating them on their personal development to become the reflective engineer.

The mission statement of TU Delft addresses the importance that students should be prepared to be more resilient in the future society. Engineering skills do not suffice anymore to meet the demands of the working field. Picard et al. (2022) showed that a gap between employers’ expectations and the reality of engineering graduates’ skill sets in the professional domain still does not suffice. While it is argued that skills are needed in future jobs in the complex society, especially analytical thinking and creative thinking are the most important skills for workers in 2023 according to the latest report of the World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs, May 2023. Aligned with the mission of TU Delft, in coherence with the ambition of 3mE and addressing the gap by Picard et al. (2022); to enable students to work on their professional skills, a pilot was started by implementing an electronic portfolio tool (e-portfolio tool PebblePad). Enabling students to document individual progress and support life-long learning. PebblePad was introduced in bachelor's and master's courses. Both are part of a redesign of the current curriculum.

One of the challenges to encounter was making sure that the students were engaged while using a tool that is not integrated with their daily routine, nor on their Learning Management System (LMS- Brightspace). Referring to recent research by Saunders-Smit et al. (2023) in the master program of Robotics at TU Delft, showing that ‘reflection’ should engage students in meaningful contemplation, rather than mere documentation or portfolio production. Addressing that qualitative feedback on reflection can be provided by experienced mentors. To find a potential solution for this challenge, we were able to conduct a pilot among two groups: voluntary among the last year bachelor students from Marine Engineering (N=25 and N=19) during their final bachelor project, and mandatory during the first-year course Biomedical Engineering (N= 93) and voluntary in the master course Neuromechanics Motor control (N=3).

After conducting the pilot the students expressed a modest positive attitude towards using the e-portfolio tool. They emphasized the essence of constructive feedback, which helped them to reflect and think deeper about their personal development.
A challenge remains and needs further discussion: how do you get experienced coaches, mentors, and lecturers to conduct qualitative feedback considering >800 bachelor students and >100 Master students each year?
Sharing the methodology and results found during this pilot and discussing the potential use of the e-portfolio to support documentation of the student's reflection and motivation.

Keywords:

Reflective engineer, 21st century skills, e-portfolio, student motivation.