Engineering undergraduates’ knowledge: insights into skills’ awareness, difference and interdependence

Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks insights into the engineering undergraduates’ knowledge of problem-solving process, teamwork characteristics and communication skills.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for the study were collected through consecutive sampling technique from 78 engineering undergraduates at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, India on a five-point Likert scale-based questionnaire.

Findings

Exploratory factor analysis results traced three stages of the problem-solving process. However, the results of teamwork characteristics and communication skills validated the literature-based results. An important finding was that all the three skills were correlated. This means that one skill can be used to develop and promote other skills. The paired sample t-test demonstrated that all the three skills were perceived with a difference, which indicates that these skills worked in collaboration without losing their individuality.

Research limitations/implications

This study supports that there is a need to engage learners in an active and collaborative environment to improve the engineering undergraduates’ knowledge of skills.

Originality/value

The conscious effort to make the engineering undergraduates aware would reduce the gap between the graduating engineers skills currently possessed in academia and the required skills at workplace.

Citation

Singh, R., Sangwan, K.S. and Sangwan, D. (2024), "Engineering undergraduates’ knowledge: insights into skills’ awareness, difference and interdependence", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 2245-2261. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-09-2023-0442