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The engineering education accreditation (EEA) is a principal quality assurance mechanism. However, at many education institutions, the most labor-intensive work of EEA process is accomplished manually. Without the support of computer and information technology, the EEA process leads to high labor intensity, low work efficiency and poor management level. The purpose of this paper is to build a complex network model and realize an information management system of talent training program for supporting the EEA process.

Based on polychromatic graph (PG), this paper builds a network model of talent training program for engineering specialty. The related information and data are organized and processed in this network model. From the bidirections of top-down and bottom-up, the user requirements are retrieved automatically in logic layer. Together with the specialty of mechanical engineering, the proposed PG-based network modeling method is applied and the corresponding information management system is realized.

The study results show that the PG-based network modeling method takes full advantages of the strong simulation ability of PG to model the complex network system and has some unique merits in formal expression of problem, efficient processing of information and lightweight realization of system. Further, the information management system of talent training program can reduce the tedious human labor and improve the management level of EEA process dramatically.

This paper proposes a PG-based network modeling method, in which the nodes and the edges can be painted by some unified colors to describe the different kinds of activities and the various types of interactions. Theoretically, this modeling method does not distinguish the activities, the interactions and their properties in graphic symbol and the problem size is diminished about a half. Furthermore, this paper provides an effective experience and idea to the education institutions for implementing the engineering education accreditation, increasing the education management efficiency and promoting the talent training quality.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Following the recent rise in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, fundamental questions about their wider impacts have started to reverberate around various disciplines. This study aims to track the unfolding landscape of general issues surrounding GenAI tools and to elucidate the specific opportunities and limitations of these tools as part of the technology-assisted enhancement of mechanical engineering education and professional practices.

As part of the investigation, the authors conduct and present a brief scientometric analysis of recently published studies to unravel the emerging trend on the subject matter. Furthermore, experimentation was done with selected GenAI tools (Bard, ChatGPT, DALL.E and 3DGPT) for mechanical engineering-related tasks.

The study identified several pedagogical and professional opportunities and guidelines for deploying GenAI tools in mechanical engineering. Besides, the study highlights some pitfalls of GenAI tools for analytical reasoning tasks (e.g., subtle errors in computation involving unit conversions) and sketching/image generation tasks (e.g., poor demonstration of symmetry).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study presents the first thorough assessment of the potential of GenAI from the lens of the mechanical engineering field. Combining scientometric analysis, experimentation and pedagogical insights, the study provides a unique focus on the implications of GenAI tools for material selection/discovery in product design, manufacturing troubleshooting, technical documentation and product positioning, among others.

Hiring, selecting or assessing plant operatives' proficiency in the UK construction industry is an increasingly difficult task. A number of plant operator certification schemes are available to practitioners and each scheme trains to a myriad of bespoke standards. Consequently, the decision to employ a candidate often rests upon the employer's intuition and judgement and creates an unnecessary dilemma. To address this aforementioned problem, findings of research work that modelled plant operators' maintenance proficiency is presented. A UK nationwide survey was conducted to elicit plant professional opinion on what ‘training and educational’ (T&E) attributes constitute ‘good’ operator proficiency. The data was then arranged into three categories of operator maintenance proficiency: good, average and poor Multivariate Discriminant Analysis (MDA) was used on 75 percent of a simulated data set. The model utilised five T&E attributes, namely: duration of training provided, operator holder of alternative training card (not Certificate of Training Achievement (CTA) or Scottish/National Vocational Qualifications (S/NVQ)), operator's oral communication skills, operator's planning skills and operator's mechanical knowledge. Performance analysis revealed that model classification accuracy was 89.10 percent. The remaining 25 percent hold out sample was then modelled for validation purposes using the derived MDA model. Accuracy of the sub‐sample model was high at 77.60 percent whilst a paired sample T‐tests for the 75 percent and 25 percent sample data established that there was no significant statistical difference between actual and predicted classifications. Future work is proposed that aims to model other factors that influence operator maintenance proficiency; namely, work situational, motivational management and personal factors.

This paper aims to discuss how the theory of complex thinking can be considered an interesting element in engineering education, especially in the context in which challenges toward sustainable development are multidisciplinary.

This viewpoint synthesizes the main reflections and discussions generated during a process of debate, research and creation of a proposal for an undergraduate engineering course at a higher education institution in Brazil. The literature on engineering education, sustainability and complexity was considered in an integrated way. Debates were conducted considering the authors’ knowledge and experience as professors of engineering courses and researchers in the field of sustainability. A qualitative and reflexive approach was used to organize the main discussions.

The prevailing classical engineering paradigm trains professionals to think from a Cartesian, reductionist perspective, appropriate for solving well-structured problems with known solution paths and convergent answers. However, addressing sustainability challenges requires a different kind of thinking capable of dealing with situations characterized by uncertainty, emergence and incompleteness of knowledge. Complexity thinking can be useful for this purpose as it provides a broad system approach to deal with ill-defined, ill-structured and unpredictable problems. This study can be understood as a call to researchers and professionals to consider the value and importance of complexity thinking to advance engineering education for sustainability.

The need to overcome the limits of the classical engineering paradigm is emphasized in the context of sustainability. Complex thinking is considered as a path toward a paradigm shift in engineering education for sustainability. It can contribute to the training of professionals to face pressing challenges now and in the future. This viewpoint provides some insights to enhance debates on education engineering.

This paper aims to critically analyze the engineering education focused on sustainability in supply chain management, in courses offered by Brazilian higher education institutions.

Topics related to sustainable supply chain management were listed from the literature and used as a framework to gather professors’ opinions on how well these topics are covered in engineering courses offered in Brazil. Data analysis was performed via frequency analysis and comparative ordering using the Fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution technique.

It was possible to evidence that most of the topics are superficially presented within other subjects and that there are few associated practical activities that enable greater learning. Comparatively, issues related to ISO standards (related to quality and environmental management systems) and compliance with environmental laws, regulations and standards were highlighted. Additionally, it was possible to verify that there is a need for further study on issues related to energy efficiency, worker training and corporate governance.

No similar study was found in the literature. The findings presented in this paper can contribute to the improvement of engineering education in Brazil and other countries.

Examines the fifthteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) commissioned a management training needs analysis of the 6,000 members in 1988. The objectives were to determine the specific management subjects required for further education and training of experienced graduate engineers and their preferred methods of learning. The survey commenced with pilot study interviews with professional engineers leading to a questionnaire sent to a representative sample of IPENZ members throughout New Zealand. The results showed strong agreement about the managerial content of most professional engineering work. They also indicated a large majority who recognised the need for further education in business management subjects. The analysis indicated the most preferred management subjects from a comprehensive list ranked by professional engineers: personal and interpersonal management skills; general management and decision making; individual, group and organisational behaviour; finance and accounting; personnel management; project management. The least required management subjects chosen from the list were quantitative methods and information systems. These management subject preferences are not satisfied by the majority of short management training courses presently offered to professional engineers.

Students at the Polytechnic of the South Bank in London, in two separate and unconnected cases, have discovered that their courses do not lead to the professional qualifications which were offered in the college prospectus. The first case involves about a dozen students who joined the four‐year Diploma in Mechanical Engineering course in its final year, holding HND qualifications from other colleges. Over 50 students are involved in the other case concerning the HND in civil engineering at the College. They have discovered that, contrary to their expectations, they can no longer assume that they will be sponsored by a professional institute. Both cases have serious implications for the students affected because their career opportunities are jeopardised if they are not able to become chartered engineers and members of the Institutes.

Literature limited in scope regarding the incorporation of sustainability into engineering curriculum encouraged authors to look at the current approaches of universities to the integration of sustainability into university curricula. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the literature published and analyse the university secondary data (information published on the university websites and magazines and programme catalogues) to understand the current status of Australian universities regarding the integration of sustainability in engineering.

Articles and reports from different trustworthy sources have been analysed in this study. A text mining methodology was used to gather information from websites, magazines and programme catalogues.

Obtained information and data indicate that the universities are considering sustainability seriously with both internal and external stakeholders of universities working towards embedding sustainability in engineering curricula. Most of the Australian universities have successfully implemented sustainable engineering education and the rest are focussing on integrating sustainability into their engineering education curriculum.

This is the first review, which focusses on incorporating sustainability into the engineering education of Australian universities. However, considering current progress and also some drawbacks of the universities regarding the integration of sustainability into engineering curriculum, 15 future research questions have been developed, which should be considered to make the integration process more efficient and equip engineers who would be able to engage and tackle the environmental, personal, social and economic challenges of the twenty-first century.