An evaluation of the efficacy of a contemporary engineering education framework

Abstract

The research aims to determine the role of cognitive abilities in problem solving in engineering education. The investigation of these abilities will contribute to a key objective of the research, informing curricular design and provision of engineering education at AIT, ensuring an integrated approach. Engineering education often places significant emphasis on knowledge and skill acquisition, however, attitudes (soft-skills) are a pivotal role of a contemporary engineer [1]. As such, engineering education frameworks, such as CDIO, are striving to achieve an integrated approach (Figure 1) to engineering education [2].