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An overview of the Dutch Engineering Bachelor's degrees, focusing on the relation between competences, bodies of knowledge, and skills. It covers the professional context of Engineering, the competence web, and the definition of competences, knowledge, and skills. The document also includes a summary of competence profiles and the relation between these profiles and the body of knowledge and skills.
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Website : www.hbo-engineering.nl Telephone : +31 (0)20 623 01 30 Office address : Weteringschans 223 1017 XH Amsterdam The Netherlands Postal address : PO Box 15051 1001 MB Amsterdam The Netherlands
The Bachelor profile Engineering is a general description of the attainment targets for all Dutch Engineering programmes, and a key document linking universities of applied sciences. It defines the starting qualifications for engineers upon graduation. The profile reflects the current Bachelor’s programmes and provides a framework by which the learning outcomes and the body of knowledge and skills (BOKS) can be legitimated. Considering the diversity in programmes and professional fields they cater for, the profile is as adaptable as possible. It has been written to allow universities to specialise, while at the same time setting a clear minimum level for all programmes. This publication is a partly revised version of the Bachelor profile that was published in November 2012. The 2012 publication was the second in its kind and replaced the competence model for Engineering from 2006. Since that time, a lot had happened in higher technical education. The aging working population in the technical sector is putting pressure on the labour market. Specific parts of the sector already suffer from a shortage of qualified personnel. This search for technical talent stimulates universities to focus and distinguish themselves by the programmes they offer. These should not be based on randomly chosen or trendy topics, but on designated regional focal points. These choices should be pay heed to the Dutch government’s Top Sector Agenda. The applied technical universities have worked hard, together with government and business, to hold or even raise enrolment levels. The challenge is now to consolidate that growth and share the lessons learned. Our goal is to have a transparent, clear, attractive and sophisticated array of Bachelor’s programmes. In 2016 the publications has been revised as follows: The government’s decision to reduce the number of programmes from 36 to 13 leads to a new overview of Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering; The minimum attainments level have been set for each programme and these are summarised in an overview; The body of knowledge and skills has been defined on a national level
What does the Bachelor profile mean for the professional sector? For the professional sector and prospective employers this profile gives an overview of what skills, knowledge and attitude they may expect from Bachelor graduates in Engineering. Precisely because the technical programmes span a wide array, a general description of Engineering Bachelors allows for an up-to- date overview of the starting qualifications of graduates. Apart from businesses this document is also relevant for branch organisations, employers’ associations and training funds. Paying heed to the ideal of lifelong learning, and also following business demands, Bachelor programmes allow for more flexibility these days. This profile is also meant to function as a framework for safeguarding learning outcomes in this respect. What does the Bachelor profile mean for (tomorrow’s) students? For (prospective) students this profile provides information about the various Engineering programmes. With the ageing working population in the technical sector it is more important than ever that this information is readily available and easily accessible. How was this profile compiled? The new profile for Engineering Bachelors was created by Domein HBO Engineering, a national platform representing 16 universities of applied sciences that offer Engineering programmes. In appendix I the creation of this profile is described in more detail.
Bachelor profile : a professional profile for one or more Bachelor programme within a professional field. Professional image : the collection of possible professions, jobs or tasks and related competences for an engineer. Professional domain : the context of the professional field, characterised by one word (or a short combination of words). Professional field : a collection of all professional occupations in which the Bachelor of Applied Sciences graduate is likely to find employment. Professional profile : a (national) standard describing the collection of competences that a professional needs to master in order to fulfil a job or position. Universities are expected to develop students’ competences to the level of the starting professional. Body of knowledge and skills : a description of the specific knowledge and skills in a programme that define the theoretical basis and practical activities of a professional field. Or: the collection of knowledge and skills that students need to master in an Engineering programme to become a competent engineer. Competence : a cluster of knowledge, skills and attitudes that 1) is necessary to carry out a particular job/task in a particular context; 2) can be measured and tested against accepted norms; 3) can be improved by training and development. Competence profile : see Professional profile. Context : the applied or natural scientific environment in which Engineering companies operate. CROHO : the Central Register of Studies in Higher Education registers all the studies funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Dutch universities of applied sciences have always educated engineers working in at home and abroad in very diverse fields, generally with a strong focus on technology. With the continuous developments in the professional practice and technical science the curriculum for higher technical education is changing rapidly. The technical subjects are both deepening, through nanotechnology and material research, and broadening, because disciplines as energy, sustainability, healthcare, social welfare, mobility, security, design and art are asking for technological knowledge and solutions. The term ‘T-shaped’ engineer has been used to describe these two dimensions. The past years this broadening has become evident through new programmes and specialisations, bringing technology to other disciplines and sectors. All programmes should tie in with the qualitative and quantitative demands of the labour market. The coming years the labour market for higher educated technical personnel will remain tight. At the same time the entry qualifications for a number of positions are rising. Based on an analysis of The Netherlands’ labour market and economic position, the Dutch government aims to stimulate knowledge and innovation through its Top Sector Agenda. The Agenda lists nine sectors in which businesses, universities and government will work together: Water, Agro Food, Life Sciences, Chemistry, High Tech Systems & Material, Energy, Logistics, Creative Industry and Horticulture & Starting Material. In these sectors engineers with their different specialisations play an important part. The multidisciplinary approach that is common in all of these sectors requires a combination of thinking and doing, researching and applying. What is needed are people with competences as collaboration with non-technical disciplines, innovativeness, creativity, inquisitiveness and open-mindedness. Most employers in technology and industry work with foreign partners, suppliers and customers. As such, an international mind-set is essential.
The domain Engineering Engineering is one of the six technical domains in higher vocational education as defined by The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences. The other five domains are: Applied Science; Built Environment; ICT; Maritime Operations; Creative Technologies. Naturally, there is some overlap between Engineering and the other domains. Embedded Systems, Installation Technology and Health Technology, for instance, combine Engineering with respectively ICT, Built Environment and Applied Science. Engineering programmes per 2016 Table 1 lists the 13 programmes that make up the domain Engineering. Table 1 : Programmes that make up the domain Engineering
This chapter will discuss the competences and body of knowledge and skills for Engineering. The context for these competences is formed by those professional fields that concentrate on the technological development and construction of products and systems through applied science. Alongside these competences there are four important standards by which the Engineering Bachelor graduate can be judged: The Dublin descriptors; The Dutch Bachelor standard; The European Qualifications Framework (EQF); The Standards for the Accreditation of Engineering Programmes (EUR- ACE). In appendix I the standards are discussed in more detail, and in appendix II will be explained how the competences relate to these (inter)national standards. The Engineering profile consists of eight competences:
The competence profile has an unambiguous structure that allows for changes at several aggregation levels:
national level; university level; programme level. At the national level the eight competences for Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering are fixed. They form the framework that all affiliated Engineering programmes adhere to. Every competence consists of one or more attitudes. These attitudes are also defined in the publication. An attitude operationalises a competence: a student shows that he commands a competence by acting in a specific manner. On a national level, (minimum) levels are assigned to the competences within a programme, and a body of knowledge and skills is defined. Together, they form the national programme profile. The national profiles of two different Engineering programmes will share the same competences, but differ in competence levels and bodied of knowledge. Lastly, a university can promote a given programme by giving it a certain focus. The competence levels could be raised, for instance, or the body of knowledge and skills is adjusted accordingly. A programme with a strong focus on product design would presumably choose to set higher levels for the competences ‘Analyse’ and ‘Design’.
A Bachelor graduate is expected to function at competence level 3. There are three lower levels, namely 0, 1 and 2, of which level 0 can be taken as the entry level for higher vocational education. The levels are further specified in table 2. The following factors have a bearing on these levels: the size and complexity of the task; the complexity of the professional context; the degree of independence and responsibility.
For every Engineering programme the minimum level for each of the eight competences has been set. The sum of all competence level must be at least 18. Furthermore it is not allowed to leave a competence out: the minimum level is
This paragraph specifies for each competence how it relates to specific Engineering activities and the accompanying attitudes.
1. Analysis Analysing an Engineering task entails identifying the problem or client needs, choosing the right design strategy or solution and conclusively charting the possible demands, objectives or conditions. For this a range of methods is employed, such as mathematical analysis, computer modelling, simulation and
experimenting. Conditions in fields as (business) economy, commerce, society, health, safety and sustainability are also taken into account. In analysing, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. deciding what aspects are relevant for the question; b. indicating what economic, societal and technical aspects may be affected; c. formulating a clear-cut problem definition, objective and assignment, based on the client’s demands; d. drafting and documenting a programme of requirements; e. modelling an existing product, process of service.
2. Design Realising an Engineering design requires working together with both engineers and non-engineers. The design can be a machine, process or method and may be more than technical, requiring the engineer to understand the impact his design may have on society, public health, the environment, natural resources, public safety and commerce. The engineer draws on his methodological knowledge in realising a design. The design itself is a full and correct implementation of the programme of requirements. In designing, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. choosing a concept solution (architecture), based on the requirements; b. drawing detailed designs from the concept solution (architecture); c. taking into account the design’s feasibility and testability; d. checking the design against the programme of requirements; e. selecting the right design tools; f. drawing up documentation for the product, service or process. 3. Realisation For the realisation and delivery of a product, service or process that meets the requirements set, the engineer must develop practical skills to solve Engineering issues through research and experiments. These skills include knowledge of material use and limitations, computer simulation models, Engineering processes, machines, technical literature and information sources. The graduate is also capable of recognising the (often non-technical) impact of his activities, with respect to ethics, the social environment and sustainability. In realising, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. the right use of materials, processes, methods, norms and standards; b. assembling components into an integral product, service or process;
In advising, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. understanding the needs of internal and external customers; b. clarifying what de client requires; c. translating the customer needs into technically and financially viable solutions; d. substantiating an advice to convince the customer; e. maintaining good relationships with customer.
7. Research The engineer has a critical stance and an investigative attitude. He uses the appropriate methods and techniques for gathering and assessing information, in doing applied research. Examples of such methodology are literature research, designing and executing experiments, and interpreting data and computer simulations, which requires consulting data sets, standards and safety norms. In researching, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. translating hypotheses into research objectives; b. independently selecting, validating and obtaining (scientific) literature and other information sources in order to understand the hypothesis fully; c. summarising, arranging and interpreting results and drawing conclusions regarding the research question; d. reporting results according to the relevant professional standard; e. using the obtained results to critically evaluate the approach chosen and provide recommendations for future research. 8. Professionalisation The engineer gains and maintains the skills necessary for performing the competence effectively. These skills may be relevant in a broader setting. Among other things, this encompasses having an international orientation and a perspective on new developments, social norms and ethical dilemmas. In professionalising, the engineer displays the following attitudes: a. choosing a learning outcome and strategy independently, and using the result to reflect on the learning outcome; b. being flexible in all kinds of professional situations; c. taking shared norms and values into account when weighing a decision in professional and ethical dilemmas;
d. being constructive in giving and receiving feedback; e. being able to reflect on his behaviour, thinking and results; f. being able to use various forms and means to communicate in Dutch and English.
In this document the body of knowledge and skills is defined as the cluster of knowledge and skills covered in an Engineering programme. Students must master this to become competent professionals. Each programme has defined its own body of knowledge and skills. Universities coach students in mastering the skills and knowledge and assesses whether they command them at the level required for the profession. The body of knowledge and skills can be split into roughly three parts: Basics : the elementary knowledge, laws, skills and methods, that form the fundamentals for every graduate within his professional field. These basics are the most obvious parts of the body of knowledge to synchronise at the national level. Visions : the most important theory and methodology in Engineering practice, that builds upon the basics. Trends : the current and future developments and movements in practice and science. This allows the student to understand the developments at the cutting edge of Engineering and science. These above parts have not been decisive in how a body of knowledge and skills is structured, but they have been helpful in identifying its components. Due to the rapid developments in the field, the body of knowledge and skills allows for more variation than the Engineering competences. Universities and programmes have the freedom to make their own choices in visions and trends.
Together with the body of knowledge and skills, the domain competences make up the programme profile. The knowledge and skills described in the body of knowledge and skills are helpful in mastering the competences. Which
