Engineering Discovery: A Model for Broadening the Undergraduate Course

This paper details the development and implementation of Engineering Discovery, a professional development subject taken by students in the second semester of the Electrical, and Computer Systems, Engineering courses offered by the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney. Engineering Discovery allows students to discover the practice of engineering by making the process of engineering visible through students' own experience in the subject. This ensures that the development of a broad range of competencies beyond engineering science is integral to the process of engineering. Thus the subject achieves learning not only through the content of the subject but also through its structure and method of delivery. The paper discusses the complexity of the issues surrounding such an subject, and the strengths and problems of the model used. It concludes by offering strategies for improvement based on our experiences with the subject in Spring semester 93.