2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The conventional domains of engineering knowledge, like civil engineering, are undergoing a tremendous transformation with the emergence of newer technological solutions. The majority of these solutions require operational convergence, placing a heavy demand on the academic learning process to ensure that graduates possess the skill transferability required at the workplace. This study examines the transferability of design skills in undergraduate civil engineering students through a longitudinal study conducted at the Kerala Technological University. In particular, the study analyzes the impact of freshmen Design and Engineering course on the transferability skills demonstrated by the same group of students in a senior-year Group Project course in the civil engineering program. The findings show that although most students displayed commendable skill acquisition in the freshmen course, the application of these acquired skills in the senior year course was suboptimal. This suggests a misalignment between skills learned and their translation into learning adaptability. The proficiency of students in identifying and applying the learned skills to a different setting and situation, as well as the ability to converge different learned skill sets and apply them in a new situation, was limited. This study highlights the challenges faced and the need for implementing a structured approach to include and evaluate students’ transferability of learned skills throughout the program so that students can be prepared to leverage emerging opportunities in a knowledge-based economy.