2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Validating Future Engineering Competencies: An Innovation System Approach in Competency Modeling through Delphi Method

Presented at ERM Technical Session: Developing Engineering Competencies I

This research brief presents empirical findings from Round 1 of a Delphi study validating the relevance and classification of future engineering competencies. Building on a prior systematic review, the study addresses the critical need for empirical validation of the competencies essential to engineers in the Industry 5.0 era. Anchored in the Triple Helix Systems model of innovation, aligned with the European Commission’s foresight that innovation underpins Industry 5.0, forty experts were purposively selected based on their alignment with this framework. Representing nine engineering disciplines and spanning both metropolitan and regional areas across the Philippines, the experts ensured robust geographic and disciplinary diversity. Their varying degrees of engagement across academia, industry, and government enriched the study with well-rounded insights grounded in both deep domain knowledge and cross-sectoral perspectives on engineering competency needs. Using an online survey, the study assessed the perceived relevance and dimensional classification of proposed competencies. Results showed strong consensus, affirming the holistic and comprehensive nature of the competency model encompassing cognitive, functional, social, and meta-competencies. Expert insights also led to notable refinements: clarifying descriptions, differentiating competencies such as Creative Thinking and Ideation from Design Skills and Complex Problem Solving, merging Adaptability with Resilience due to their complementarity, and reclassifying Business Literacy under functional competencies. Most notably, a new construct—Collaborative Intelligence—emerged under meta-competencies, reflecting the growing importance of both human-human and human-machine collaboration. These findings carry important theoretical implications by enriching understandings of evolving engineering roles, practical relevance by aligning competencies with innovation-driven demands, and pedagogical value by guiding curriculum development. The validated model serves as a critical foundation for preparing engineers to meet the human-centric, sustainable, and resilient aspirations of Industry 5.0.

Authors

Mr. Alexa Ray Ronsairo Fernando http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6864-5070 National University, Philippines [biography]

Alexa Ray R. Fernando is the Senior Research Management and Publication Director and an Associate Professor I at the College of Engineering, National University, Philippines. Previously, he served as Dean of the College of Engineering at the same institution. As a PhD candidate in Engineering Education at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, his research focuses on competency modeling, curriculum development, competency-based learning, problem-based learning, design education, and outcomes-based education. He is an active participant in global engineering education associations such as ASEE, AAEE and SEFI and served as reviewer in the conferences they host. Locally, he previously served as the Secretary and First Vice President of the Philippine Association of Engineering Schools. Alexa earned both his bachelor's and master's degree with specialization in Electronics Engineering from the Technological Institute of the Philippines.
Dr. Nurzal Effiyana binti Ghazali Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [biography]

Nurzal Effiyana Ghazali, Ph.D., graduated from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical (Telecommunications) in 2007. She holds a Master of Engineering degree from both the Shibaura Institute of Technology (2010) and UTM (2011). After completing her doctorate in 2016 from UTM, she serves Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), UTM as a Senior Lecturer. Currently, she is the Director of the UTM Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) and holds the position of Vice President at the Society for Engineering Education Malaysia (SEEM).
Her area of expertise is in the fields of IoT, mobility management, service-learning, AI in education, design thinking, and engineering education. She consults nationally and internationally in alternative assessment and Outcome-Based Education (OBE), Student-Centered Learning (SCL), Project-Based Learning (PjBL), and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). She is also a Design Thinking instructor and actively organize Service Learning nationally and internationally.
She has gained recognition for her contributions, receiving the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board-IEEE SIGHT Special Interest Group of Humanitarian Activities, the UTM-Excellent Service Award, the FKE-Excellent Service Award, the FKE-Teaching Award, the UTM-Knowledge Sharing Award, the UTM-Creative Arts Award, the UTM-Publication Award in Indexed Journals, the FKE-Community Service-Learning Award, the UTM-Blended Learning Awards, the Innovation in Teaching and Learning Awards from national and international exhibitions, and the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science from Science and Technology Agency.
Prof. Fatin Aliah Phang FASc Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [biography]

Prof. Dr. Fatin Aliah Phang is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Engineering Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She is also Professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology, UTM. At the same time, she is a Fellow at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) as well as Society of Engineering Education Malaysia (SEEM). Her research areas include Engineering Education, STEM Education, and Environmental Education.
Dr. Nor Farahwahidah Abdul Rahman Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [biography]

Dr. Nor Farahwahidah Abdul Rahman is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Humanities at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). She also serves as an Academic Fellow at the Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) since 2018. She has been supervising researchers in the field of engineering education related to classroom practice, faculty members and knowledge growth among engineers. She is also actively involve in providing training of research methodology, publishing in EE and systematic literature reviews (SLR) in engineering education to students and academician in Malaysia, Indonesia & Philippine. Her research interest focus on epistemology in engineering education that look into cultural practices among engineering educators and engineering education ecosystem.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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