Article 2018

Fostering wise judgement: professional decisions in development programmes for early career engineers

Journal of Vocational Education and Training
Journal · Vol. 70 · Issue 2 · pp. 297-312
Abstract

This paper reviews literature that explores the role of judgement in professional practice. It discusses how workplace decisions, work activities and reflection on these activities may contribute to the development of wise judgements, or ‘wisdom’, and how workplaces can leverage these activities for induction and transition to work programmes. This review of the literature is prompted by survey results inviting engineering graduates and professionals to identify the capabilities they believe are most significant to success in the engineering workplace. The requirement for sound professional judgement resonates in participant responses. The paper summarises views of expertise, the relationship between experience and the development of professional judgement and the broader contribution of expansive and participatory learning environments to developing professional judgement. It concludes that the organisation of work and job design can facilitate the articulation of new engineers to professional practice, and that organisational learning programmes can leverage workplace activities to foster wise judgement in graduate engineers. © 2017 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Transition to work new career engineers Professional judgement

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Marketing and Management, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
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6 Beckett, David George, Holistic competence: Putting judgements first, Asia Pacific Education Review, 9, 1, pp. 21-30, (2008)
7 Surpassing Ourselves an Inquiry into the Nature and Implications of Expertise, (1993)
8 Reflection Turning Experience into Learning, (1985)
9 Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning, (1986)
10 Attacker S Advantage Turning Uncertainty into Breakthrough Opportunities, (2015)
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