Article 2017

Adjusting higher education competences to companies professional needs: A case study in an engineering master's degree

International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals
Journal · Vol. 8 · Issue 1 · pp. 66-78
Abstract

This work reports the incorporation result of a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Program in the twoyears master's degree in Instrumentation and Metrology Engineering (MEIM) held at the School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP). The procedure developed to find internships in industrial companies and institutions, which have needs for engineers in the areas of instrumentation and metrology is displayed. The authors also present the information on the situation of students that, by the end of the first academic year, could get enrolled in the curricular unit Dissertation/Project/Professional Training (opting either for a professional internship in a company or by a research project conducted in ISEP laboratories). In order to understand the benefits and impact of a WIL program, from a student perspective, students were asked to answer a questionnaire. Lastly, the results achieved during the study period are presented, including the student reported outcomes (from the questionnaire), as well as the informal feedback from students and companies' supervisors. The good results achieved, regarding the development of theoretical-practical competencies as well as generic or soft skills, during the master's, were also confirmed by the fact that students are hired by the companies to continue their work after the end of professional training. © 2017 IGI Global.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Engineering education learning outcomes competence development learning strategies WIL Programs

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Research Institute for Educational Sciences, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
Departamento de Física and Centre of Innovation in Engineering and Industrial Technology, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Porto, Portugal
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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