Perceived Practical Competency amongst Electrical and Electronic Engineering Students

This study comments on the lack of perceived practical competency amongst electrical and electronic engineering students, with action steps to aid in addressing this issue. Graduate engineers are required to exhibit certain skills necessary to create well-rounded, competent working professionals. These skills, to name a few, include problem-solving, application of scientific and engineering knowledge, engineering design, investigations and experiments, data analysis, as well as grasping engineering methods, skills and tools. It is noticed that the fundamental skill of bridging theoretical knowledge with practical implementation is not fully grasped by a significant number of students in their early undergraduate careers. This leads to a compounding deficiency in practical competence noticed in their undergraduate years. The methods identified in this research to increase the perceived competency levels include incorporating live demonstrations conducted before the practical sessions, where the students are able to actively engage with the demonstration and are encouraged to explore each example without the fear of making errors. The concept of systematic fault finding is reiterated during these live demonstrations, allowing the student to build confidence in their practical abilities as they increase their ability to find and correct faults within the practical setup.