Abstract:
Engineering students spend a significant amount of their undergraduate careers focused on technical theory and practice. This intensive student prepares them for their technical challenges in the future. This training is so intense that often the more 'soft skills' such as communication, leadership, design, and troubleshooting are left out or are presented in only a few selected courses. This thesis presents two examples of these soft skills being approached and taught to engineers. The two skills addressed in this thesis are design and leadership.
To teach design, the approach taken in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Oregon State University (OSU) is a scaffolding approach with a Platform for Learning (PFL). Specifically this thesis presents the redesign, implementation, and evaluation of a PFL into the Electronics II course.
To prepare engineers for leadership roles this thesis covers a graduate level course focusing on leadership applied to teaching. With the focus of "leadership is the foundation for teaching", this training course gives students the tools and knowledge for becoming effective leaders.
