Students as Partners to Enhance an Introductory Course on the Engineering Profession: A Case Study

We describe a teaching and learning partnership - a students as partners (SaPs) project - to gather information about first-year students' perceptions of engineering and their learning experiences in an introductory course on the engineering profession. We explain the process to setup the SaPs project, including how to select the number of SaPs involved, when and how to engage them, and the need to create an environment that ensures important values such as trust (and respect),reciprocity, and responsibility. The information gathered from the SaPs is then used to revise the course instructional and assessment strategies so that students have opportunities to develop skills and competencies associated with graduating engineering student attributes. These include professionalism, especially in terms of understanding the roles and responsibilities of an engineer to the public and in society; analyzing the impact of engineering on society and the environment; resolving dilemmas and issues related to ethics, equity, diversity, and inclusivity; communications; and teamwork.