by: the Coordinator of the Engineering Education, FKJ

Credit to:
AP. Ts. Dr. Mohd Kamaruddin bin Abd Hamid (Deputy Dean - Academics & International, FKJ)
Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Zainal bin Zakaria (Director, UMS Centre for Quality Assurance)
AP. Ir. Dr. Mohd Adly bin Ibrahim (MQA Engineering Programme Panel Assessor)

The Call for the Value-Based Engineering (VBE)

In today’s rapidly evolving world, engineers are not only expected to be technically proficient but also guided by strong ethical and human values. The call for Value-Based Engineering arises from the need to balance innovation with integrity, ensuring that every design, system, or solution serves humanity responsibly.

Value-Based Engineering (VBE) emphasizes the integration of ethics, empathy, and sustainability into technical education and professional practice. It nurtures engineers who think critically about the social, environmental, and moral implications of their work. This approach supports Malaysia’s MQA quality agenda and the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) goals, cultivating graduates who are not only competent problem-solvers but also conscientious leaders shaping a sustainable and equitable future.

Introduction: Beyond Technical Competence

In the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, where automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technologies redefine every aspect of society, the role of engineers extends far beyond mastering technical tools. Today’s engineers are not merely problem-solvers, they are decision-makers, innovators, and moral agents whose work directly impacts people, the environment, and the future of humanity.

To navigate this complex landscape, engineers must cultivate both competence and conscience. Competence ensures technical excellence and innovation, while conscience anchors those innovations in ethics, empathy, and social responsibility. This balance is what distinguishes an engineer who builds efficiently from one who builds ethically and sustainably.

VBE provides this essential bridge between technical mastery and moral integrity. It embeds universal human values, such as honesty, respect, inclusiveness, and compassion, within the engineering curriculum. By integrating these values into classroom learning, project design, and community engagement, VBE shapes engineers who are not only capable of designing advanced systems but also conscious of their impact on society and the planet.

Ultimately, going beyond technical competence means nurturing engineers who innovate with purpose, lead with empathy, and uphold sustainability as a core professional value, embodying the true spirit of engineering for the greater good.

The UMS-ALIEN Approach

At Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), the UMS-ALIEN (Active Learning in Engineering Education) framework embodies the institution’s commitment to transforming traditional engineering education into a dynamic, value-driven experience. The initiative aligns with both Value-Based Education (VBE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) principles, ensuring that students develop not only intellectual and technical excellence but also empathy, integrity, and social consciousness.

UMS-ALIEN promotes learning by doing, reflecting, and connecting values to real engineering contexts. Rather than viewing ethics as theory, it embeds moral and societal dimensions into hands-on, collaborative experiences that mirror the complexities of the professional world.

1. Active Learning & Reflection

Through case studies, simulations, and ethical dilemma discussions, students are encouraged to think critically about real engineering challenges, from environmental safety to corporate responsibility. Reflection activities (e.g., short journaling, peer discussions) allow them to internalize lessons on fairness, honesty, and accountability. For instance, when analyzing an industrial accident, students explore not only technical causes but also human and ethical factors behind decision-making.

2. Community-Based Projects

UMS-ALIEN integrates service learning and community engagement as powerful tools to instill empathy and responsibility. Students collaborate with local communities to design practical solutions, such as rural clean water systems, renewable energy prototypes, or waste-to-resource innovations. These projects connect classroom theory with societal needs, cultivating engineers who understand that every design has human implications.

3. Team Values Charter

Before starting group projects, students co-create a “Team Values Charter”, a shared agreement outlining the principles of respect, integrity, inclusiveness, and accountability that will guide their collaboration. This exercise teaches professionalism, communication ethics, and teamwork discipline, essential traits recognized by EAC and MQA quality standards.

Together, these strategies make the UMS-ALIEN approach a living model of how Value-Based Education can be operationalized in engineering. It transforms classrooms into communities of practice where students learn to connect competence with conscience, ensuring that UMS graduates emerge as innovative engineers grounded in values, sustainability, and humanity.