Stellenbosch Engineering Education Research

The new Faculty-wide research project: SEGAP-TL-2025-33992 [July 2025 - 2029]

We are delighted to announce we have ethics approval and institutional permission!!

Project Details

Stellenbosch Engineering Graduate Attribute Project: Conceptualising, Implementing and Evaluating transformative academic, professional and social graduate attribute development initiatives for staff and students in engineering education at Stellenbosch University

The SU Engineering Graduate Attribute Project [SEGAP] builds on the success of the original Stellenbosch Engineering Education Project Impact Evaluation (SEEPIE) project, and will continue to use two holistic scholarly frameworks to design, implement and evaluate educational initiatives. The holistic the CAS model (Gilmore et al, 2017) represents the cognitive, affective and systemic learning support (Tait, 2000) necessary to benefit the student ‘cumulative’ (Maton, 2013) learning experience in the epistemological, ontological and/or praxis domains of the curriculum (Barnett, 2000). The CAS model has been applied to the four Council on Higher Education (2013) structural requirements for successful HE practices (our 2nd overarching framework):

·       Foundation support to bridge the articulation gap between high school and university

·       Explicit attention to epistemic transitions across a curriculum

·       Enrichment of key literacy practices, including digital and technological literacies

·       Enhancement of curricula to meet contemporary local and global conditions

In August 2023, the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) published revised engineering qualification standards, aligned to the new International Engineering Alliance graduate competency profile guidelines. The IEA guidelines and ECSA standard make explicit reference to “diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability” with the expanded mandate to ensure the development in our graduates of “Awareness of the need for diversity by reason of ethnicity, gender, age, physical ability… with mutual understanding and respect, and of inclusive attitudes”. 

The newly framed Graduate Attributes are predominantly those concerned with engineering and society, teamwork, communication, ethics and professionalism. These areas align to the second set of CHE curriculum principles: Enrichment (of associated literacies practices in broader cultural contexts, and including those literacies associated with digital fluency development) and Enhancement (towards context – local and global – and employability). The ECSA has requested reports from all engineering faculties on their plans to address the inclusion of the new GA dimensions, which will need to be put into effect from the next accreditation date in 2027. The SU faculty of Engineering has worked proactively to identify areas for improvement in enabling our staff and students to be contextually aware, respectful and inclusive global citizens. 

The intended SU Engineering Graduate Attribute Project [SEGAP] aims to build on the Recommended Engineering Education Practices (REEP) case studies (this website) by exploring perceptions of what we mean by the GAs through a range of planned staff and student engagement activities. These activities are intended to foster the expansion of our REEP community of practice, and enable the identification of opportunities for enriching the engineering student experience through engagement with knowledge practices in different cultural, social and professional contexts. The REEP group and collaborators will design, curate, trial and evaluate resources such as engineering case studies which can contribute to a deeper understanding of the engineering disciplinary knowledge base and applications of this knowledge in real world contexts across diverse stakeholders. 

What does 'Graduate Attribute' mean?

What does the SEGAP project entail?

The aim of this project is to build awareness of the need for inclusive approaches to curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment practices, as well as design, trial and evaluate strategies for both students and staff which enable the effective inclusion of the newly framed Graduate Attributes into our curricula and pedagogy. As the formal focus of the faculty’s programme renewal strategy, opportunities such as teaching mornings, teaching forums, PREDAC, FINLO and UCDG projects will afford the REEP community of practice champions and collaborating academic staff the opportunity to work collaboratively across departments (and faculties), practice mentorship strategies, and continue to develop innovative initiatives designed to improve the student learning experience.