Programme outcome attributes related to complex engineering problem capability: Perceptions of engineering students in Malaysia

Abstract

Programme outcomes (POs) are the attributes that reflect the student skills expected to be acquired upon graduation. The Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) under Board of Engineers Malaysia requires 12 POs with complex engineering problems (CEP) and knowledge profiles to be incorporated in engineering programmes. Despite considerable research on outcome-based education (OBE), the OBE implementation with regards to the PO attributes and domains incorporating CEP characteristics are still questionable and vaguely implemented by the programmes. This paper presents two PO attributes related to problem solving and development/design for solution based on the perceptions of 301 engineering students in Malaysia. This paper aims to determine the student’s level of understanding on the PO learning domain and to analyze significant factors contributing to their PO attainment. A quantitative method using a questionnaire survey was adopted targeting a random probability sampling of respondents. Descriptive (percentage frequency, relative importance index) and statistical analyses (reliability, normality, correlation) were used to analyze the data. The findings show that the students perceived both POs as cognitive domains and they believed that lecturer’s roles in facilitating students on the subject matter has contributed significantly to their PO attainment. This study is limited to an engineering programme from one institution of higher learning (IHL) in Malaysia. However, the findings provide important insights on the students’ level of understanding of PO attributes and the OBE practices on CEP in the programme. This study can be extended to other IHLs to gauge the students’ understanding related to other PO attributes stipulated by the EAC. Keywords: Programme Outcomes, Cognitive Domain, Problem Analysis, Design of The Solution, Engineering