Professional Studies for engineering students: An innovative programme

Professional Studies is a programme in the University of Bristol Engineering Management Group, which has been innovatively structured around the latest requirements of the Engineering Council for professional accreditation. This paper explains our experiences in designing this important programme which is delivered by a blend of external experienced engineers and academic staff and is supported by its own Handbook and Blackboard site. The integrative approach adopted for teaching, learning and assessment provides an excellent environment for our students to practice and develop a set of additional skills, which are widely recognised as key to successful employment and career development. For example, the new design enabled setting team tasks, which lead to expansion of the subject through collaborative learning and research. Through this process, it is expected to build a bank of new case studies for future courses on a rolling year on year basis and to allow the 'whole class team' to contribute to the continuous improvement of this programme.