CENTRAL ROLE OF ENGINEERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCE IN INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY

Currently, the engineering education system in Iran primarily focuses on hard and traditional skills and lacks a well-defined program for teaching soft skills to engineers. Improving the quality of undergraduate programs requires the integration of education with the practical knowledge gained in the society, state agencies, and economic enterprises. This can significantly enhance the educational innovation and future career advancement of engineers. Utilizing the professional experiences of engineers in the structure of university courses or extracurricular activities is one of the effective measures to improve the quality of engineering education. These experiences can serve as a communication bridge between the university and industry and familiarize students with the real-world challenges and opportunities of the profession. In this research, this idea has been explored and analyzed in several different undergraduate programs at the University of Tehran. To evaluate the impact of successful engineers’ professional experiences on undergraduate education, a systematic survey was designed and evaluated based on psychological criteria. The detailed feedback from students was collected and the results were analyzed. Finally, based on the findings of this study, recommendations are provided to improve the quality of engineering education. The serious and continuous implementation of these measures can play a significant role in the development and advancement of the country’s engineering education system and adequately prepare students for their professional environment.