Developing A Practitioner Framework For Effective Implementation Of Collaborative Digital Engineering Within Higher Education

Collaborative Digital Engineering (CDE) software and technology have transformed the way businesses operate during the 21st century, changing the way companies work through seamless collaboration. CDE manages product lifecycles and integrates data, workflows, business systems, and people in a value chain. The research explores to what extent higher education meets the challenges of the digital transformation for modern engineering practice.

CDE processes and technologies have developed with 21st-century engineering skills at their core. Therefore, suggesting that a learning framework in which CDE technologies can provide a synoptic context to underpin the creation of new engineering undergraduate curricula.

Building upon existing knowledge of pedagogical curriculum development, the original contribution to knowledge provides a practitioner framework for integrating Collaborative Digital Engineering (CDE) theory and practice within the undergraduate study of engineering in UK Higher Education (HE).

The thesis explores the opportunities to integrate CDE within existing and evolving curricula to support practice-based approaches in undergraduate study. These practice-based approaches suggest that integrating STEM and problem-based learning (PBL) into the learning schema will become more commonly established within HE during the next decade. Furthermore, exposing students to learning styles that promote creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills suggests that future students may develop alternative learning strategies and personalisation of the undergraduate experience.

The research framework uses case-study, qualitative surveys, and experimental concepts focused on using CDE in a synoptic learning environment with controlled student groups. The research indicated that CDE supports a deeper understanding of engineering principles, teamworking, and soft skills development. It also suggested that CDE can make innovative contributions to curriculum evolution and engagement and intrinsic motivation of students, where engineering curricula are evolving to embrace Problem-based learning strategies.