Conference Session

Continuing Professional Development Division (CPD) Technical Session 1

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Grace Golden, Purdue University ; Emeline Anne Ojeda-Hecht, Purdue University ; Savannah Meier, Purdue University ; Eric Holloway, Purdue University; Jennifer S. Linvill, Purdue University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

of professional skills in burgeoningengineers [1], [2]. Thus, there is a demand for student development processes and experiencesthat facilitate the acquisition of both technical and professional skills. For this project,professional skills, often referred to as “soft skills,” include a variety of competencies such ascommunication, teamwork, professional and ethical responsibility, and more as determined byABET and delineated in the results of this paper. Unlike technical skills, professional skills takemore time to develop and sharpen [3]. Additionally, they are not as amenable to course-basedlearning often due to their “untestable” nature. Whereas a chemistry class might be able to teachtechnical skills and then assess the outcomes by way

Conference Session

Continuing Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arsalan Ashraf, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Bailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Emad Ali, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Dayoung Kim, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

Paper ID #47821Exploring the Intersection between Lifelong Learning and Workforce Developmentin EngineeringMr. Arsalan Ashraf, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Arsalan Ashraf is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. His research interests include AI ethics, ethics and social responsibility, and lifelong learning. He has broad experience in academia and industry, which motivates him to do research on these vibrant areas. He is a first-generation student from a small village in Punjab, Pakistan. He completed his B.S. in Aviation Management from Lahore in 2017, and

Conference Session

Workforce Development, Undergraduate Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Dayoung Kim, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED)

Paper ID #47128Expanding the Engineering Workforce: An Exploratory Study of a Mid-CareerTransition from a Non-Engineering BackgroundBailey Kathryn McOwen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Bailey McOwen is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech with an academic foundation in physics and industrial engineering. Her research focuses on workforce development, professional training for engineering practitioners, and engineering ethics, with an emphasis on how emerging technologies can enhance continued education. Through her research, service, and academic work, she aims to bridge