Intrapersonal Communication As a Lifelong Learning Skill in Engineering Education

A discussion as to whether technical skills per se are enough for engineers may no longer be relevant. In order to succeed as lifelong learners, they also need a variety of soft-skills. Despite this, engineering curricula in general seem to pay relatively little attention to cultivating communication skills in students. One of the most essential of these is intrapersonal communication. In this non-research, discussion paper, we discuss the meaning and importance of intrapersonal communication in relation to 'lifelong learning': awareness of the importance of intrapersonal communication helps us understand ourselves as individuals and make informed, ethical and society-friendly judgments. Considering the overall goal of lifelong learning to make useful contributions to individual development and society, we will argue that improving intrapersonal communication is essential for engineers, who need to adopt a lifelong learning approach to their profession. Intrapersonal communication is also essential for effective interpersonal communication. This paper will briefly describe some intrapersonal activities engineers need to engage in, and the intrapersonal skills that they need to acquire with illustrative extracts from students' writing. We will also discuss how reflective writing, visualization, and progress reports can support intrapersonal communication and experiential learning within a constructivist approach to learning, allowing students to assume lifelong learning responsibilities.