The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Development of Engineering Students' Professional Skills

A survey instrument was administered to civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering students to determine the impact that their design courses had on the development of their professional skills, which included engineering design, and attitudes about their program of study. The results of this survey were compared to results from the same survey administered to prior engineering students from the previous eight years to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the survey, students identified challenges to academic learning, although the challenges generally did not adversely impact their attitudes about their program of study. Over three quarters of the students perceived that the pandemic had a negative impact on learning engineering design. Yet they rated their understanding of the design process similarly to the pre-pandemic groups, suggesting that they were able to overcome challenges presented to them during the pandemic. Nearly three quarters of the students perceived that the pandemic had a negative impact on the development of their professional skills. However, despite these challenges, the only professional skills students rated lower than the prepandemic period was oral communications and time management. The students rated their ability to manage a project, communicate in written form, and develop their leadership skills similarly to the pre-pandemic period. Finally, students rated an increase in their ability to work on a team and develop mentoring skills compared to the pre-pandemic period. © 2022 TEMPUS Publications.