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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Leadership in Education
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1444595
This article is part of the Research Topic Continuing Engineering Education for a Sustainable Future View all 7 articles

A Novel Taxonomy for Facilitating In-Depth Comparison of Continuing Engineering Education Practices

Provisionally accepted
Patricia Caratozzolo Patricia Caratozzolo 1Christopher Smith Christopher Smith 2*Sonia Gomez Sonia Gomez 3Matías U. Moris Matías U. Moris 4Bente Nørgaard Bente Nørgaard 5Hans-Ulrich Heiß Hans-Ulrich Heiß 6Jose Daniel Azofeifa Jose Daniel Azofeifa 1
  • 1 Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, México, Mexico
  • 2 Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom
  • 3 Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
  • 4 Uppsala University, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
  • 5 Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
  • 6 TU Berlin Academy for Professional Education, Berlin, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction. This study addresses the urgent need for standardized frameworks in Continuing Engineering Education (CEE) to support lifelong learning in the rapidly evolving global workforce. Significant events, such as the Digital Transformation and the rise of artificial intelligence, have highlighted the demand for adaptable and diverse learning systems, especially in engineering education. On the one hand, the World Economic Forum's 2023 Future of Jobs Report predicts a transformation in 44% of workers' core skills within five years, with engineering facing substantial labor shortages. On the other hand, the Paris Agreement's call for sustainable development necessitates a workforce with skills aligned with the green transition.Methods. The research introduces an innovative framework taxonomy that categorizes and organizes CEE programs by integrating standardized terminologies. It focuses on critical elements such as resourcing, organizational models, and program development strategies to provide a comprehensive structure that supports consistency and comparability across diverse educational contexts.Results. Unlike existing models, the proposed framework enhances cross-institutional learning and dissemination of best practices. It identifies key components required for effective CEE management, filling a critical gap in the literature. The study's output is a taxonomy for discussing and comparing CEE institutional approaches and practices to advance the field and foster a global CEE community committed to excellence in engineering education. PAGE \* Arabic \* MERGEFORMAT Discussions. This study equips educators, policymakers, and industry leaders with a practical tool to design, implement, and scale CEE programs. It ultimately fosters a skilled workforce prepared to meet the challenges of future technological and sustainable transitions, supporting the development of a standardized approach to CEE.

    Keywords: Continuing engineering education, Continuing Education Framework, Professional Development, Lifelong learning, Workforce education, Educational innovation, Taxonomy

    Received: 05 Jun 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Caratozzolo, Smith, Gomez, Moris, Nørgaard, Heiß and Azofeifa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Christopher Smith, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.