Diversity in groups -students' reflection (original) (raw)
2019, . Research in Engineering Education of the South African Society for Engineering Education. Cape Town
Rapid changes in the South-African society demand from students to function in a complicated and diverse society. Cognisance of the unique context South-African students must be more prepared for a complicated workplace and therefore need to be exposed to diverse settings during their studies. Diversity develops students' cognitive growth and exposes them to the intricacy thereof. Students enrolled in the Community-based Project Module, an undergraduate module of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information technology at the University of Pretoria are encouraged to create diverse groups for their community project. The study aims to reflect on students' perceptions of their exposure to diverse groups. The results of a survey were qualitatively coded and categorised for themes. Students reflected that diverse groups gave them the opportunity to solve problems using different points of view. The students found it an enriching experience to interact off campus with students from different courses, races and gender. The feedback received from students' reflections after completing the module indicates personal growth and stronger cognisance of the challenges of the diverse South African society as a common theme. The study confirms the value in preparing the future workforce in South-Africa to value diversity as an asset and recommends the inclusion of diversity as a soft-skills attribute in the curriculum of undergraduate engineering students.
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