Cross Cultural Competency in Engineering

As engineering challenges become increasingly global, complex, and community-focused, there is growing recognition of the need to embed cross-cultural competency into the engineering curriculum. Effective stakeholder engagement, cultural humility, and ethical awareness have already been recognised as essential in humanitarian and development contexts, yet traditional engineering education often lacks structured opportunities for students to develop these skills and employ them in broader engineering contexts. Service-Learning programmes have often borne the brunt of fostering cross-cultural skills in students, which has led to mixed success and reinforces the idea that these competencies are optional extras, rather than essential to modern engineering practice. This workshop will explore cross-cultural competency as a core professional attribute for engineers and the potential for incorporating it into mainstream engineering education.

Jess is an Honours student, finalising her double degree in Systems Engineering and International Security Studies. Her areas of special interest and research include humanitarian engineering, user-centred design, and diversity in engineering. She has been studying and tutoring at ANU for six years.

The workshop will involve a presentation of Jessica’s ongoing research into cross-cultural competency, with interactive group activities to explore the integration of cross-cultural skills in engineering education. Students will be encouraged to share their own experiences and insights and reflect upon what it means to be an engineer in the 21st century.

Reflect on the session with reference to an experience or a project that you are involved in (250-300 words). Please include any resources generated, such as photos or worksheets.