Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Writing your Engineering Professional Practice Reflections

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The Bachelor of Engineering(Hons), Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Master of Engineering and Master of Engineering program rules state that: A student must—

  • (a) complete 450 hours of professional practice approved by the Executive Dean; and
  • (b) satisfactorily complete assessment pertaining to thatprofessional practice as determined by the Executive Dean.

You are required to submit five (5) reflections where you reflect on your professional development and communicate these learnings in a written form. Reflections may be completed during and/or after your professional practice activities.

Within each reflection, you are required to:

  1. Choose one (1) of the sixteen (16) Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies. Please note that out of the five (5) reflections at least four (4) reflections must be from sections two (2) and three (3) of the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies. Each reflection must address a different competency.
  2. Identify one or more learning events that you have encountered whilst undertaking your 450 hours of professional practice. When identifying your learning event(s), think about all the things you have done in your professional practice activities and decide which of those things have helped you understand better or helped you do a better job as a professional engineer.
  3. Discuss the learning event(s) you have identified with reference to the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency you have chosen. Use the SEAL Reflection Framework for your discussion (300 words per reflection).
  1. How will I be assessed?
  2. What is a learning event?
  3. How do I write reflectively?
  1. How should I write this?
  2. The SEAL process of self-reflection
  3. Sample

2. What is a learning event?

A learning event is a significant event that has occurred whilst undertaking your 450 hours of professional practice that had an impact on you or helped you to better understand what it means to be a professional engineer. A learning event could be something that confirms or contradicts your prior knowledge, theories or understanding, in particular the knowledge you may have gained at university. It doesn’t have to be an event that went well; often we learn more from things that don’t go quite as planned. If it was a negative learning event, describe what you will do differently in the future to lead to a more positive outcome and how you will use this experience to guide future behaviour.