Future Skills Case Study: MEng Internship program
Modules used were Metacognition, Communication, Inclusivity, Self Management, and Innovation.
Teaching team
- Dr. Jeffery Priest, PhD
- Gillian Ayers, Program Evaluation & Planning Specialist
Cohort
MEng graduate students enrolled in the MEng Internship program which includes at a minimum a mandatory full-time 8 month internship (~24 students across both courses)
Module
The selected modules support MEng students, many of whom are international, in developing the professional, reflective, and adaptive skills required to succeed in a full-time engineering internship. The modules emphasize intentional skill development alongside technical work experience, helping students translate workplace learning into long-term professional growth.
The internship context presents unique challenges, including navigating new workplace cultures, communication norms, and professional expectations. The modules were selected to align with skills consistently identified as critical for internship success:
- INTE 630.01 (spring 2025) focused on metacognition, communication, and inclusivity.
- INTE 630.02 (fall 2025) focused on innovation, and self-management.
The courses were designed to complement workplace learning rather than duplicate technical training.
Focus
Supporting students in developing reflective, communicative, and adaptive professional skills that enhance internship success and long-term career development.
Applied learning
The courses were structured around the FUSION skills framework, with adaptations for the internship context.
Explore phase content was bundled into structured modules supported by a workbook. The apply phase was adapted to encourage proactive engagement in the workplace, and reflection activities were embedded throughout the workbook to support synthesis and growth.
Assessment
Students completed the Full Student workbooks for each course assessing their ability to engage with course concepts, apply learning directly to their internship context, and reflect critically on growth, challenges, and outcomes. Students were provided opportunities to revise their work based on feedback.
Grading
Credit / fail (CR/F)
Pacing
- Explore phase completed within the first four weeks of internship. All modules
- The Apply phase was replaced with synchronous online connection points designed around reflecting on each of the skills in practice.
- Reflect phase of all modules was bundled and submitted at the end of the course to allow students to synthesize learning across their internship experience.
In-class integration & Customization
The team bundled the Explore phase and Reflect phase workbooks for the multiple modules into one student workbook (for each phase), customized questions, and added assignment instructions.
For some modules, the written version of the content was converted into designed Html content pages in D2L to add in Engineering context and examples.
Synchronous online meetings were scheduled to replace the Apply phase to support connection, accountability, and peer learning around each skill. Students submitted an abbreviated and modified reflection based on the Apply phase after the synchronized connection points. Synchronous online meetings were scheduled to replace the Apply phase to support connection, accountability, and peer learning around each skill. Students submitted an abbreviated and modified reflection based on the Apply phase after the synchronized connection points.
Observed impact
Students demonstrated intentionality in how they approached their internships. Students were encouraged to identifying opportunities for innovation within their existing roles rather than viewing internships as static experiences.
Insights
- Metacognition module helps teach reflective practice and connects to goal setting.
- Tailoring reflective questions to internship goals helped make the reflection more specific.
- Embedding skill development alongside full-time work supported meaningful, real-time application.
- Synchronous touch points helped students debrief their workplace experiences and collectively reflect.
“Based on feedback from students, the Future Skills modules have deepened student reflection, improved workplace communication, and fostered greater cultural awareness. Students report feeling more confident navigating Canadian work environments, building relationships, and achieving internship goals.” – Priest
“The Future Skills modules have so much to offer our students. The modules are fully customizable, which allowed us to tailor the content and flow to engineering graduate students. I am delighted to hear positive student feedback on the modules, and I appreciate that the modules provide students with a framework to reflect on real-life workplace experiences—this is where the deep learning happens.” – Ayers
The Future Skills Innovation Network (FUSION) is a collaborative network of Canadian universities focused on exploring inclusive and innovative learning approaches to foster skill development and prepare university students across the country for the future economy. Future Skills modules created by FUSION are available to the UCalgary community.