The Complete Engineer provides opportunities for members of the Nebraska Engineering graduate community to focus on their development in six core competencies. Within each competency, there are two stages of growth. In the engagement stage, graduate participants will have an opportunity to identify, engage, and reflect on their participation in extra and co-curricular activities to advance their knowledge of that competency. After completion of the engagement stage in the framework, participants will advance to the transformation stage. Graduate students each have varying times to degree completion, a two-stage model allows for participation flexibility. Participation with the Complete Engineer program at the graduate and postdoctoral level is above and beyond what is required by an individual’s coursework or employment, an individual must be self-motivated and self-directed. Graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to participate in the program to gain additional skills and benefits including:
- Developing additional skillsets to become a more well-rounded individual poised to solve big problems
- Support for growth activities
- Non-technical skill achievement reflected on transcript
- Skills in competency areas that employers and organizations are looking for
Learning is a lifelong process and individuals are encouraged to continue to self-assess and develop goals for growth and learning as they move through the stages of their lives beyond their time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Competency Growth Framework
| Complete Engineer Competency Definitions | Engagement | Transformation |
|---|---|---|
 Inclusive Excellence
|
Student participates in experiences that challenge currently held perspectives. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved. Student can demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to inclusive excellence. |
 Communication
|
Student presents information in effective ways to audiences inside and outside the domain, across various venues, and using various techniques. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved. Student can demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to communication. |
 Teamwork
|
Student can demonstrate how they are learning more about leadership, developing self-management strategies, seeking opportunities to demonstrate skills. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved. Demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to self-management & leadership. |
 Self-management & Leadership
|
Student has initiated participation in service or civic activity. Student is able to demonstrate awareness of responsibility to the world, the profession, and local community. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved and how they play out in civic engagement. Demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to civic responsibility. |
 Civic Responsibility
|
Student is able to demonstrate how they practice teamwork within and across disciplines. And able to articulate and fulfill role and responsibilities on a given team. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved. Demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to teamwork. |
 Professionalism & Ethics
|
Student is able to demonstrate professionalism, ethics, and respect in their behavior. Additionally, they’re able to articulate the role professionals in their field play in improving the health, safety, and welfare of society. | Student is able to reflect on how their values, beliefs and perspectives have evolved. Demonstrate growth in behavior, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities related to professionalism & ethics. |
Steps to Participate
Individuals will engage in the Complete Engineer and subsequently how an individual moves from Engagement to Transformation, will be determined by a combination of activities. Those methods include, an individual development plan, extra and co-curricular activities which focus on Complete Engineer competencies areas, and reflections on the experience and collection of experiences those activities facilitate. Documentation of attendance and reflection responses will be tracked and collected in Canvas. As an individual provides supporting documentation and demonstrates development as outlined by the Competency Growth Model, the individual will be issued a permission code to enroll in a zero credit course and the achievement documented on their transcript.STEP 1:
- Identify one or more competencies to focus on
- Fill out an Individual Development Plan (IDP)
- Unique to individual goals and development
- Don’t need to stick to PDF, can use any format (Excel, Word, etc.)
- A guide with examples is provided for reference
- The examples are not exhaustive
- Share the plan with your faculty advisor
STEP 2:
- Participate in extra and co-curricular activities identified in the development plan
- Continue to add to plan as new opportunities are identified
STEP 3:
- Log into the Canvas Complete Engineer® module to upload reflections and artifacts from the activities that impacted your development in a focused competency area
- Reflection is a critical bridge between experience and learning. Provide thoughtful reflection and justification for competency achievements
STEP 4:
- Two Complete Engineer Fellows (COE faculty and staff members) will evaluate reflections based on a rubric to determine if growth was demonstrated.
- If the Fellows agree, a course permission code will be sent to the student to enroll in the corresponding zero credit course, so the achievement is documented on the transcript!