Australian Engineering Students

Hang Out Places

• Australian engineering students usually hang out in college sports clubs and events campus venues, the beach, gyms, their favorite restaurants, university dining areas, local pubs, and other venues in the city.
• They also attend networking events with industry professionals.
• Students also hang out in peer mentoring programs and student summits venues.
• They also hang out in common rooms with fellow engineering students.  
• There are also cocktail nights, speed networking nights, camping seasons, and other student social activities that engineering students usually congregate.
• Students also congregate in engineering societies to connect with their fellow undergraduates.

Information Sources

• Australian college students usually get their information from networking events with industry professionals and engineering student summits.
• They also get information from social platforms such as YouTube.  
• Engineering students in the country also get their information from summit seminars that are focused on specific engineering topics.

Frustrations and Challenges

• Based on a QILT survey, 74.4% of Australian engineering students were satisfied with the interactions between the higher education schools and their students. This indicates that there are around (100-74.4) 25.6% who are not satisfied with the interactions between the students and the institutions.
• Around (100-49.4)50.6% of Engineering students in Australia expressed dissatisfaction with the teaching scale in educational institutions.
• Meanwhile, around (100-83.8) 16.2% of these students were dissatisfied with the generic skills aspect.
• Meanwhile, the derived % negative rating based on the % positive rating in the SES National Report indicated the dissatisfaction of Australian engineering students in the following areas: skills development (100-78) 22%, learner engagement (100-65)35%, teaching quality (100-75) 25%, student support (100-71) 29%, learning resources (100-83) 17%, overall educational experience (100-73) 27%.  
• Some students also become frustrated when they do not like the subjects that they have chosen for their course.
• Based on the account of an engineering student in Australia, they usually don't have the time to carefully select their subjects due to their heavy involvement in sports activities.

Hopes, Dreams, and Desires

• Based on a featured engineering student at the University of South Australia, they hope to prioritize their math and science subjects after completing their sporting commitments.
• These students also hope to create something using their engineering knowledge that will benefit many people.
• Engineering students also hope to learn more about the values of the companies that employ them.

Biggest Fears

• The following table shows some of the apprehensions that were encountered by Australian undergraduate students, including those studying engineering.

 

Source

Preferred Form of Communication

• Based on the website The University of New South Wales (UNSW), the top engineering school in Australia, students typically communicate through emails.  
• Student activities were also communicated through academic calendars.  
• Student engagement managers also communicate various updates to the engineering students.
• Students are also encouraged to connect with each other through social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
• The University of Sydney engineering students also communicate with each other through email.  

• Communication is also encouraged through the university's website and various social media pages such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Exact Phrases, Language, and Vernacular Used

• When referring to student activities, engineering students in Australia usually use these phrases often when narrating their experiences: "heaps of fun, heaps of sports clubs, heaps of events, village green (uni oval), and uni work. "
• Student life is also characterized by this narrative: "When this is done, I head back to college, ready for the gourmet delights which college food has to offer (not!)."
• Students were also heard saying the following when reacting to changes in the new academic calendar: "Whoopee do,” I hear you cry, “But how does that affect me?” “What happens to my summer?,” “Why do we need to change anyway?” and “What do I need to do about it?"

Day in the Life

• Based on a featured engineering student's life on the UNSW website, the student usually goes to the gym in the morning.
• They will then eat lunch, then proceed to various lecture sessions.  
•  Dinner time is typically early at around 5:15 pm.
• The engineering students will then go out and get involved in university sports games such as soccer, table tennis, and others. They also attend student club activities or other student events with their friends.
• When examinations are coming up, students usually spend their time studying.
• During weekends, they usually go to the beach, attend or participate in college sports activities, watch movies, or do other fun activities.

What Makes them Happy?

•  Attending or participating in sports events or student activities with their friends usually make engineering students in Australia happy.
• Applying their engineering expertise to create something that many people can use makes these students happy.

Hong Kong Engineering Students

Hang Out Places

• Some of the activities that students such as engineering undergraduates hang out in include study tours, competitions, sports activities, exchange programs, projects, symposiums, and other events.

Information Sources

• Based on the website of one of the top engineering schools in Hong Kong, engineering students typically obtain information from the university websites, e-student networks, the library, the student handbook, academic calendars, university notices, official newsletters, and emails.
• Hong Kong engineering schools also encourage students to visit their social media pages to obtain information and connect with each other. Some of these platforms include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Weibo, and QR communications.

Frustrations, Challenges, Fears

• Based on several reports, students from all study areas in Hong Kong have become frustrated with their government and its policies.
• They are also experiencing psychological issues due to the impact of the pandemic and the repercussions from the 2019 student mass actions.
• Several engineering students in Hong Kong also joined these protests and showcased their expertise through the sophisticated contraptions they built.
• As per a jobs DB survey in Hong Kong that includes engineering undergraduates, one of their biggest frustrations involves overtime work(14%).  
• Based also on the jobsDB survey, 57% of recent graduates postpone job searches due to economic instability and the uncertain social landscape.

Hopes, Dreams, and Desires

• Based on a jobsDB survey in Hong Kong, engineering ($19,122) fresh graduates receive one of the highest salaries.
• As per a jobsDB survey in Hong Kong that includes engineering undergraduates, their priorities are the following when selecting their first jobs: salary and benefits (26%) and career development and on-the-job training (19%).  
• Aside from work-life balance, they also aspire to attain flexibility in their jobs.  
• Other preferences include the following: 14% wants "early leave on Friday at least once a month," "13% wants to “leave early for festive days” and dress in "casual wear every day," and 9% wants to “work from home."
• These students also prefer to work in lucrative full-time jobs that provide a promising future.
• Around 30% of students and graduates also aspire to get jobs outside of Hong Kong.

Preferred Forms of Communication

• Hong Kong engineering schools encourage students to visit their social media pages to obtain information and connect with each other. Some of these platforms include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Weibo, and QR communications.
• There are also forums that provide a venue for students, new engineers, and seasoned experts to network with each other.
•  Social media groups for engineering students are also used to communicate updates and connect with other students.

Exact Phrases, Language, and Vernacular Used

• "I firmly believe that the undergraduate degree study at PolyU EIE Department has equipped me with the essential knowledge and experience."
• "Studying at PolyU has been an unforgettable experience in my life."
• "I have a strong sense of belongings to EIE and I am proud of being one of the EIE family!"
• "We've changed our logo! (Yay, colours!) Do you like our new look?"
•  "快D quit science 入UST engine 啦😄😄"
• 我地係重質不重量😏 (I don't have weight 😏)
• "已收到SS Newsletter入面 "WIN THE PRIZE"既簽名筆！Thanks IETSS!"
• “It was a savage move and a type of police violence when they tried to encroach on the university. This is why we have to protect our Chinese University of Hong Kong.” said a recent engineering graduate.

Day in the Life

• Based on the accounts of Hong Kong university students, a typical day can include attending class lectures, participating in extra-curricular activities such as sports and hobby clubs, going to symposiums and conferences, hanging out with friends in various university facilities, going to popular places outside the campus, studying or preparing for exams, writing papers, and other student life-related activities.

What Makes them Happy?

• Based on the sentiments of engineering students, their strong sense of belonging in the university makes them happy.
• The students are also happy that they were able to broaden their knowledge in the field.
• They also gave positive feedback on their university's comprehensive range of opportunities offered.

Research Strategy