The impact of group-based experiential learning in developing undergraduate societal engineering skills: a case study within a United Kingdom Post-92 university

In today’s interconnected world, engineering projects are increasingly undertaken by multicultural teams, requiring graduates to possess both technical expertise and societal skills. Traditional undergraduate electrical engineering programmes in the United Kingdom have largely emphasised analytical and technical competencies, with limited attention to teamwork, leadership and project management. Feedback from module evaluations and industrial advisory boards suggests this approach inadequately prepares students for professional practice. This paper evaluates a group-based, industrially driven experiential learning module designed to address these gaps. The module aimed to enhance students’ understanding of the broader dimensions of engineering practice, including equality, diversity, inclusion, teamwork and leadership. Pre- and post-module evaluations revealed significant improvements in student perceptions and appreciation of these skills. The findings demonstrate that embedding experiential, industry-focused learning can strengthen professional competencies and enrich the overall student learning experience, providing a valuable model for integrating societal skills into engineering education.