Designing and Delivering Curriculum with Early Industry Exposure Integration: A Model

Abstract

The university industry's cooperation in curriculum development and delivery has been identified as a key support factor for universities. Hence, universities are looking for an association with the industries that will help them to enhance their translation research and build skill sets, enabling them to work on real-life challenges. Conversely, to remain competitive, industries look for academic collaborations in their research and development activities. To provide students and researchers with good exposure to the industrial environment, courses offering internships in the industry field have proven to be beneficial, and many curriculum development models associated with the industry connect are available in the literature. This paper describes an industry internship program designed for third-year undergraduate engineering students focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT) course. The main objective of this work is to offer students the opportunity to gain familiarity with the industry environment and practical experience, mainly through collaborative teamwork. The study is implemented using a problem-based learning pedagogical approach. The program consists of three primary stages: preparatory training for the internship, the internship duration itself, and the internship projects. The model was successful for the IoT course delivered and assessed in collaboration with the industry personnel. The key outcomes of this industry internship are teamwork, industry readiness, effective communication, and presentation skills.