Overview
This lecture provides an overview of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirement for Monash engineering students, explaining the necessary steps to complete, document, and submit CPD for graduation.
What is CPD and Who Needs It?
- All undergraduate and master professional engineering students at Monash must complete the CPD unit to graduate.
- CPD is required for accreditation and connects classroom learning with real-world engineering experience.
CPD Components & Requirements
- CPD has three main steps: complete 420 hours of eligible experiences, record written reflections, and answer six assessment questions.
- Experiences must be outside the classroom and can include paid work, virtual internships, volunteering, seminars, unpaid placements, or online short courses.
- At least 210 hours must be from engineering-related experiences.
- Limits apply: max 70 hours for engineering curriculum, 35 hours for passive experiences, and 35 hours for individual project work.
- Non-engineering hours are capped at 210, with a 70-hour max for non-engineering curriculum experiences.
Categories & Examples of Experiences
- Engineering experiences: supervised by engineers, at an engineering company, applying engineering concepts.
- Non-engineering experiences: part-time jobs (e.g., in a café), focusing on professional skills like teamwork and communication.
Logging & Reflecting on Experiences
- Use the Student Futures digital platform to record experiences, details, and attach supporting documentation for any activity over 35 hours.
- Reflect on nine professional practice skills; each must be addressed twice, communication three times (minimum 19 reflections).
- Multiple skills can be logged for each experience.
CPD Assessment Questions
- Submit written answers to six questions, referencing Engineers Australia Stage 1 competencies.
- List all experiences over 35 hours with hyperlinks to supporting documents.
- Submit both the Student Futures reflections and assessment questions to the CPD Moodle site in week five of your final semester.
Support & Resources
- Faculty emails, Engineering Career Hub, and Career Connect offer programs, tips, and workshops for finding CPD opportunities.
- Drop-in sessions and comprehensive guides are available on the CPD website.
Key Terms & Definitions
- CPD (Continuous Professional Development) — a unit tracking real-world professional experiences for engineering students.
- Student Futures — online platform for recording and reflecting on CPD experiences.
- Professional Practice Skill — employability skill such as teamwork, communication, or leadership required for CPD reflection.
- Engineering/Non-Engineering Experiences — categories that distinguish types of eligible activities for CPD hours.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Start logging experiences in Student Futures as early as possible.
- Collect and upload supporting documents for activities over 35 hours.
- Familiarize yourself with CPD templates and category limits via the website.
- Join Engineers Australia for additional resources.
- Submit both CPD components to Moodle by week five, final semester.