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Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

SOC 25-1032.00Job Zone 5 · Extensive Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers the full scope of postsecondary engineering teaching practice at a doctoral-granting research university, from initial course delivery and mentored research contribution through independent scholarship, doctoral supervision, and institutional academic leadership.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Course syllabi and homework assignments — draft and organize under faculty mentorship for undergraduate engineering courses at a research university.
  2. Assigned lecture topics in mechanics or hydraulics — prepare and deliver introductory presentations to undergraduate students with guidance from senior faculty.
  3. Student assignments and laboratory reports — evaluate and apply provided grading rubrics under the supervision of a lead instructor.
  4. Current engineering literature and conference proceedings — read and summarize to remain aware of recent developments in a designated specialization.
  5. Undergraduate class discussions — initiate and moderate with structured prompts in small seminar or recitation settings.
  6. CAD and analytical software tools — demonstrate basic proficiency to support laboratory instruction in engineering design courses.
  7. Research data collection protocols — follow established procedures to contribute to faculty-led research projects in a university laboratory.
  8. Grant application components — assist in drafting sections of external funding proposals under the direction of a principal investigator.
  9. Graduate student laboratory tasks — co-supervise alongside a senior faculty member in an engineering research environment.
  10. Instructional handouts and supplementary materials — produce using word processing and course management software for assigned class sections.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Full-semester undergraduate or graduate courses — plan, organize, and deliver lectures on topics such as robotics or fluid mechanics with minimal faculty oversight.
  2. Student class work, laboratory exercises, and written papers — assess consistently and return constructive feedback within established departmental timelines.
  3. Active learning and varied instructional strategies — select and apply to engage diverse student populations in engineering degree programs.
  4. Research manuscripts — write and revise for submission to peer-reviewed engineering journals or conference proceedings in a recognized specialization.
  5. Grant proposal narratives and budgets — develop independently for federal or industry sponsors to secure modest external research funding.
  6. Graduate teaching and internship activities — supervise and provide regular performance feedback to master's-level students in a departmental research group.
  7. Professional society meetings and engineering conferences — participate in and synthesize insights to refresh course content and research directions.
  8. CAD and CAM software environments — integrate into laboratory instruction to reinforce engineering design-and-manufacturing concepts for students.
  9. Analytical and scientific software platforms — apply to research investigations and coach students in their appropriate use during guided lab sessions.
  10. Cross-disciplinary engineering and mathematics knowledge — draw upon to respond to non-routine student questions and facilitate in-depth class discussions.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Graduate-level curricula in advanced engineering topics — design, continuously refine, and deliver autonomously across a sustained portfolio of courses at a doctoral-granting institution.
  2. Doctoral student research programs — supervise end-to-end, from dissertation proposal through defense, within a university engineering department.
  3. Original research investigations — lead independently, producing peer-reviewed publications and presentations that advance knowledge in a defined engineering subdiscipline.
  4. Competitive federal and industry grant proposals — author and submit as principal investigator, securing multi-year external funding for laboratory operations and graduate support.
  5. Complex, non-routine engineering problems — diagnose and resolve by applying deductive and inductive reasoning across intersecting domains including physics, mathematics, and systems analysis.
  6. Undergraduate and graduate course learning outcomes — evaluate through systematic assessment data, revising instructional methods to demonstrably improve student achievement.
  7. Interdisciplinary engineering systems — analyze and critically evaluate using computational modeling tools, integrating findings into both research and classroom instruction.
  8. Emerging technologies and engineering standards — monitor continuously through literature review and professional engagement, translating advances directly into updated course content.
  9. Collaborative research partnerships — establish and manage with industry or government laboratories, coordinating student involvement and ensuring regulatory compliance.
  10. Engineering design and manufacturing software ecosystems — leverage at an expert level to support research workflows and authentic project-based learning experiences.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Departmental or program-level research agenda — define and champion, aligning faculty scholarship with institutional priorities and national engineering workforce needs.
  2. Junior faculty and postdoctoral researchers — mentor in pedagogy, grant writing, and scholarly publication to accelerate their professional growth within the engineering academy.
  3. Large-scale, multi-investigator grant programs — lead as principal investigator or center director, coordinating complex budgets and federal agency relationships over multi-year awards.
  4. Engineering program accreditation processes — direct institution-wide, ensuring curriculum, assessment, and faculty qualifications satisfy ABET and regional accreditation standards.
  5. Strategic curriculum transformation initiatives — spearhead across degree programs, incorporating systems analysis, emerging computation, and inclusive pedagogy at an organizational scale.
  6. University–industry advisory boards and professional engineering societies — represent the institution, shaping standards and policy at regional and national levels.
  7. Cross-college interdisciplinary research centers — establish and lead, marshaling resources, faculty expertise, and external partnerships to address grand engineering challenges.
  8. Engineering education innovation — generate and disseminate at scale, authoring books or widely adopted frameworks that influence teaching practice across peer institutions.
  9. Departmental faculty hiring, tenure review, and performance evaluation — lead with integrity and evidence-based criteria, building a high-achieving and diverse academic workforce.
  10. Complex organizational decisions regarding resource allocation, laboratory infrastructure, and program development — exercise expert judgment that shapes the long-term direction of the engineering school.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.
Subscriber feature

Authoritative source data identified for 998 occupations

How a worker at each mastery level uses, directs, and evaluates AI tools in this occupation. Each statement cites its evidence inline; click a citation chip to verify the source.

Emerging
  1. AI-assisted material drafting — uses an LLM to generate first drafts of syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts, then reviews and edits each output before distribution Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
  2. Grading support initiation — submits student written work to an AI tool to surface initial feedback patterns, then applies independent judgment before recording any grade Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
Developing
  1. Lecture and explanation enhancement — directs an AI assistant to rephrase complex engineering concepts at varied levels of abstraction, then selects and delivers the most pedagogically appropriate version Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  2. Research writing acceleration — delegates drafting of literature-review sections and grant proposal boilerplate to an AI tool, contributing approximately 80% of otherwise manual writing time back to higher-order intellectual work Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
  3. Assignment scaffolding — instructs an AI assistant to generate problem sets aligned to specific learning objectives, then validates technical accuracy and adjusts difficulty before assigning to students Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
Proficient
  1. Iterative grant proposal development — orchestrates multi-round AI-assisted drafting of grant proposals, providing domain-specific constraints and funding-agency context at each iteration, then authors the intellectual merit narrative independently Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab. WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab..
  2. Student supervision workflow integration — uses AI tools to pre-process and summarize undergraduate and graduate research drafts, freeing supervisory attention for mentorship conversations that require expert human judgment Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
  3. Speaking-centered pedagogy preservation — recognizes that live instructional delivery sits at the boundary of AI automation feasibility and deliberately reserves in-class explanation, questioning, and real-time adaptation as exclusively human activities Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
  4. Collaborative research dissemination — delegates formatting, reference management, and structural outline generation for journal manuscripts to an AI assistant, retaining authorship of methodology, analysis interpretation, and conclusions Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
Advanced
  1. AI autonomy calibration for instruction — sets explicit task boundaries that reflect a 95% collaborative AI-use pattern across the occupation, designing departmental or course-level policies that distinguish high-autonomy AI tasks from those requiring full faculty authorship Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
  2. Human-Technology Interaction curriculum leadership — designs coursework and faculty development programs that teach engineering students and colleagues to evaluate, direct, and critically assess AI-generated technical content within the Human-Technology Interaction skill cluster WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab. Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab..
  3. Evidence-based AI workflow governance — benchmarks AI tool adoption across research and teaching functions against occupation-level time-savings data, making resource and policy recommendations grounded in measured productivity outcomes Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab..
Evidence pack
AEI usage
Task observations: 3902
Augment share: 95%
Time saved: 80.2%
AI autonomy: 3.18
SAFI positioning
Top skill: Speaking
Score: 48.5 / 100
Quadrant: Q2_ai_augmented
precision: exact
WEF cluster
Human-Technology Interaction
human_technology_interaction
Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

Pathsmith Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Subscriber feature

Ten durable-skill domains mapped to four proficiency/role levels for each occupation. Each statement is aligned to the Pathsmith taxonomy, derived from trusted grounding data and mapped to occupation-specific O*NET tasks and skills.

1Communication11 statements
Emerging
  1. Lecture delivery — presents introductory engineering concepts such as statics or circuit fundamentals to undergraduate students using prepared slides and notes Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Syllabus construction — drafts course syllabi and homework assignment descriptions using clear, structured language aligned to learning objectives O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Technical writing — prepares laboratory handouts and assignment rubrics that translate complex engineering principles into student-accessible language Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Class discussion facilitation — initiates and moderates engineering problem-solving discussions by posing structured questions that draw out student reasoning O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Colleague communication — conveys research findings and departmental updates to faculty peers through written memos and informal presentations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Lecture execution — delivers coherent, well-paced lectures on advanced topics such as hydraulics, robotics, or thermodynamics to mixed undergraduate and graduate audiences, adjusting depth in real time based on student response Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research publication — authors findings from original engineering research in peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, adhering to discipline-specific conventions and precision of technical language O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Grant narrative writing — composes clear and persuasive grant proposal narratives that communicate research significance and methodology to interdisciplinary review panels O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Keynote and conference communication — presents original research at national and international engineering conferences, synthesizing complex findings for diverse specialist and non-specialist audiences Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Cross-disciplinary publication — authors book chapters or edited volumes that communicate engineering knowledge across subfields, shaping how concepts are taught and understood profession-wide O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Mentored communication development — coaches doctoral students and junior faculty on technical writing, presentation skills, and grant narrative construction through iterative feedback cycles Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
2Leadership10 statements
Emerging
  1. Classroom authority — establishes clear expectations and course policies during the first sessions of a new course, setting a professional tone for student engagement Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Research initiation — takes personal initiative to identify a researchable engineering problem and begins independent literature review without external prompting Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Teaching supervision — oversees undergraduate laboratory sections or graduate teaching assistants, providing direction on instructional methods and grading consistency O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research team coordination — assigns tasks and monitors progress within a small research group of graduate students pursuing a defined engineering project Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Graduate mentorship — guides thesis and dissertation students through the full arc of research design, execution, and defense, holding students accountable to milestones while developing their independence O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Curriculum leadership — leads course or curriculum revision efforts within the engineering department, aligning program outcomes with accreditation standards such as ABET Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Grant principal investigatorship — serves as PI on funded research projects, directing multi-member research teams, managing budgets, and ensuring deliverables are met on schedule O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Program vision — shapes the strategic direction of an engineering degree program or research center, building faculty consensus and securing institutional resources toward a multi-year educational or research agenda Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Field leadership — assumes editorial board roles, chairs conference committees, or leads professional society divisions to advance the engineering education discipline Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Institutional governance — leads departmental committees on hiring, promotion, or accreditation, taking responsibility for decisions that shape the long-term composition and quality of the faculty Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
3Metacognition10 statements
Emerging
  1. Teaching self-assessment — reflects on initial lecture delivery by reviewing student confusion points and identifying specific explanatory gaps for future sessions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Learning strategy awareness — recognizes that different engineering subfields require distinct study and problem-solving approaches and begins to model these distinctions explicitly for students Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Instructional adjustment — monitors the effectiveness of chosen pedagogical strategies across multiple course sections and revises approaches based on student performance data and informal feedback Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research process monitoring — tracks progress against personal research goals, identifies when a theoretical approach is unproductive, and redirects inquiry before significant resources are lost Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Deliberate expertise mapping — identifies boundaries of personal engineering knowledge and deliberately targets professional development activities—conferences, literature, collaborations—to address specific gaps Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Student metacognition modeling — designs course activities such as exam wrappers or design reflections that explicitly teach engineering students to monitor their own understanding and problem-solving processes Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Grant strategy evaluation — reviews the outcomes of prior funding applications, diagnoses weaknesses in framing or scope, and refines future proposals accordingly Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Pedagogical theory integration — critically evaluates personal teaching philosophy against current engineering education research, revising long-held instructional assumptions when evidence warrants Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Research paradigm reflection — interrogates foundational assumptions underlying an established research program, redirecting decades of work when self-evaluation reveals conceptual limitations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Metacognitive curriculum design — embeds systematic self-regulation skill development across an entire engineering curriculum, creating scaffolded progressions from first-year courses through capstone Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
4Critical Thinking10 statements
Emerging
  1. Problem decomposition — breaks assigned engineering homework problems into component steps for students, modeling how to identify given information, unknowns, and governing equations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Literature evaluation — distinguishes between peer-reviewed engineering sources and non-authoritative references when building introductory course reading lists Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Experimental design critique — evaluates student laboratory reports for logical consistency between hypotheses, procedures, and conclusions, providing targeted corrective feedback O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research gap identification — analyzes current literature in a specialty area to locate unresolved questions or methodological weaknesses that warrant original investigation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Evidence-based grading — evaluates student design projects and technical papers against explicit criteria, distinguishing sound engineering judgment from superficially plausible but flawed reasoning Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Competing hypothesis analysis — assesses multiple theoretical frameworks or computational models for an engineering phenomenon, selecting or synthesizing the most evidentially supported approach for research or instruction Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Grant proposal scrutiny — critically examines the logical structure of a proposed research methodology, identifying unstated assumptions and anticipating reviewer objections before submission O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Peer review expertise — serves as a manuscript or grant reviewer, delivering rigorous analysis of methodological validity, novelty, and contribution quality that advances standards across the field Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Paradigm challenge — identifies and challenges prevailing assumptions in an engineering subdiscipline through original research, producing evidence that reframes how practitioners and educators understand a core concept Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Accreditation analysis — applies systematic critical analysis to program assessment data, identifying non-obvious relationships between curriculum design choices and student outcome metrics for accreditation bodies Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
5Collaboration10 statements
Emerging
  1. Peer co-instruction — co-teaches a course module with a faculty colleague, coordinating content boundaries and aligning assessment expectations through scheduled planning meetings Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Student team facilitation — structures small-group engineering problem-solving activities in class, assigning roles and monitoring team dynamics to ensure equitable participation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Interdisciplinary research partnership — contributes a defined technical role within a cross-departmental research project, coordinating deliverables and communicating progress to team members from adjacent fields Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Departmental committee participation — contributes productively to curriculum or search committees, synthesizing diverse faculty perspectives into actionable recommendations Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Multi-investigator grant collaboration — coordinates contributions from co-PIs across institutions on a joint research proposal, aligning individual sub-aims into a coherent unified scope of work O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Industry partnership management — collaborates with engineering industry partners on capstone project sponsorship or applied research, navigating differing priorities between academic rigor and practical constraints Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Graduate research team integration — cultivates a cohesive lab culture where doctoral and master's students collaborate on shared equipment, datasets, and publication authorship with clear norms for credit and conflict resolution Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Consortium leadership — organizes and sustains multi-institutional research or educational consortia, building shared governance structures and sustaining productive collaboration across competing institutional interests Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. International research collaboration — initiates and maintains joint research programs with engineering faculty at international institutions, navigating cultural, logistical, and regulatory differences to produce co-authored outputs Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Cross-sector coalition building — connects academic engineering research with government agencies, industry, and non-profit stakeholders to co-create research agendas with societal relevance Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
6Character10 statements
Emerging
  1. Academic integrity modeling — communicates clear, consistent expectations for academic honesty in course policies and enforces them equitably from the first course offering Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Professional demeanor — maintains respectful, prepared conduct in all student interactions, office hours, and departmental meetings regardless of personal pressures Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Equitable grading accountability — applies rubrics consistently across student work, documents rationale for consequential grade decisions, and responds to grade appeals with transparency and fairness Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research integrity compliance — adheres to IRB, data management, and authorship standards in all research activity, documenting procedures that allow for independent audit or replication Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Ethical research stewardship — addresses data anomalies, authorship disputes, or conflicts of interest in research projects proactively and according to institutional and disciplinary ethical standards Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Student welfare responsibility — recognizes and appropriately responds to signs of academic distress, mental health concerns, or unsafe laboratory practices, connecting students to institutional resources without compromising professional boundaries Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Peer accountability — provides honest, constructive peer review of colleagues' manuscripts, grant proposals, and teaching evaluations, prioritizing field quality over social comfort Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Field ethics leadership — contributes to the development of ethical guidelines for engineering research or education through professional society participation, shaping norms that extend beyond the home institution Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Inclusive excellence advocacy — champions equitable hiring, promotion, and student recruitment practices within the engineering department, holding institutional processes accountable to stated diversity commitments Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Whistleblower courage — takes appropriate formal action when observing research misconduct or unsafe academic practices, accepting professional risk in service of field integrity Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
7Creativity10 statements
Emerging
  1. Instructional variation — experiments with alternative explanatory approaches—physical demonstrations, simulations, or analogies—when standard lecture delivery fails to produce student understanding Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Assignment novelty — designs homework problems that require students to apply known engineering principles to unfamiliar real-world scenarios rather than repeating textbook examples Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Pedagogical experimentation — pilots active learning structures such as flipped classroom, problem-based learning, or design challenges in an engineering course and evaluates their impact on student outcomes Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Research question origination — formulates novel research hypotheses that extend or reframe existing engineering knowledge rather than replicating prior work with minor variation Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Innovative curriculum design — creates original course sequences or capstone experiences that integrate emerging engineering technologies—such as additive manufacturing or machine learning applications—before they appear in standard textbooks Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Methodology innovation — develops new experimental, computational, or analytical methods to address engineering research problems that existing approaches cannot adequately resolve Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  3. Grant concept originality — constructs research proposals around genuinely novel conceptual frameworks that distinguish the work from incremental advances and capture reviewer attention O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Paradigm-shifting research — produces original engineering research that introduces a new theoretical framework, material class, or computational approach that reorients subsequent work by others in the subdiscipline Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Educational model invention — develops and disseminates a replicable pedagogical model for engineering education—such as a new laboratory format or studio-based design curriculum—that is adopted by other institutions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Transdisciplinary synthesis — combines engineering knowledge with insights from adjacent fields such as biology, economics, or cognitive science to generate research or teaching innovations not achievable within a single discipline Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
8Growth Mindset10 statements
Emerging
  1. Feedback receptivity — incorporates student course evaluation comments into specific, observable changes in subsequent course iterations rather than dismissing critical feedback Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Conference engagement — attends professional engineering conferences to expose personal knowledge to current field developments and returns with at least one integrable insight for research or teaching O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Scholarly currency maintenance — reads current engineering literature and incorporates recently published findings into course content and lecture examples on a regular, ongoing basis Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Teaching skill development — pursues faculty development workshops or peer observation programs to expand the personal repertoire of instructional strategies beyond initial training Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Rejection resilience — treats declined grant proposals or rejected manuscripts as diagnostic data, revising and resubmitting with targeted improvements rather than abandoning productive research directions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Research pivot capacity — redirects a research program when experimental results contradict initial hypotheses, treating disconfirmation as information that sharpens the inquiry Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Growth modeling for students — explicitly shares with students the experience of professional setbacks and iterative improvement, normalizing struggle as part of engineering expertise development Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Career-long learning commitment — actively acquires expertise in emerging engineering subfields—such as quantum computing applications or sustainable infrastructure—that fall outside doctoral training, producing publishable contributions in the new area Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Institutional learning culture — creates departmental structures such as reading groups, teaching circles, or failure debriefs that institutionalize growth mindset norms across the faculty Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Field development through failure analysis — publishes or presents on null results and research dead ends, contributing to field-wide learning efficiency by reducing duplicative effort Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
9Mindfulness10 statements
Emerging
  1. Classroom presence — directs full attention to student questions during lecture and office hours, resisting distraction from concurrent research or administrative demands Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Deadline awareness — maintains conscious awareness of simultaneous course, research, and service deadlines, identifying overcommitment early enough to take corrective action Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Student affect recognition — notices signs of student confusion, frustration, or disengagement during laboratory sessions and class discussions, adjusting pace or tone in the moment Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Workload regulation — monitors personal energy and cognitive load across teaching, research, and service obligations, making intentional choices about effort allocation to sustain quality over a full semester Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. High-stakes session calibration — enters high-pressure instructional events such as comprehensive exam reviews or thesis defenses with deliberate attentional focus, suppressing competing preoccupations to serve students effectively Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Conflict de-escalation — manages grade disputes, authorship disagreements, or departmental tensions by pausing reactive responses, listening fully, and responding from a considered rather than defensive position Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Research focus discipline — sustains deep, distraction-free cognitive engagement during complex derivations or manuscript drafting sessions by intentionally structuring the work environment and time blocks Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Sustained attention modeling — teaches engineering students explicit attention-management strategies for complex problem-solving tasks, integrating mindful practice into design studio or capstone course structures Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Emotionally regulated mentorship — provides difficult developmental feedback to struggling doctoral students or junior colleagues with composure and compassion, remaining present to the emotional dimensions of the exchange without losing constructive purpose Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Institutional equanimity — navigates prolonged administrative uncertainty—budget cuts, accreditation scrutiny, leadership transitions—with intentional stability that anchors departmental morale Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
10Fortitude10 statements
Emerging
  1. Course difficulty persistence — continues refining a pedagogically challenging course across multiple offerings despite inconsistent student evaluations, treating each iteration as progress rather than failure Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Early research setback tolerance — continues pursuing a defined research question after initial experiments fail to produce expected results, maintaining methodological discipline under uncertainty Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Developing
  1. Grant rejection persistence — resubmits declined research proposals with substantive revisions after thorough review panel critique analysis, sustaining productive research activity between funding cycles Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Difficult student management — addresses chronic disengagement, academic misconduct, or interpersonal conflict within a course or research group with firmness and consistency, without abandoning professional standards Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Applying
  1. Long-cycle research commitment — sustains investment in a multi-year research program through periods of slow progress, equipment failure, or inconclusive data, maintaining scientific rigor rather than forcing premature conclusions Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab. O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
  2. Tenure process endurance — maintains research productivity, teaching quality, and service contributions across the sustained pressure of the multi-year tenure review process Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Unpopular curricular advocacy — advocates for evidence-based curriculum changes that face faculty resistance, sustaining the position through collegial challenge without becoming combative or capitulating without cause Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Exceeding
  1. Career-defining perseverance — sustains a major research program through funding gaps, laboratory setbacks, and field skepticism over a decade or more, producing cumulative contributions that ultimately shift the engineering discipline Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  2. Institutional crisis leadership — maintains instructional continuity and research momentum through department-level crises such as accreditation risk, budget reductions, or abrupt leadership changes, serving as a stabilizing presence for students and junior colleagues Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
  3. Courageous scholarly dissent — publicly challenges a dominant but flawed engineering research consensus through rigorous counter-evidence, accepting professional criticism in defense of scientific integrity Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.
Sources:Pathsmith Durable SkillsPathsmith Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Adjunct Engineering Instructor · Adjunct Instructor · Adjunct Professor · Aeronautical Engineering Professor · Aeronautical Engineering Teacher · Aeronautics Teacher · Agricultural Engineering Teacher · Applied Mechanics Teacher · Architectural Engineering Teacher · Assistant Professor · Associate Professor · Automotive Engineering Teacher
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
SpeakingInstructingLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionActive ListeningWritingMathematicsCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingActive LearningScienceMonitoringComplex Problem SolvingCoordinationSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationTime ManagementSocial Perceptiveness
Knowledge domains
Engineering and TechnologyDesignComputers and ElectronicsMathematicsEnglish LanguagePhysicsEducation and TrainingMechanicalChemistryAdministration and ManagementProduction and Processing
Abilities
Oral ExpressionSpeech ClarityWritten ComprehensionOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningInductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionInformation OrderingCategory FlexibilityMathematical Reasoning
Work styles
Intellectual CuriosityInnovationDependabilityIntegrityAchievement OrientationAttention to Detail
Technology
Computer aided design CAD softwareComputer based training softwareObject or component oriented development softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareWord processing softwareComputer aided manufacturing CAM softwareInformation retrieval or search softwareElectronic mail softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareOptical character reader OCR or scanning software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  2. Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  3. Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  4. Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
  5. Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  6. Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  7. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as mechanics, hydraulics, and robotics.
  8. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate class discussions.
CIP education codes
14.010114.020114.020214.029914.030114.040114.050114.060114.070114.070214.079914.080114.080214.080314.080414.080514.089914.090114.090214.090314.099914.100114.100314.100414.109914.110114.120114.130114.140114.180114.190114.200114.210114.220114.230114.240114.250114.270114.280114.320114.330114.340114.350114.360114.370114.380114.390114.400114.410114.420114.430114.440114.450114.470114.480114.480214.489914.999915.150215.150340.1001

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.