This study aimedto introducea new approach to identifying nanotechnology competence for college engineering students' career preparation based primarily on competence-based perspectives. While Q methodologyisa powerful pattern analytic for expressing opinions of specific group and gives consideration to both qualitative and quantitative advantages, it was employed asa tooltoexplore and highlight the unique viewpoints and patterns of nanotechnology competencies expressed by stakeholders in the industry. Forty-seven competence statements were selected as contributing to the final Q set basedon the university professors and post-doc fellows' evaluation and post interviews. Then twelve professional experts in the nanotechnology industry in Taiwan were recruited tobe the Q participants. Based onthe results of Q sorting and discourse analysis, two factors of the subjective viewpoint toward the expected general nanotechnology competencies of university graduates were presented, namely, personal-attributes oriented and professional-skills oriented. Although the emphases were placed on dissimilar statements by different factors, it was clear that innovation, activeness and ambition, applied chemistry, and nano-optoelectronics together constructed the core nanotechnology competencies. The results provide practical and theoretical implications for engineering education in students' training and professional development. © 2015 TEMPUS Publications.
Author Keywords
Index Keywords
