Authors
Mauryn C. Nweke, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Pilar Garcia-Souto, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Rebecca Yerworth, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; John E. Mitchell, Higher Education Development & Support Institute (Arena) | UCL Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Fiona Truscott, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Adam Gibson, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Eve Hatten, Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Jennifer Griffiths, Higher Education Development & Support Institute (Arena) | UCL Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom; Emanuela Tilley, Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Synopsis
The Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP) at University College London (UCL) was designed to make the development and assessment of transferable skills and competencies — such as teamwork and communication — an explicit and embedded part of the engineering curriculum. Recognising that these skills are best learned through experience, the IEP integrates them from the first term of the first year of undergraduate studies. This chapter describes the approach taken when embedding transferable skills into the engineering curriculum using problem-based learning (PBL). The latter sections illustrate how the department of Biomedical Engineering makes use of the IEP framework in early years of study and further builds upon the framework in later years of the degree programme. It should be noted that whilst Biomedical Engineering is discussed in this chapter, the application of the IEP framework applies to most of the undergraduate degree programmes at UCL Engineering and thus this chapter is written to be relatable to any engineering discipline looking to embed transferable competencies and skills into their curriculum.
Author Biographies
Mauryn C. Nweke, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Nweke, Mauryn C. (0009-0000-4867-175X) is an Associate Professor (Teaching) of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, UK. Her primary research interests include bioprocess purification and engineering education. She led the IEP’s Design & Professional Skills 1 module from 2017-2026, co-ordinating six departments, thirty members of staff and approximately 900 students annually.
Pilar Garcia-Souto, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Garcia-Souto, Pilar (0000-0002-8222-8329) is a Professor (Teaching) at University College London, UK. Her primary research interest is teamwork; she led the system development for the Individual Peer Assessment of Contribution to teamwork (IPAC). She co-led the Biomedical Engineering programme development 2014-2020 and directs the Medical Physics bachelor and master programmes since 2021.
Rebecca Yerworth, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Yerworth, Rebecca (0000-0003-4442-1643) is an Associate Professor (Teaching) of Biomedical Engineering at University College London, UK. Her primary research interests are in electrical impedance tomography. She has been the Director of the Biomedical Engineering programme since 2019, having been part of the core development team since 2015.
John E. Mitchell, Higher Education Development & Support Institute (Arena) | UCL Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Mitchell, John E. (0000-0002-0710-5580) is a Professor of Communications Systems Engineering, and Head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and co-director of the Centre for Engineering Education at University College London, UK. He led the implementation of the IEP at University College London and has published widely on curriculum form and the implementation of PBL.
Fiona Truscott, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Truscott, Fiona (0000-0001-9153-2077) is an Associate Professor (Teaching) at University College London, UK, working with the IEP in the Centre for Engineering Education. She leads the large-scale, cross-faculty Engineering Challenges module for over 1,000 first-year students, and researches teamwork, sociocultural integration in engineering, and academics’ evolving roles in active learning at scale.
Adam Gibson, Department of Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Gibson, Adam (0000-0001-9650-5983) is a Professor of Medical Physics and Heritage Science at University College London, UK. He led the creation of the Biomedical Engineering Programme in 2014, which has grown from 12 students to 120 students per year. His research focuses on medical and heritage imaging.
Eve Hatten, Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Hatten, Eve (0009-0004-5483-3988) is a Lecturer (Teaching) of Biomedical Engineering at University College London, UK. She has a cross-disciplinary background with a focus on professional skills and practical teaching. She is the Design & Professional Skills lead for the Biomedical Engineering programme.
Jennifer Griffiths, Higher Education Development & Support Institute (Arena) | UCL Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Griffiths, Jennifer (0000-0003-3624-4835) is an Associate Professor and Associate Director at University College London, UK, leading staff educational development and Advance HE accredited recognition. With a background in Medical Physics and Engineering Education, she specialises in capacity building, authentic learning, and feedback engagement, and contributes internationally to engineering education development.
Emanuela Tilley, Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
Tilley, Emanuela (0000-0003-3312-1899) is a Professor of Engineering Education at University College London, UK. She is the current SEFI President leading curriculum design and strategic development within higher education, including cultural change management required to foster innovation in engineering education.
Published
August 26, 2026
Copyright (c) 2026 Gillian Saunders-Smits, Lynn Van den Broeck, Thies Johannsen
How to Cite
Nweke, M. C., Garcia-Souto, P., Yerworth, R., Mitchell, J. E., Truscott, F., Gibson, A., Hatten, E., Griffiths, J., & Tilley, E. (2026). Integrated Engineering at University College London: Embedding Transferable Skills using PBL, Illustrated by the Biomedical Engineering Degree Programme. In
SEFI Handbook on Teaching Transferable Competencies and Skills in Engineering (pp. 685-703). TU Delft OPEN Books.
https://doi.org/10.59490/mt.266.87
