Supporting UK engineering educators to embed Digital Technical Standards into curriculum design. A collaboration between the Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC) and the University of Lancashire. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
WHY: The case for digital technical standards in education
Introduction
Digital Technical Standards (DTS) are foundational to the UK’s digital infrastructure, innovation ecosystem, and global competitiveness. They underpin the technologies and systems that define modern engineering practice from telecommunications and cybersecurity to the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. Yet engagement with DTS development remains limited among engineering students and early-career professionals.
The Digital Technical Standards Toolkit has been developed to address this gap. It is a comprehensive, academically aligned resource designed to support engineering and computing educators across UK higher education in embedding DTS into curriculum design and delivery.
The Toolkit is a collaboration between the Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC) and the University of Lancashire funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). It builds on the success of the EPC’s growing series of widely used toolkits :including those covering ethics, sustainability, complex systems, and inclusive employability :which have collectively received over 100,000 visits in the past three years.
“The Digital Technical Standards Toolkit represents a timely and necessary intervention for UK engineering education. As digital technical standards become increasingly embedded within accredited programme requirements, there is a clear and urgent need to equip academics with curated, accessible resources that support confident and consistent delivery. This project is not about creating content in isolation it is about harnessing the collective expertise of a broad community, drawing together what already exists, and making it genuinely usable for educators within the pressures of a modern engineering curriculum.” – Professor Georgina Harris, Dean of Engineering and Computing, University of Lancashire; Chair, DTS Toolkit Project
“Digital technical standards are not simply technical documents; they are the foundations upon which our digital infrastructure, our industries, and ultimately our societies are built. For young engineers to be truly prepared for professional practice, they must understand not only that standards exist, but how the global standardisation ecosystem functions, why standards are needed, and how they themselves can contribute to shaping them. The DTS Toolkit has the opportunity to provide that foundational understanding by mapping the landscape from ETSI and IEEE to IETF, W3C, and ITU and by framing content around enduring principles rather than the specifics of any single standard.” – Dr. Hermann Brand, Standards Expert, IEEE; Co-Chair DTS Toolkit Project
Purpose
The DTS Toolkit will enhance understanding and engagement with digital technical standards, which underpin the UK’s digital infrastructure, engineering practice, and international competitiveness. Specifically, the Toolkit aims to:
- Consolidate existing high-quality resources from international Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) and signpost relevant external materials in a single, accessible location.
- Develop new UK-context content where gaps exist, including bridging articles, curriculum mapping guides, and career pathway resources.
- Support educators in embedding DTS concepts, SDO structures, and standards-related career pathways within engineering and computing curricula.
- Align with AHEP (Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes) requirements and the Engineering Council’s UK-SPEC competence framework.
- Demystify DTS development and highlight its relevance to engineering careers, motivating students and early-career professionals to engage with standards work.
WHAT: Toolkit content and scope
What the Toolkit contains
The Toolkit brings together resources from eight International Standards Development Organisations (ISDOs) in one accessible location, providing educators with the materials they need to teach DTS effectively.
Types of resources
The Toolkit includes a range of resource types, designed for use across different teaching contexts including lectures, seminars, problem-based learning, and online delivery:
Knowledge articles: explaining key DTS concepts, SDO structures, and the role of standards in engineering practice.
Guidance articles: providing pedagogical support for educators embedding DTS into their teaching, including curriculum mapping and assessment design.
Teaching resources: ready-to-use classroom materials such as case studies, activities, and project ideas.
UK industry case studies: demonstrating real-world applications of digital technical standards in UK engineering contexts.
Signposted external resources: curated links to high-quality existing materials from SDOs, professional bodies, and academic literature.
HOW: Development, governance and getting involved
Project leadership
The project is co-chaired by:
- Professor Georgina Harris: Dean of the School of Engineering & Computing at the University of Lancashire and President of the Engineering Professors’ Council. Professor Harris oversees content development, academic integration, and stakeholder engagement.
- Dr. Hermann Brand (IEEE): specialist in international standards, serving as resource advisor and co-chair of the Expert Working Group.
The project is managed by Dhanushka Hewaralalage at the University of Lancashire, with strategic oversight from Johnny Rich, Chief Executive of the EPC.
The Expert Working Group
The development of the Toolkit is guided by an Expert Working Group comprising representatives from academia, industry, professional bodies, and Standards Development Organisations. The Working Group has been convened to:
- Identify and review existing resources relevant to DTS education.
- Highlight gaps where new, targeted content is required.
- Commission and review original content for inclusion in the Toolkit.
- Ensure alignment with UK accreditation frameworks and professional registration requirements.
Working Group members and contributing experts include representatives from organisations such as the Engineering Council, British Standards Institution (BSI), Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Royal Academy of Engineering, DSIT, and UK universities.
Background and context
This initiative builds on the meeting on Technical Standards convened on 11 September 2025 by the Engineering Council. Following that meeting, DSIT funded the creation of this Toolkit to support engineering academics in better understanding digital technical standards and embedding them in their teaching.
The project follows the successful model established by the EPC’s toolkit series, which provides free-to-use resources in areas where engineering educators need particular support to stay current and aligned with academic, professional, and accreditation requirements. Existing EPC toolkits cover topics including engineering ethics, sustainability, complex systems, enterprise collaboration, and inclusive employability.
How to get involved
The Toolkit is a community-owned project, and contributions from academics, industry professionals, and standards experts are welcomed. There are several ways to get involved:
- Share existing materials that you use or that your organisation would like to contribute.
- Signpost external resources relevant to DTS education.
- Suggest content to fill identified gaps.
- Produce short, targeted guidance content where required.
- Authorise use of your institution’s resources for inclusion in the Toolkit.
All contributors and participating experts will be acknowledged publicly on a dedicated DTS Toolkit page on the EPC website.
Get in touch
To register your involvement or interest, contact:
Dhanushka Hewaralalage
Project Manager, Digital Technical Standards Toolkit
Email: dsahewaralalage1@lancashire.ac.uk
Hosting and sustainability
The Toolkit is hosted on the EPC website, which is widely used by engineering academics across the UK. It is be freely accessible to all users without the need for membership or subscription.
The Toolkit will remain on the EPC website for a minimum of three years, with the intention that it will be maintained indefinitely. Users will be invited to submit new content for inclusion, which will be reviewed by volunteers from the Expert Working Group, ensuring the Toolkit remains current and relevant.
A launch webinar and marketing campaign will promote the Toolkit to all EPC members: approximately 9,000 academics from over 90 engineering departments throughout the UK.
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
