154 research outputs found

    Putting Knowledge to Work : The Exemplars

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    A consideration of the problems faced by international students in English Language acquisition

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    In my ten years of dealing with international students in the role of study support lecturer, one of the major preoccupations among students is over their level of English language. Although all students enter their course with a minimum level of IELTS 6, many feel disadvantaged by particularly poor spoken English, and suffer feelings of anxiety, shame and inferiority. Low self-confidence means that many feel ill-equipped to engage in class discussion and in social interaction with the host community. A common reaction to stress caused by communication problems is to retreat into communication with conational students, further inhibiting progress in language. Whilst linguistic progress is made by nearly all students, support systems nevertheless must be put in place to alleviate the shock experienced by international students at the start of the academic sojourn. If British universities are to continue to recruit international students with the minimum qualification of IELTS 6, the author strongly suggests that academic and language support should be provided

    ALT-C 2010 - Conference Introduction and Abstracts

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    Customer satisfaction within education – the application of an integrated curriculum design method

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    The post-16 stage of education is critical in securing and developing people entering engineering professions and related occupations. Engineering employers and employees alike have however highlighted problems regarding poorly designed curricula failing to prepare employees for industrial and commercial roles. The premise of this thesis is that the issue confronting education is one of quality management. Curriculum designers must know how to anticipate and understand customer requirements and practically translate these requirements into a deliverable curriculum package. The aim of this research is to realise the synergy of curriculum design and TQM by developing a theoretical integrated curriculum design method. Synergies between TQM and traditional curriculum design methods are investigated and an integrated curriculum design method based on the use of PDCA and incorporating a two-phase modified use of QFD is hypothesised and justified. Subsequently, application of the curriculum design method is completed in relation to a number of selected engineering companies within the South Wales region and an appropriate curriculum proposal, for the provision of engineering education within the 16-18 year age group is produced. The proposal has been constructed with characteristics complementary to the competencies required by these companies and incorporates the most suitable teaching, learning and assessment methods to maximise the development of the students. This is valuable information for those concerned

    How to Teach Mechanical Engineering Design Using Industry Methods While Still Assessing to University Criteria

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    There is a growing demand from industry for qualified design engineers. Many design engineers are trained in industry at vast expense in time and money, while many more are trained at universities and colleges. This thesis will explore how to maintain the training by universities and colleges to be as up to date and relevant as possible. It will look at the modern techniques and methods such as design teams, use of computer software, communication, use of the internet, and methods to solve design problems. All these techniques and methods are used by world-leading industries during the 21st century; this century, known also as the Third Industrial Revolution, or the Information Technology Revolution. It will show how appropriate techniques and methods can be applied in academia. A challenge is highlighted, and a solution found, how to get students to design to modern industry standards but at the same time make it possible to assess their work to satisfy the needs of academia and achieve the awarding criteria. Modern techniques and methods will be applied to university students and an assessment made of the results. Use of group working will be explored, and an algorithm developed to grade the completed work. What do students need now, to equip them to become competent designers, and how do lecturers support these students in these new methods? A knowledge gap between full-time students and part-time students in their final year of a degree programme was identified. This gap was reduced by reviewing the curriculum from earlier years and specifically targeting improving the student’s knowledge. To reduce the gap further, the development of a new teaching theory based on reverse engineering and a reversed application of Bloom’s Taxonomy was developed. This new teaching theory was applied to engineering student in their final year of a BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering Degree. The above methods and theories were validated by experienced industry design engineers from world leading companies
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