Learner needs and ESP

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how ESP learner needs have been perceived and answered in contemporary ESP programmes. It aims at providing some suggestions and implications regarding needs analysis, course design and the development of language skills. The first chapter introduces the concept of 'ESP ' and, therefore, attempts to unfold the debate which has surrounded its definition and its practices. This involves viewing the factors which have led to its development and which have set it apart of General Purpose English (GPE); investigating the theoretical background against which it has developed and, thus, questioning the validity of equating ESP with the learner's specialized subject-matter or specialist register; and considering the major types of ESP courses which have branched off ESP. The second chapter is concerned with the main changes that have occurred in ESP course design. It argues for a process-oriented approach since this type of syllabus, in its balanced form, accommodates the learner's real-world needs and process-learning needs. The process oriented movement has revolutionized the concept of 'learner needs'. The needs of the learner are not only viewed in terms of language items or course content but also in terms of the psychological aspects of the learning process and classroom learning behaviours. Chapter Three establishes a view of needs analysis and course design which takes the learner's perception of her needs as a starting point. This view is opposed to the needs analysis associated with Munby 's work (1978). It proceeds from the concept of 'need' and is built upon the ideas emerging from the process- oriented movement. It emphasises the centrality of the learner’s role in the needs analysis and course design procedures. Chapter Four represents a case study conducted at Dublin City University (D.C.U.). The study arose from a concern about how adult learners envisaged their needs and, thus, the extent to which they could act as informants regarding the content of the language course and the teaching-learning methodology. It was inspired by a belief that EAP learners are not necessarily instrumentally motivated and, therefore, their needs cannot be met by a course which proceeds from a target-situation needs analysis. In addition to supporting our assumption, the study has provided some insights into the nature of learner needs and learning styles and perceptions of teacher-learner role. Chapter Five aims at highlighting some of the subskills and strategies involved in each of the four skills with reference to specialized needs. It provides suggestions for selecting learning materials and some teaching implications. The final chapter discusses some conclusions about the implications which this research provides for ESP instruction and course design

Effects of Mismatched Math Self-Efficacy and Performance on Behaviors and Attitudes of Engineering Students with Poor Math Preparation

This research is a sequential explanatory mixed methods study seeking to understand the influences of mathematics self-efficacy (math SE) on the behavior and attitudes of engineering students with poor math preparation behavior and attitudes in their first college math courses. The quantitative phase of this research assessed the math SE of engineering students placed in non-college-level math courses at Clemson University. A total of 408 students completed a survey to classify their math SE level; based on the results of the quantitative data analysis, 11 engineering students were selected from different semesters between the Spring 2014 and Spring 2016 to be interviewed during the qualitative phase of this research. Following a constructivist grounded theory approach for the qualitative data analysis, each of the eleven students’ interviews was coded and analyzed before conducting the interview whit the next participant. Findings of the grounded theory were compared and analyzed together with the quantitative results during the final mixing phase. This mixed analysis determined that these students’ choice of behaviors and attitudes in college math courses depended on their math SE beliefs and how these beliefs aligned with their mathematics competence/knowledge. All interviewed students reported a relatively high math SE ranging from 6.2 to 9 (out of 10), but further analysis of their performance in their college math courses revealed differences in students’ descriptions of their math SE beliefs and their math competence/knowledge levels. This mismatch between students’ math SE and competence/knowledge affected students’ behaviors and attitudes in college math courses. Students with math SE beliefs matched to their math competence/knowledge reported to be more likely to spend extra time working to overcome their math deficiencies, and to seek extra help to address their doubts. However, students with math SE beliefs higher than their math competence/knowledge reported to be more likely to procrastinate and put poor effort into improving their math abilities, blaming external factors for their struggles in college math courses. On the other hand, students with math SE beliefs that were slightly lower than their math competence/knowledge reported to be more likely to spend extra time working on math related activities and to take their struggles learning math as opportunities to improve their math abilities. Despite showing different behaviors and attitudes in math courses, these engineering students were confident that their math competence/knowledge would help them to complete all the math courses required by their majors. These students stated that they were likely to persist in engineering even if they face struggles in their math courses in the future due to their high math SE beliefs performing math in general

Challenges for engineering students working with authentic complex problems

Engineers are important participants in solving societal, environmental and technical problems. However, due to an increasing complexity in relation to these problems new interdisciplinary competences are needed in engineering. Instead of students working with monodisciplinary problems, a situation where students work with authentic complex problems in interdisciplinary teams together with a company may scaffold development of new competences. The question is: What are the challenges for students structuring the work on authentic interdisciplinary problems? This study explores a three-day event where 7 students from Aalborg University (AAU) from four different faculties and one student from University College North Denmark (UCN), (6th-10th semester), worked in two groups at a large Danish company, solving authentic complex problems. The event was structured as a Hackathon where the students for three days worked with problem identification, problem analysis and finalizing with a pitch competition presenting their findings. During the event the students had workshops to support the work and they had the opportunity to use employees from the company as facilitators. It was an extracurricular activity during the summer holiday season. The methodology used for data collection was qualitative both in terms of observations and participants’ reflection reports. The students were observed during the whole event. Findings from this part of a larger study indicated, that students experience inability to transfer and transform project competences from their previous disciplinary experiences to an interdisciplinary setting

Exploring the practical use of a collaborative robot for academic purposes

This article presents a set of experiences related to the setup and exploration of potential educational uses of a collaborative robot (cobot). The basic principles that have guided the work carried out have been three. First and foremost, study of all the functionalities offered by the robot and exploration of its potential academic uses both in subjects focused on industrial robotics and in subjects of related disciplines (automation, communications, computer vision). Second, achieve the total integration of the cobot at the laboratory, seeking not only independent uses of it but also seeking for applications (laboratory practices) in which the cobot interacts with some of the other devices already existing at the laboratory (other industrial robots and a flexible manufacturing system). Third, reuse of some available components and minimization of the number and associated cost of required new components. The experiences, carried out following a project-based learning methodology under the framework of bachelor and master subjects and thesis, have focused on the integration of mechanical, electronic and programming aspects in new design solutions (end effector, cooperative workspace, artificial vision system integration) and case studies (advanced task programming, cybersecure communication, remote access). These experiences have consolidated the students' acquisition of skills in the transition to professional life by having the close collaboration of the university faculty with the experts of the robotics company.Postprint (published version

Ethics and Engineering Education

A presentation made at a Workshop on Philosophy and Engineering, Technical University of Delft, October 2007. A much shorter version of this paper has been submitted for consideration in the EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION 2008 Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs (SEFI); EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATIONABET recommends the study of ethics so that students acquire “an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility”. For the most part, teaching of the subject relies upon the use of scenarios - both hypothetical and “real”- and open discussion framed by the codes. These scenarios and this framing strike me as seriously deficient - lacking in their attention to the complexities of context, almost solely focused on individual agency, while reflecting too narrow and simplistic a view of the responsibilities of the practicing engineer. A critique of several exemplary scenarios, and consideration of the demands placed upon today’s professional, prompt reflection on the need for, not just a more expansive reading of the codes of ethics re what it might mean to be “responsible”, but a substantial reform of undergraduate engineering education across the board