STRATHcube : The design of a student CubeSat using concurrent engineering methods

With the role of concurrent engineering (CE) becoming more important to the success of companies, it is vital that engineering students are able to understand and apply this concept. In this regard, the University of Strathclyde regularly offers its students opportunities to learn about this process through practical-based CE workshops. The results from a student-based CE study of a CubeSat are therefore outlined, including the effectiveness of the session as a learning experience for students. Through collaboration and teamwork, the student team produced a feasible design concept which achieved most of the prespecified objectives. Additionally, it was determined that the learning outcomes of the study were widely met, despite it taking place virtually due to COVID-19

Engaging African Engineering Students With Problem-Based Learning By Using The Disassembly– Assembly Technique

Published ArticleProblem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. These three aspects are core to disassembly–assembly techniques used in higher education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning within a laboratory environment. The purpose of this article is to describe a disassembly–assembly technique used in a compulsory engineering module and identify how many African engineering students can successfully create a problem (disassemble a two-stroke motor) and then correctly solve the problem (assemble the two-stroke motor back to a working condition). A longitudinal study involving quantitative data is used with descriptive statistics. Results indicate, that on average, 85.5% of African engineering students can successfully engage with the disassembly–assembly technique. A possible recommendation is to encourage more academics to make use of the disassembly-assembly technique with regard to engineering systems, equipment or machinery

Engaging African engineering students with problem-based learning by using the disassembly–assembly technique

Published ArticleProblem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. These three aspects are core to disassembly–assembly techniques used in higher education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning within a laboratory environment. The purpose of this article is to describe a disassembly–assembly technique used in a compulsory engineering module and identify how many African engineering students can successfully create a problem (disassemble a two-stroke motor) and then correctly solve the problem (assemble the two-stroke motor back to a working condition). A longitudinal study involving quantitative data is used with descriptive statistics. Results indicate, that on average, 85.5% of African engineering students can successfully engage with the disassembly–assembly technique. A possible recommendation is to encourage more academics to make use of the disassembly-assembly technique with regard to engineering systems, equipment or machinery

The relationship between demographics and the academic achievement of engineering students

[EN] The changing structure of student populations or cohorts over decades’ produces changing academic achievements or results. This may be due to a number of factors, including the school education system, the political system and the sociocultural system. The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between student demographics and the academic achievement of undergraduate engineering students over a 15-year period. A longitudinal descriptive study is used to determine the relationships between specific variables that existed between 1998 and 2013. These variables include gender, age and home languages of students that are contrasted to their final grade in a compulsory Design Projects module. Students need to obtain more than 50% to successfully complete this module, with the results indicating greater success for students with an Afrikaans or IsiZulu mother tongue than compared to students with a Sesotho, Setswana or Xhosa mother tongue. Younger students, less than 21 years of age, have a higher pass rate than older students who are more than 24 years of age. Finally, males outnumber females by more than 3:1. However, their final overall pass rates differ by only 3%, suggesting that both genders performed equally well in the Design Projects module. A key recommendation is to provide additional academic support to older students who may be struggling to synthesize knowledge and skills from a wide number of modulesLuwes, N.; Swart, J. (2017). The relationship between demographics and the academic achievement of engineering students. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 347-355. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.5206OCS34735

Promoting Continuous Professional Development Among Academics from A Vocational College by Using A Practical Workshop Based on Arduino Technology

ArticleThe internet of things has resulted in the design and development of many electronic sensors that need to be integrated with various technologies. Engineering academics need ongoing training relating to this integration as they need to subsequently teach their students. This relates to continuous professional development. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how engineering academics from a vocational college have been able to engage with the theory and practice of sensor integration with Arduino technology, thereby strengthening or reconstructing their conceptual knowledge of these electronic components. A case study is used where experts in electrical engineering designed and facilitated an academic development workshop (2 days in duration) to address a need for continuous professional development. Eighteen academics from a local vocational college attended this workshop where the first goal was to determine their conceptual knowledge of 10 electronic components using an electronic responsive system (pre-test). The second goal was to facilitate a “hands-on” laboratory session where academics had to physically integrate various sensors with an Arduino microcontroller. A post-test online questionnaire was then used to determine their conceptual knowledge again, in order to ascertain the impact of the workshop. Results indicate that their conceptual knowledge was reconstructed with regard to the purpose and use of capacitors, Zener diodes, transformers, ultrasonic sensors, reed switches and passive infrared receivers. A problematic question arose relating to photocells in the first workshop that was held in 2017, which was resolved by the facilitators prior to offering a second workshop in 2018. Positive feedback was received from the participants regarding the relevance and presentation of the workshops. The novelty of this work relates to the design of a practical workshop where all participants are engaged to either strengthen, or reconstruct, their conceptual knowledge regarding electronic components that may be integrated with Arduino technology

Mature-aged men’s experiences of higher education: Australia and England compared. [SRHE Research Scoping Study Award: Final Report February 2016]

This study is intended to improve our understanding of the challenges facing mature-age male undergraduates as they adapt to university study with a view to reducing attrition. On commencement, we identified three specific program goals: to review the literature on mature-age students with a particular focus on men, to develop a more robust understanding mature-age men’s experience of transition through university and their adaptation to university study, to develop a series of research questions, which are informed by a new model of transition and which will be used as the foundation for further study

METODOLOGIAS PARA O ENSINO DE ENGENHARIA NO CONTEXTO DA EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA: ESTADO DA ARTE

Este estudo analisa as concepções metodológicas apresentadas em propostas de ensino em cursos de engenharia na modalidade de educação a distância. Para tal, realizou-se uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura, acrescida de uma busca dirigida ao tema. Sob o método de análise descritiva, os artigos selecionados apontaram como principal tendência as metodologias ativas. Essa abordagem direciona o foco do ensino para a aprendizagem do estudante, colocando-o numa posição mais ativa e autônoma em relação a própria aprendizagem. Pode-se concluir que ao estruturar uma proposta de ensino para um curso de engenharia na modalidade de educação a distância, é importante a caracterização dos sujeitos envolvidos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, assim como a principal teoria de aprendizagem que suportará o processo

METODOLOGIAS PARA O ENSINO DE ENGENHARIA NO CONTEXTO DA EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA: ESTADO DA ARTE

Este estudo analisa as concepções metodológicas apresentadas em propostas de ensino em cursos de engenharia na modalidade de educação a distância. Para tal, realizou-se uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura, acrescida de uma busca dirigida ao tema. Sob o método de análise descritiva, os artigos selecionados apontaram como principal tendência as metodologias ativas. Essa abordagem direciona o foco do ensino para a aprendizagem do estudante, colocando-o numa posição mais ativa e autônoma em relação a própria aprendizagem. Pode-se concluir que ao estruturar uma proposta de ensino para um curso de engenharia na modalidade de educação a distância, é importante a caracterização dos sujeitos envolvidos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, assim como a principal teoria de aprendizagem que suportará o processo

Diverse perspectives on interdisciplinarity from the Members of the College of the Royal Society of Canada

Various multiple-disciplinary terms and concepts (although most commonly “interdisciplinarity”, which is used herein) are used to frame education, scholarship, research, and interactions within and outside academia. In principle, the premise of interdisciplinarity may appear to have many strengths; yet, the extent to which interdisciplinarity is embraced by the current generation of academics, the benefits and risks for doing so, and the barriers and facilitators to achieving interdisciplinarity represent inherent challenges. Much has been written on the topic of interdisciplinarity, but to our knowledge there have been few attempts to consider and present diverse perspectives from scholars, artists, and scientists in a cohesive manner. As a team of 57 members from the Canadian College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (the College) who self-identify as being engaged or interested in interdisciplinarity, we provide diverse intellectual, cultural, and social perspectives. The goal of this paper is to share our collective wisdom on this topic with the broader community and to stimulate discourse and debate on the merits and challenges associated with interdisciplinarity. Perhaps the clearest message emerging from this exercise is that working across established boundaries of scholarly communities is rewarding, necessary, and is more likely to result in impact. However, there are barriers that limit the ease with which this can occur (e.g., lack of institutional structures and funding to facilitate cross-disciplinary exploration). Occasionally, there can be significant risk associated with doing interdisciplinary work (e.g., lack of adequate measurement or recognition of work by disciplinary peers). Solving many of the world’s complex and pressing problems (e.g., climate change, sustainable agriculture, the burden of chronic disease, and aging populations) demand thinking and working across long-standing, but in some ways restrictive, academic boundaries. Academic institutions and key support structures, especially funding bodies, will play an important role in helping to realize what is readily apparent to all who contributed to this paper—that interdisciplinarity is essential for solving complex problems; it is the new norm. Failure to empower and encourage those doing this research will serve as a great impediment to training, knowledge, and addressing societal issues

Diverse perspectives on interdisciplinarity from Members of the College of the Royal Society of Canada

Various multiple-disciplinary terms and concepts (although most commonly interdisciplinarity, which is used herein) are used to frame education, scholarship, research, and interactions within and outside academia. In principle, the premise of interdisciplinarity may appear to have many strengths; yet, the extent to which interdisciplinarity is embraced by the current generation of academics, the benefits and risks for doing so, and the barriers and facilitators to achieving interdisciplinarity, represent inherent challenges. Much has been written on the topic of interdisciplinarity, but to our knowledge there have been few attempts to consider and present diverse perspectives from scholars, artists, and scientists in a cohesive manner. As a team of 57 members from the Canadian College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (the College) who self-identify as being engaged or interested in interdisciplinarity, we provide diverse intellectual, cultural, and social perspectives. The goal of this paper is to share our collective wisdom on this topic with the broader community and to stimulate discourse and debate on the merits and challenges associated with interdisciplinarity. Perhaps the clearest message emerging from this exercise is that working across established boundaries of scholarly communities is rewarding, necessary, and is more likely to result in impact. However, there are barriers that limit the ease with which this can occur (e.g., lack of institutional structures and funding to facilitate cross-disciplinary exploration). Occasionally, there can be significant risk associated with doing interdisciplinary work (e.g., lack of adequate measurement or recognition of work by disciplinary peers). Solving many of the world\u27s complex and pressing problems (e.g., climate change, sustainable agriculture, the burden of chronic disease, and aging populations) demands thinking and working across long-standing, but in some ways restrictive, academic boundaries. Academic institutions and key support structures, especially funding bodies, will play an important role in helping to realize what is readily apparent to all who contributed to this paper-that interdisciplinarity is essential for solving complex problems; it is the new norm. Failure to empower and encourage those doing this research will serve as a great impediment to training, knowledge, and addressing societal issues