Negotiating disciplinary boundaries in engineering problem-solving practice

Includes bibliographical referencesThe impetus for this research is the well-documented current inability of Higher Education to facilitate the level of problem solving required in 21st century engineering practice. The research contends that there is insufficient understanding of the nature of and relationship between the significantly different forms of disciplinary knowledge underpinning engineering practice. Situated in the Sociology of Education, and drawing on the social realist concepts of knowledge structures (Bernstein, 2000) and epistemic relations (Maton, 2014), the research maps the topology of engineering problem-solving practice in order to illuminate how novice problem solvers engage in epistemic code shifting in different industrial contexts. The aim in mapping problem-solving practices from an epistemological perspective is to make an empirical contribution to rethinking the theory/practice relationship in multidisciplinary engineering curricula and pedagogy, particularly at the level of technician. A novel and pragmatic problem-solving model - integrated from a range of disciplines - forms the organising framework for a methodologically pluralist case-study approach. The research design draws on a metaphor from the empirical site (modular automation systems) and sees the analysis of twelve matched cases in three categories. Case-study data consist of questionnaire texts, re-enactment interviews, expert verification interviews, and industry literature. The problem-solving model components (problem solver, problem environment, problem structure and problem-solving process) were analysed using, primarily, the Legitimation Code Theory concept of epistemic relations. This is a Cartesian plane-based instrument describing the nature of and relations between a phenomenon (what) and ways of approaching the phenomenon (how). Data analyses are presented as graphical relational maps of different practitioner knowledge practices in different contexts across three problem solving stages: approach, analysis and synthesis. Key findings demonstrate a symbiotic, structuring relationship between the 'what' and the 'how' of the problem in relation to the problem-solving components. Successful problem solving relies on the recognition of these relationships and the realisation of appropriate practice code conventions, as held to be legitimate both epistemologically and contextually. Successful practitioners engage in explicit code-shifting, generally drawing on a priori physics and mathematics-based knowledge, while acquiring a posteriori context-specific logic-based knowledge. High-achieving practitioners across these disciplinary domains demonstrate iterative code-shifting practices and discursive sensitivity. Recommendations for engineering education include the valuing of disciplinary differences and the acknowledgement of contextual complexity. It is suggested that the nature of engineering mathematics as currently taught and the role of mathematical thinking in enabling successful engineering problem-solving practice be investigated

Autonomous use of a computer algebra system for learning linear algebra

A Computer Algebra System (CAS) can be defined as mathematical software with numerical, graphic and symbolic capacities. Many studies have addressed the teaching of mathematics in a CAS environment. This paper describes a teaching experience carried out in a linear algebra course, for engineering students, with methodologies adapted to the European Higher Education Area. Generic competences such as self-learning, team work or use of technology have been enhanced through autonomous work of students, who had worked in small groups (2-3 students) using a CAS for solving proposal exercises. The experience was completed with a competition which was announced and promoted between the students with the best grades. They developed a project related to a real problem in science or engineering, where orthogonal transformations are used for modelling and solving the problem. A brief summary of the winner project is included in the paper. The experiment proves that technology provides the students with material for enhancing the apprenticeship and improving the motivation

CREATIVE DRAMA AND EXAMPLE OF ACTIVITY PLAN IN STEM

What our century requires is an individual, who can recognize and solve a problem, think in a critical manner, are productive, responsible, and open to innovation, and are capable of cooperating with others. The requirements of our era are also reflected on education. Education systems change and improve accordingly; thereby new education systems are discussed. One of these education systems is STEM, which is an acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM is an educational approach, which integrates education with the application opportunities provided by technology and engineering that are based on the fields of science and mathematics and which includes all stages of education from pre-school to higher education. In this study, creative drama method and its applicability on STEM education process have been discussed. Problem solving, creating a problem, approaching a problem from different perspectives, and mathematical thinking skills, all of which are among the objectives of STEM, correspond to the acquisitions of creative drama. Considering this, it can be argued that creative drama, which is an interdisciplinary work, is an effective teaching method enriching the learning environment for STEM that is an integrated learning. A creative drama activity plan that can be improved by being used in STEM applications has been presented in the appendix.  Article visualizations

The evaluation of ignation pedadogical paradigm framework to engineering ethics education

Teaching and learning in higher education has gone through a series of transformation in recent decades. Engineering education is one area that would be crucial to undergo such transformation due to the complex nature of engineering application in industries today. The problem facing engineering graduates is the ability to competently solve real world problems using the knowledge learnt during their tertiary education. The learning approach towards problem solving and critical thinking weren’t sufficiently developed throughout the curriculum. One of the theories of learning that was considered was coined by Piaget, cognitive constructivism theory which uses cognitive tools and in collaboration with the environment learners are exposed to. By incorporating such student-centered learning with group learning would improve the students’ achievement in the learning outcome and increase the learning efficacy. This paper describes the application of Ignation Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) being applied as a model framework in the teaching of one of the courses offered in Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, i.e. Professional Practice towards strengthening their competencies. By applying a structured formative assessment centered learning environment, the instructor would be able to provide a more holistic learning experience to the students using the cognitive constructivism theory of learning. The results show that the proposed IPP framework is able to complement affectively with the learning theories for engineering education achieving the course outcomes and students would be able to improve their competency in solving complex problem

A Course Sequence For Integrating Problem Solving And Critical Thinking In A Hybrid Outcome Based Is/It Curriculum

In this paper we propose a curriculum for the information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) fields that follows the ABET criteria and the IS 2002 recommendations. The proposed curriculum is driven by two sets of learning outcomes: the university learning outcomes, which are a set of higher level outcomes and the college learning outcomes which are embedded in all core courses. A course sequence was developed to facilitate student learning of problem solving and programming concepts. The sequence includes courses in problem solving, algorithm design and development, solution modeling and coding. VB.Net, a visual programming environment, was the language of choice to introduce object oriented programming. The master course syllabi for the sequence provide clear details about learning outcomes covered in that course as well as the piece of evidence for that outcome. The master course syllabi with clearly defined learning outcomes can help instructors focus their lessons. The proposed course sequence can help students learn problem solving concepts naturally and facilitate the programming learning process. It is anticipated that such a curriculum will reduce students\u27 fear of programming and renew their interest in the computing field in general as well as the IS/IT field in particular. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008

Flipped Learning in Engineering Education

Flipped learning is a developing concept in higher education and a new methodology ready for exploration. It is a new educational strategy that changes the traditional lecturing by flipping the classroom in the sense of listening the lectures at home and doing dynamic, group-based problem-solving activities in the classroom. This will engage the students in active learning, critical thinking and developing new studying skills. This paper will address the current state of knowledge and practice in the flipped learning approach in engineering education by critically evaluating the existing researches and summarizing the findings. The search for empirical articles included electronic databases for engineering education in the Web of Science. Most studies reported high student satisfaction and increased performance in a flipped classroom environment. This paper will also serve as a guide for future studies and reflect the major achievements of flipped learning models over the traditional lecture-exercises model in engineering education to support and advance the student learning process

A Preliminary Evaluation of Using LITEE Multimedia Instructional Materials in a Non-Traditional Graduate Information Technology Course

Instructors place an emphasis on preparing students to graduate from college with good decision-making skills needed to be qualified managers. This is done for the purpose of enhancing students’ performance in a real-world work environment. Researchers state that to prepare students to be successful as they go on to enter the work force, it is critical to provide them an education that encompasses higher-order cognitive skills, such as reasoning, problem identification, criteria specification, information search, integrating, interrelating, and problem solving. However, communicating information technology (IT) concepts at the graduate level can be a difficult and challenging task. This is especially true when instructors are faced with a heterogeneous class made of non-traditional students with varied backgrounds in IT. The Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education (LITEE) attempts to address these issues by developing and disseminating award-winning, innovative multimedia instructional materials that bring real-world issues into classrooms. This paper conducts a preliminary evaluation on the use of LITEE multimedia instructional materials in a graduate level IT course at a non-traditional institution. The results of this evaluation should help researchers and educators to assess the potential of LITEE multimedia instructional material in facilitating the utilization of higher-order cognitive skills

An explorative study of generic skills assessment within an active learning environment in Malaysian engineering education

Teaching approaches in Higher Education are changing to meet the needs of 21st century employers. This is particularly the case in the field of Engineering Education (EE). Instead of teaching students with fundamental theories and ideas, active learning has been introduced as an alternative and integrated way of learning and teaching generic skills. Generic skills are equally important as academic knowledge and technical competencies achievement for students to possess as an outcome from Higher Education (HE). Graduates’ generic skills are critical within contemporary society as employers require flexibility, creativity, initiative and multi-tasking. Generic skills include problem-solving, verbal/oral communication and team working. The assessment of generic skills is crucial in defining and articulating such skills.The reliability and consistency of any grading system used to evaluate students’ generic skills are the main issues in active learning, since the assessment is subjective and largely immeasurable. Within this context of study, constructivism influenced interpretivism underpins the researcher paradigm in conducting the research. This research adopted a multiple case study approach which is qualitative in nature, to generate an emergent theory. A combination of course documents and semi-structured interviews were utilised and focused within two case study organisations located in Malaysia. Data collection involving 14 academic staff, 16students and ten employers was analysed systematically by searching and rearranging the themes emerging from the interview transcripts using the NVIVO software. The study involved carrying out empirical data collection processes in the selected institutes/universities particularly in the Engineering discipline (Mechatronics Engineering and Bio-Medical Electronics Engineering), which facilitated the process of generic skills assessment through different active learning approaches (Problem-Based Learning – PBL and Work-Based Learning – WBL).The research contributes to the knowledge and practice of generic skills assessment within the active learning environment in the engineering discipline. From a theoretical perspective,it extends the theories of Constructive Alignment with Consensus Theory in Employability to improve the assessment of students’ generic skills. Consequently, Higher Education Institutions/Universities and the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education would be able to use the findings of this research to bring about assessment or curriculum change to help their students develop better skills as demanded by employers

Effective integration of computational tools into Chemical Engineering studies at an international level

Current Higher Education students have grown up in a society characterized by the massive use of information technologies, which affects the way they expect to acquire new knowledge. In Chemical Engineering studies, in particular, traditional problem solving methods tend to bore students and, as a result, do not yield efficient learning. Fortunately, there exists a large list of software packages with specific Engineering application which, if properly used, may help create a better learning environment. Under the above premise, a project is being conducted, between 4 Higher Education institutions from 3 different countries (Spain, Portugal and Romania), on the effect that the integration of computational tools may exert on the students’ knowledge acquisition and predisposition to learn. We also aim to establish a comparative evaluation of the advantages and drawbacks of different computer software when facing typical Chemical Engineering problems. From our survey results and students’ comments we conclude that, in general, the new methodological approach engaged their interest more than the traditional one, and helped them gain knowledge on the working principles of simulations. Moreover, the use of computer software in the classroom is acknowledged by the great majority of the students as a key skill which may improve their employability prospects. M. García-Morales, coordinator of the project “La enseñanza de la Ingeniería Química en el Tercer Milenio: integración efectiva de herramientas computacionales” belonging to XXI Convocatoria de Proyectos de Innovación Docente, acknowledges Vicerrectorado de Innovación y Empleabilidad de la Universidad de Huelva for its financial support.Roman, C.; Delgado, MA.; Lemos, F.; Lemos, MA.; Ramirez, J.; Danila, A.; Garcia-Morales, M. (2020). Effective integration of computational tools into Chemical Engineering studies at an international level. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):265-273. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11031OCS26527330-05-202

Stimulating Lecturers’ Innovative Behaviour in Malaysian Polytechnics

Technical and vocational education that has been laid out approximately a century ago provides an important route for secondary school leavers to gain access to post-secondary technical and vocational educational and training and be successfully employed. Polytechnics of Ministry of Higher Education were established to produce semi-skilled employees to fulfil the needs of public and private sectors in the field of commerce, engineering and hospitality. However, a majority of graduates from polytechnics do not join the work force straight away but instead further their studies first to seek their bachelor degrees from universities and colleges before entering the work force. In the effort to improve the employability skills of graduates of Polytechnics, the Annual Report of Tracer Study 2007 proposes an action plan that comprises strengthens problem solving skills and enhances creativity through innovative teaching. The action plan also suggests for the strengthening of student oriented learning approaches through interactive learning practices in e-learning environment, increase group learning activities and improve the lecturers’ skills in the aspect of outcome-based learning