Problem Based Learning and its use on the Automotive Engineering Design Course at Coventry University

The Automotive Engineering Design course at Coventry University has been in operation since October 1989 and has earned a reputation for creating able engineers well prepared for industry. When originally conceived, a problem led approach to learning was adopted across the course. This approach best enables the course objectives to be satisfied. However, there is nothing new about problem-based learning for engineering design educators but for our engineering science colleagues a degree of novelty has been encountered by this approach. But is the success of the course purely down to this teaching and learning approach? This paper will discuss the opportunities, benefits and limitations of the problem-led approach being extended across a whole course. The paper also will address how the use of industrially defined problems in engineering design projects has been critical to the development of the course. The paper will then attempt to identify the key factors that lie behind the success of the Automotive Engineering Design course. Finally, a set of best practice guidelines for engineering design education will be presented based upon my experiences as the Course Tutor and a teacher of engineering design on this course

Problem-based learning in facilities planning: a pilot implementation

In Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Problem Based Learning (PBL) is proposed as an alternative to lectures in moulding engineering graduates to acquire attributes that are required to excel in today’s k-economy. To investigate if PBL is viable for undergraduates in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, a pilot implementation of PBL in Facilities Planning, a subject required for final year Mechanical Engineering undergraduates with specialization in Industrial Engineering was executed. With 60 students in the class, the whole syllabus of the subject was covered using three main PBL problems. PBL was conducted with the help of industrial partners: a semiconductor company, and a furniture factory. The outcome of the implementation was highly encouraging. Students were able to illustrate good understanding of the content, while progressively exhibiting maturity in their generic skills, such as communication, team-working, self-directed learning and problem-solving. However, several aspects of the execution can be further improved

Engineering design project : series 2

This book is a compilation of engineering design projects which illustrates a detail explanation on the design process including all tools and methods involved in each design stage. The presented projects have been selected to prepare engineering students with the adequate knowledge and skills required in organizing product based project, formulating problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, preparing technical documentation and considering the sustainable and economic constraints for the product development and realization stage using the integration of various disciplines in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. This book is generally suitable as a reference to project-oriented problem-based learning (POPBL) activities at engineering institutions

Engineering design project : series 1

This book is a compilation of engineering design projects which illustrates a detail explanation on the design process including all tools and methods involved in each design stage. The presented projects have been selected to prepare engineering students with the adequate knowledge and skills required in organizing product based project, formulating problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, preparing technical documentation and considering the sustainable and economic constraints for the product development and realization stage using the integration of various disciplines in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. This book is generally suitable as a reference to project-oriented problem-based learning (POPBL) activities at engineering institutions

The Effects of a First Year Engineering Class Using the SCALE-Up Method on Student Retention and Subsequent Student Pass Rates

Due to the increased demand for engineers, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) created a new, first year engineering class using the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-Up) method to specifically address engineering student retention by encouraging student persistence and success throughout their academic career. Since UTA enjoys a very diverse student population with varying learning styles, socio-economic backgrounds, and prior knowledge and preparation, the SCALE-Up method was chosen due to its reliance on problem-based, active learning strategies, peer instruction through teamwork, and peer leaders within the classroom. After two and a half years of implementation of this class, known as ENGR 1300 – Engineering Problem Solving, this paper will explore the first year and second year engineering retention rates. This comparison will show that engineering retention rates have increased since ENGR 1300 was implemented. Further, this paper will show this increase occurs across multiple student type groups, provided that the student take ENGR 1300 in their first semester. Finally, to assess the positive effects of the new class, this paper will show that the pass rates of three subsequent mechanical engineering classes, Statics, Dynamics, and Strength of Materials, increased after ENGR 1300 was implemented.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Learning style preference and critical thinking perception among engineering students

Engineering education plays a vital role towards modernization of world. Therefore, engineering students need to be nurture with multiple skills like learning preferences and critical thinking skills. This study has been conducted to identify the learning style preferences and critical thinking perception of the engineering students from three programs electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and civil engineering at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Johor. Survey research design was applied in this study. The quantitative data was collected by two questionnaires Index of Learning Styles (ILS) that is based on Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model (FSLSM) and Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) questionnaire which consists of analysis, evaluation, induction and deduction in terms of problem solving and decision making. A total of 315 final year engineering students were participated in this study. Data was analyzed in descriptive and inferential statistics involving tests Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson Correlation and linear regression. The study discovered that engineering students are preferred to be visual learners (83.80%). Visual learning style denotes FSLSM input dimension and visual learners learn best by diagrams, charts, maps and graphical presentations. This study also found that engineering students possess critical thinking perception in all dimensions. However, there is no statistical significant difference of learning style found among engineering programs as “p” value found 0.357. Whereas, there is statistical significant critical thinking difference found among engineering programs as “p” value found 0.006. Lastly, findings revealed that there is no significant relationship found between learning styles and critical thinking skills. The study findings suggested that providing preferred learning style (visual learning style) in classroom will enhance students’ academic achievement and increase their cognitive level. This study might serve as a guideline for educators to facilitate learners to enhance their learning and thinking for better outcomes in academia as well as in workplace

A research agenda for design-based learning in engineering education

It is often argued that ‘design’ is an (perhaps the) essential characteristic of engineering practice; that, “Design requires unique knowledge, skills, and attitudes common to all engineering disciplines, and it is these attributes that distinguish engineering as a profession.” Hence, it is not surprising to see engineering design identified as a key element of engineering education. There are a range of pedagogical models described, badged with a range of names, that are suggested as approaches to teaching engineering design, for example: project-based learning, problem-based learning, design-based learning, conceive-design-implement-operate (CDIO), problem-oriented project-based learning, social design based learning and project-oriented, design-based learning. While significant literature on engineering design education generally exists, many authors note open questions regarding optimal pedagogical approaches, and opportunities for further evaluation and research. In this paper we draw on literature about design education and DBL in engineering education, and synthesise themes that present a potential research agenda for those educators involved in DBL in engineering education.A search of the research literature was conducted using terms related to DBL in engineering education, including ‘Engineering Design’, ‘Design Education’, ‘Engineering + Project Based Learning’, ‘Engineering + Problem Based Learning’ and ‘Engineering + Design Based Learning’. The literature thus collected was expanded by inspecting the lists of references in the initially identified literature set for further potentially relevant literature. This process was repeated until no further related literature was identified, and resulted in 124 items. All collected literature was carefully reviewed for explicitly identified suggestions for future research. The authors also considered the literature set as a whole to identify additional research possibilities implied by aspects of DBL practice commonly addressed weakly, or not at all, in the available published research. From the results of this review, a set of themes was synthesised by grouping related research recommendations and possibilities. In the following section the identified research themes are presented and, for each, a summary of the supporting literature is given and a central research question is formulated by the authors

A problem based / experiential learning approach to teaching maintenance engineering

Good maintenance practice lies at the heart of a manufacturing industry being able to retain its production capabilities and to ensure the integrity of increasingly complex systems. Consequences of system failure can exceed mere monetary penalties to include the well being of staff. From an engineering education perspective, rapid development in technology in parallel with the evolution of traditional engineering disciplines, necessitates the utilization of innovative ways to teach non-traditional or interdisciplinary topics like maintenance. Another challenge in this context, is the ability to allocate time and physical resources in ever more condensed engineering curricula whilst making the learning process engaging for students. This paper details a recent trial to teach a short undergraduate course on maintenance within a mechanical engineering degree where students also look at some safety considerations associated with maintenance practice. A combined Problem Based Learning/Experiential Learning approach applied to machine tool maintenance was adopted using resources readily available in most engineering schools