Project-based learning framework for non-technical skills

Non-technical skills are becoming crucial requirements for engineering graduates to be hired by companies or industries. Unfortunately, employers nowadays are expressing their dissatisfaction on the level of non-technical skills among engineers. A preliminary study conducted by the researcher found out that electrical engineers are not equipped with proficient non-technical skills. An appropriate teaching method need to be introduced as an effort to develop nontechnical skills effectively. The main purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) in developing the non-technical skills among electrical engineering students. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this study namely questionnaires, interviews and observations. The respondents consisted of the first year electrical engineering students from three universities in Malaysia, and the lecturers who are using PjBL, semi-PjBL and non- PjBL for teaching and learning. The findings of this research display that PjBL is an effective teaching method that is able to develop communication skills, problem solving skills, teamwork skills, lifelong learning skills and ethics among electrical engineering students compared to semi-PjBL and non-PjBL. PjBL also enables students to experience the real practice of engineers through the real world experience provided to them. Based on observations and interviews, a new framework of PjBL was constructed in order to develop the non-technical skills of engineering students effectively. Therefore, it is recommended for engineering education programmes to implement PjBL in their curriculum as an effort to develop the engineering students’ skills and to produce better engineering graduates, who are equipped with both technical and non-technical skills

Institutional Differences in the Education of Engineering and Computing Students About Ethics and Societal Impacts

This study explored the extent to which faculty report teaching engineering and computing students about ethics and societal impacts (ESI) in courses and via co-curricular activities. The research questions were to determine if there were differences in the topics, teaching methods, assessment methods, and satisfaction with ESI instruction between faculty from religiously-affiliated (RA) and non-religiously affiliated (NRA) institutions. A national survey was conducted, with about 1400 responses. This included 122 faculty from 60 RA institutions (across 17 denominations/faiths). Chi-square tests evaluated statistically significant differences (

A Framework to Develop Lifelong Learning and Transferable Skills in an Engineering Programme

Engineering programmes have a strong reputation in the delivery of technical knowledge and skills. Graduates need equally high levels of competence in personal and professional skills to not only meet the existing requirements of employers and professional bodies but to also help them manage the inevitable changes that society is facing in an increasingly populated world. The need to move from traditional to student-centred learning is discussed in the context of engineering education. The use of group-based, problem driven learning facilitates high integration of technical and non-technical knowledge and skills and requires more engagement with the programme from today’s student. Personal skills should be developed from a low base in a progressive, structured manner over the entire programme. A framework is presented to help those in curriculum design to develop learning, teaching and assessment methods that are in alignment with the delivery of all the intended learning outcomes in an accredited engineering programme. Through the use of group-based pedagogies, the student is required to develop a basic understanding of group collaboration skills and self-directed learning in the first year. As these are enhanced in the subsequent years, increasing attention is paid to other personal knowledge and skills such as critical thinking, creativity and awareness of ethics. High levels of direction from the tutor fade over time as the students become more competent at managing learning

Engineering and Technology for the Better Good of Society, PIT-OER

Understanding the importance of New America\u27s commitment to strengthening the outcomes of non-profits and the public sector. We at QCC\u27s Engineering Technology (ET) Department are dedicated to contributing to the nationwide efforts underway by Universities to establish Public-Interest-in-Technology curriculums. Technology impacts our every day lives like never before and it is time to augment the technologists\u27 and engineers\u27 education with curriculum components to enhance their ability to serve the good of society by: Teaching students to leverage 3D printing, Open Source Coding, Project Management and Engineering Ethics for the good of society. Exposing ET students to put into practice the design tenant of public good as a top priority along with their design priorities. Understanding the benefits of working in a public sector with meaningful class exercises. Creating measured outcomes of assessment, exercises, laboratories, and field visits. Using practical rules and processors of engaging and collaborating with local community and municipalities, relevant to the technology course topics

Teaching ethics to engineering undergraduates - lessons learned and a guide for lecturers: perspective from an English University

The issue of ethics within engineering profession has been gaining more and more importance due to globalisation, increasing awareness of sustainability and the fast changing business culture within engineering organisations. As a direct result of such factors the accrediting bodies such as the IMechE and the ABET are very vocal about explicit ethics content in relevant undergraduate engineering programmes. However it is a very challenging exercise to deliver the topic in an effective way due to a number of reasons. First and foremost is the general reluctance of today’s lecturers who themselves were not taught such topics and hence the vast majority are not very keen to consider such ‘softer’ topics very seriously. It is also difficult to accommodate the contents within the engineering curriculum which is already filled with various technical subjects. At the same time, a significant proportion of students find it difficult to relate ethics to real life working environment due to inexperience and hence would consider ‘ethics’ to be ‘not so rigorous’ a subject resulting in poor engagement. The present paper discusses the complete journey of how engineering ethics has been incorporated into an accredited BEng programme in Mechanical engineering. The three steps in course design i.e., breadth and depth of content, detailed planning for effective delivery and assessment and feedback – are all critically discussed by reference to available literature. The author also provides more than one pathway such that the experience may prove useful to the wider communit

Developing the Curriculum for Collaborative Intellectual Property Education

Intellectual property education, i.e. how intellectual property should be taught or more importantly how intellectual property is learnt, is a recent addition to the academic 'intellectual property' agenda. The regulation, acquisition and management of intellectual property rights presents economic, ethical, social and policy challenges across the international academic and business communities. Intellectual property is also the starting point of interesting academic cross-disciplinary collaborations in learning and teaching and in research. It will probably always be primarily a law subject taught by lawyers to law students hoping to practice. At the same time there is a growing array of disciplines demanding an awareness of and a competence in handling intellectual property concepts and regulations. At Bournemouth, we have been teaching IP across the disciplines for more than a decade. Recently, the Higher Education Academy subject centres in Law and in Engineering jointly funded a project to research 'IP for Engineers'. WIPO has begun addressing IP Education in earnest. At an international symposium in July 2005, papers addressed different aspects of IP Education, including Collaboration between Law Faculties and other disciplines. In November 2005, they jointly sponsored a National Conference in China to consider IP Education from primary school thru postgraduate research. IP education beyond the law school raises interesting questions for anyone contemplating teaching this complex law subject to non-lawyers. What constitutes the IP syllabus? Who should be teaching IP? When should it be taught? How should it be taught? What resources should be available? This paper begins to explore some of the answers

“Pilot implementation of an interdisciplinary course on climate solutions”

A pilot implementation of an experimental interdisciplinary course on climate solutions was undertaken at San Jose´ State University in the fall semester of 2008. The course, co-taught by seven faculty members from six colleges, was approved for a general education requirement and was open to upperclass students campus-wide. A course with such a breadth of topics and range of student backgrounds was the first of its kind here. The lessons learned from the pilot effort were assessed from student, faculty, and administrative perspectives. The educational benefits to students from the interdisciplinary format were found to be substantial, in addition to faculty development. However, challenges associated with team-teaching were also encountered and must be overcome for the long-term viability of the course. The experimental course was approved as a permanent course starting in the fall semester of 2009 based on the pilot effort, and plays a role in the College of Engineering’s recent initiatives in sustainability in addition to campus-wide general educatio

Optimization of ceramic waste filter for bathroom greywater treatment using central composite design (CCD)

The present study aims to develop a filtration system consisting of ceramic wastes as a treatment process of bathroom greywater to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD), Total suspended solids (TSS), Total nitrogen (TN), and turbidity. Optimization of the reduction efficiency was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) as a function of the ceramic practical sizes (0.25–1.18 mm) and hydraulic retention time HRT (1–3 h). The functional groups on the surface of the ceramic filter media were determined using Fourier transform irradiation (FTIR), while the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to determine the microstructure and the surface morphology of the ceramic particles. Results revealed that the optimal reduction of COD, TSS, TN, and turbidity was influenced by active sites of the filter media (C]C, C]O, CeOeH, and OH−) and was achieved under the operating conditions of 0.25 mm of ceramic particles after 3 h of HRT, the observed and predicted reduction for COD, TSS, TN, and Turbidity were 38.8 vs. 39.8%; 58.47 vs. 59.59%; 66.66 vs. 67.32%; 88.31 vs. 89.02%, respectively. It can be concluded that the effectiveness of the ceramic filter media is a potential source for the filtration of bathroom greywater

A Framework for teaching Ethics to ICS Students and Practitioners using Open Educational Resources

This project has exploited findings of a pilot study funded by The Open University's (OU) CETL known as COLMSCT (Centre for Open Learning of Maths, Science, Computing and Technology – http://open.ac.uk/colmsct) and carried out under the auspices of OpenLearn (http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn), the OU's open content initiative. The project has used the experience gained in that study to create a multimedia self-study course introducing ethics in ICS to advanced students and practitioners. The course has been made openly and freely available as an OpenLearn unit that can be studied, re-used and re-purposed by the wider community involved in the area