Do differences exist between how Engineering and non-Engineering lecturers perceive the importance of teaching competences?

A survey we conducted a few years ago concluded that higher education teachers should have the following competences: interpersonal, methodological, communicative, planning and management, teamwork and innovation. The authors of this work belong to the Institute in charge of the lecturer-training program at our university, which is basically a technical one. In order to improve our training program, we pose the following research questions: What are the competences that lecturers perceive as less important. Do our university teachers (engineering teachers) have a different perception of the importance of the different lecturer competences compared to that of other teachers? The results we present in this paper come from a survey that was sent to a total of 15,209 teachers belonging to public universities in our community, and we received a total of 2,347 valid answers. As a result of this study, we found which competences are those with a significantly bad rating by lecturers in general, and our lecturers in particular. We analyze what measures should be introduce into our teacher training program.Postprint (author's final draft

Power generation by using piezoelectric transducer with bending mechanism support

This paper presents about power generation by using piezoelectric transducer with bending mechanism support. In this study, bending mechanism is developed by employing 3D printer technology. This 3D model is used as a support for a piezoelectric transducer during deflection or bending process. During deflection condition, stress that applied on the piezoelectric transducer will generate electrical energy. The 3D model helps the piezoelectric transducer to produce more voltage output. A finger press test used as evaluation method for the voltage output of the piezoelectric transducer. The experiment is tested by varying three different 3D model with the different diameter for the middle hole for each of the model. A round shape of the piezoelectric transducer with size of 50 mm in diameter is used to conduct the experiment. Thus, when the piezoelectric transducer placed on the 3D model with 0 mm in diameter of middle hole will producing 5.4 V voltage output. However, 3D model with 30 mm diameter of middle hole, the output increases up to 19.0 V. The output voltage for piezoelectric transducer reached its highest voltage when placed on the 3D model with middle hole of 40 mm which is 34.4 V. This bending mechanism can be used to increase the output of piezoelectric transducer as it applied underneath footstep tile at crowded area to harvest the energy produced from walking activities. The power generated can be used to power up various electronic devices

INVESTIGATING CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACED BY POLYTECHNICS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Mustapha (2001) advocated that Malaysia is short of skilled workers to meet the demands of economic growth (as cited in Jailani, Rashid, Wahid & Noraini; 2009). Thus, there is a need for vocational and technical education, particularly at post-secondary technician levels (Jailani et. al.; 2009) to meet the shortage. Despite the need, there are many challenges faced by polytechnics. This study intends to investigate the critical challenges faced by polytechnics in the Northern and Central Region of Malaysia on case study basis and to put forth recommendations for practical implementations. Based on the literature review, the tentative key critical challenges has been identified which are the employability of polytechnic graduates, collaboration of industry with practical knowledge, competent academic staff, adequate infrastructure/funding and resources, reputation and perception of institution, design and development of curriculum. Researchers used the concurrent embedded strategy in mixed research approach, where directors and/or deputy directors and/or head or department have been interviewed while academic staffs are surveyed using convenience sampling method. Questionnaires are distributed to triangulate the data from qualitative method. After that, researchers analyses the qualitative data using Nvivo as a tool based on thematic coding and quantitative data using Excel and SPSS software as analysis tools to perform descriptive analysisCritical Challenges, Polytechnic, Northern and Central

Turning engineers into reflective university teachers

Increasing attention to quality and innovation in Higher Education (HE) is enhancing the pedagogic knowledge of faculty members and thereby encouraging the academic success of their students. This aim requires, from the institution and teachers, a greater degree of involvement than was previously the case. This is certainly borne out by experience in Portuguese universities. The growing concern of engineers with issues of pedagogy and academic success marks a sea change in the traditional conceptions of teaching and learning in Higher Education. There are, of course, indications that many academics are resistant to change. Our research indicates a tradition among Portuguese and Scottish academics to incline their effort toward research with a resultant decline in interest and effort on teaching. The present paper presents a meta-analysis of research conducted at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the University of Strathclyde (United Kingdom) between 2000 and 2004 involving academics who taught first-year introductory Programming courses. The purpose of our study was to promote reflection and research on teaching based issues as a strategy toward improved student learning. The findings of the study raised a number of salient issues for discussion and consideration. In this paper, we present some of these issues, aiming to explore the impact that the findings may have on teachers' attitudes towards teaching and students' learning in introductory programming courses

Pharmaceuticals active compounds in the aquatic environment: a review

Pharmaceutical active substances utilised to treat human and animal diseases can launch into the environment through effluents from wastewater treatment plants and direct disposal of pharmaceutical compounds. Some of these compounds arrive in the environment as a parent compound or as active/inactive metabolites. Owing to their pharmacological action, their conceptions in the environment are significant, and thus this chapter reviews the understanding of the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment

Potential application of LDPE plastic waste into tiles

Plastic has interesting characteristics which makes it the most used material in the world. However, plastic is known to be a non-biodegradable material which unable to naturally decompost in soil and thus contribute to environmental issue. As alternative, plastic waste has been recycled to produce quality and sustainable construction materials as the source is abundant. Thus, this study is carried out to utilize plastic waste particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE) and with sand in manufacturing tiles in two different sand and plastic waste ratios of 2:1 and 2:2. The tiles manufactured were further analyzed for their water absorption and compressive strength. It was found that the tiles made of mixture ratio of 2:2 have higher compressive strength and lower weight compared to that of 2:1 ratio. The average weight of tiles for 2:1 ratio was 891.59 g, while ratio 2:2 produced tiles with weight of 1319.5 g. Tiles manufactured from the plastic waste also showed better water absorption and compressive strength compared to normal cement tiles

Digital tools disrupting tertiary students’ notions of disciplinary knowledge: Cases in history and tourism

This paper reports on the findings from a two year research project that explored the potential of digital tools in support of teaching–learning across different disciplinary areas at a New Zealand university. Two courses (in History and Tourism) are case studied using data collected through interviews with lecturers, tutors and their students, and an online student survey. Findings from the research revealed that both lecturers and students were challenged in learning about the affordances and use of the lecturer selected digital tools as a mediational means. The tools were not initially transparent to them, nor were they able to be easily deployed to undertake their primary task—teaching for the lecturers, and, learning and demonstrating learning for the students completing assigned tasks. The process of learning and using the tools disrupted participants’ prior thinking and led to new understandings of both disciplines and of effective pedagogies for the two disciplines. The findings increase our understanding of the ways digital tools can develop, challenge and expand tertiary students learning and have implications for practice