Strategic pathways to engineering education research: case study of a top-down initiative

In this paper we first present a line of research into potential pathways to facilitate broader participation of engineering educators in education research, one that we propose to develop in various international contexts. Then in the main part of the work we focus on an application of our approach in one specific national context, that of Malaysia. A top-down pathway is proposed to describe recent developments in engineering education research in Malaysia. Analysis of publications from 2000 to date has indicated an increase in engineering education research since the introduction of outcome based education in the country. A Community of Practice in engineering education is beginning to emerge and some research universities are establishing research groups and centres of excellence for research in the field

The Imperatives of Technical Drawing Skills in Teaching TVET Subjects: The Case of Nigeria

This paper focuses on the perceived imperatives of technical drawing knowledge and skills in teaching TVET Subjects. The concept of technical drawing is considered as an important means of communication in engineering, technology, industry and vocational fields. Therefore, the paper discusses the challenges militating against effective teaching and learning of technical drawing in Nigerian institutions. Some of the recommendations proffered are Technical Teachers teaching technical drawing should be given an inductive course in modern methods and techniques of teaching technical drawing to effectively impart the appropriate knowledge and skills of technical drawing to their students. Technical drawing should be made compulsory in all secondary schools in Nigeria. It should be accorded the same status as Mathematics and English, as these subjects form the entry requirements for all science, engineering and technological courses in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. The paper concludes that government should pay closer attention to TVET programmes by putting in place the required infrastructures, facilities and equipment to provide a conducive environment in TVET schools for effective teaching and learning of TVET subjects particularly technical drawing as a key to technological breakthrough. Keywords: technical drawing, Skills, teaching, TVET Subjects, Nigeria

A review of effective doctoral supervision: what is it and how can we achieve it?

The success of doctoral students greatly depends on effective supervision. Many factors however, are involved in ensuring effective supervision. This study identifies the different definitions of effective supervisions, types of doctoral outcomes and the associated factors that contribute to these outcomes, with a view of proposing a framework to achieve the goal of effective supervision. A systematic review was conducted on published articles from the year 2000 to the year 2018. The documents were selected based on the three major components of doctoral supervision namely, management system, students and supervisor, thus framing the systematic review. The review resulted in several key findings namely, definitions, domains of doctoral outcomes and factors that can potentially contribute to doctoral outcomes. Diverse definitions of effective supervision were observed; often associated with self-development, professional growth and career development of doctoral students. Four domains of doctoral outcomes were identified: knowledge-base, research skills, attitudes and professional skills. Factors that influence doctoral outcomes include environment, attitude and aptitude of doctoral students, and experience and training of supervisors. The findings of this review provide useful information for guiding the implementation of an effective supervision framework

Students’ Perceptions of Their Teachers’ Performance in Teaching Engineering Drawing in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

There have been concerns about the performance of Nigerian school teachers’ in delivering occupational related courses. However, there are currently limited empirical data on this phenomenon – in particular with respect to the teaching of engineering drawing – to justify further actions from educational managers and policy makers. The aim of this study was to assess teachers’ performance in teaching engineering drawing using students’ perception as indicator of teachers’ performance. The study utilized a cross-sectional research design method with the target population of technical education students drawn from four (4) Federal Colleges of education (Technical) in Northern Nigeria. Stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to arrive at the study sample of 253 technical education students. A specifically designed instrument, the Students’ Perceptions of Teachers’ Performance Scales (SPTPS) was used to gather data on the three performance dimensions namely contextual, task and adaptability performance. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis methods were conducted to validate the performance constructs. The instrument has a high reliability of 0.90 based on the Cronbach Alpha method. The result of the analysis using estimation method indicates that students perceive their teachers’ performance to be at a slightly above average level (M= 3.51 ± 0.05 at the 95% confidence level). The teachers’ task performance, in particular, is found to be the least developed among the three dimension of performance while their adaptability performance is the highest while still being less than excellent. The data support the conclusion that there are aspects of teachers’ performance in teaching engineering drawing that is less than excellent and in need of further enhancements

Students’ Perceptions of Their Teachers’ Performance in Teaching Engineering Drawing in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

There have been concerns about the performance of Nigerian school teachers’ in delivering occupational related courses. However, there are currently limited empirical data on this phenomenon – in particular with respect to the teaching of engineering drawing – to justify further actions from educational managers and policy makers. The aim of this study was to assess teachers’ performance in teaching engineering drawing using students’ perception as indicator of teachers’ performance. The study utilized a cross-sectional research design method with the target population of technical education students drawn from four (4) Federal Colleges of education (Technical) in Northern Nigeria. Stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to arrive at the study sample of 253 technical education students. A specifically designed instrument, the Students’ Perceptions of Teachers’ Performance Scales (SPTPS) was used to gather data on the three performance dimensions namely contextual, task and adaptability performance. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis methods were conducted to validate the performance constructs. The instrument has a high reliability of 0.90 based on the Cronbach Alpha method. The result of the analysis using estimation method indicates that students perceive their teachers’ performance to be at a slightly above average level (M= 3.51 ± 0.05 at the 95% confidence level). The teachers’ task performance, in particular, is found to be the least developed among the three dimension of performance while their adaptability performance is the highest while still being less than excellent. The data support the conclusion that there are aspects of teachers’ performance in teaching engineering drawing that is less than excellent and in need of further enhancements

Exploring the Theoretical Gap on Knowledge Work of Knowledge and Skilled Workers in TVET Practices: A Literature Review

This article presents a literature review on the theoretical gap of knowledge work between knowledge and skilled workers. There are two primary reasons for conducting this literature review namely the lack of literature on knowledge work for skilled workers and, the poor understanding of their knowledge requirements. Although the requirements for the Industry 4.0 skilled-workers, knowledge work, and innovation are widely discussed in the literature for white-collar jobs, there are scarcely mentioned for blue-collar jobs. Also, the theoretical gap of knowledge between skilled workers and knowledge workers has not been yet addressed, leading to poor public perception of the role of knowledge work in TVET skilled workers. The findings from this literature review may provide insights into the understanding of the theoretical gap and the role of knowledge work for skilled workers and knowledge workers. Seventy-seven articles were reviewed, and inductive thematic analysis was conducted with ATLAS.ti resulting in three major themes, namely, ‘qualification and employment requirement’, ‘management control’, and ‘theoretical and contextual perspectives. The findings indicate that there are differences in knowledge work identified in two groups of workers, nonetheless, support the conclusion that knowledge works are equally crucial for skilled workers to optimise their role. The findings of this study imply that the role of the two groups of workers could not be described interchangeably within a similar working-class and these findings could be used to create clear distinction in the definition and descriptions of work practices of knowledge and skilled workers within the TVET sectors

Self-efficacy, locus of control and attitude among engineering students: appreciating the role of affects in learning efforts

Ignoring the contribution of the affective dimension of learning (such as attitudes) with an over emphasis on the cognitive aspect of learning are no longer adequate in providing sustainable engineering education. In this study, three psychological attributes related to the affective dimension of learning (locus of control, self-efficacy and attitude towards engineering studies) were investigated using a descriptive design method. The preliminary results involving a group of 60 diploma civil engineering students indicate that most students tend to have internal locus of control rather than external locus of control; above average level in self-efficacy and positive attitudes towards engineering with female students having stronger positive attitude compared to male students

Designing Industrial Internship Model to Improve the Skills of Prospective Vocational Teachers

Prospective vocational teachers must have technical expertise in their fields. However, efforts to achieve the competencies of prospective vocational teachers have always lagged behind industries. This is due to the difficulty of teacher training institutions in providing facilities that meets industry standards. Partnership with industry in teacher training is thus, a solution to improve the competency of prospective vocational teachers, both in knowledge, skills and corporate culture. The current industrial attachment practice lacks a mutually beneficial model partnership model. The purpose of this study is to develop a new institution-industry partnership model. The three stage model development methodology was used to guide the model development process. Model development stage was based on findings from field study and literature review. The model validation stage was conducted via focus group discussion with industry players and institutions, and the model implementation stage was conducted with nine automotive authorized dealers in Yogyakarta. At the end, learning four-element internship model was established which includes organizing internship programme, conducting internship, mentoring, and monitoring-evaluation elements. Evaluation of the model indicates that implementation of the model promoting vocational teachers competences via mutually beneficial partnership programme

An affective-cognitive teaching and learning approach for enhanced behavioural engagements among engineering students

Promoting students’ engagement has been of great interest to engineering educators as it is associated with better teaching and learning effectiveness. However, students’ engagement is a multifaceted construct comprising the cognitive, affective, and behavioural aspect of engagements which makes it difficult to get a holistic measure of it. Thus, the behavioural engagement alone is often measured as it enables the researcher to investigate outcomes ‘in-action’ and evaluate the individuals’ ability at high-order thinking. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of an integrated affective-cognitive teaching and learning approach on behavioural engagements. The study utilized the quasi-experimental design method with pre- and post-test. The experimental group (n = 36) was taught a course on mechanics of material using the integrated approach while the control group (n = 34) was taught the same course using the conventional method. The results indicate that the integrated affective-cognitive learning approach promotes some types of positive behavioural engagement while suppressing other types of negative engagements. Thus, it was concluded that the integrated teaching and learning approach is effective in promoting positive behavioural engagements among engineering students

A framework for developing culture-based multi-modal mind games: improving social interaction skills of autistic children

Cases of autism, a developmental disorder that disconnects individuals from their environment and people is on the rise with 30% increase being reported in Malaysia from 2008-2011. Early childhood intervention is essential in ensuring autistic children have the opportunity to develop their full potential and enabling them to contribute to society in later years. The intervention will also enhance education opportunities of such children, thus supporting the efforts of NASOM as well as the government’s “education for all aspirations”. One approach that has shown great potential in enhancing social interaction skills among autistic children is the multi-modal mind games approach. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework in designing a culture-based multimedia supported mind games for autistic children. Action research method will be adopted since the cyclic nature of the method will provide opportunity for improving existing educational practices for autistic children. Needs analysis will be conducted to determine weaknesses and strengths of the current practices in developing social interaction skills among autistic children. Parents and teachers will be interviewed and autistic children between the age of five and eight will be observed to get a comprehensive view of the existing situation. Based on the analysis, a set of culture-based mind games multimedia supported as well as face to face interactions will be designed and prescribed to selected autistic childre