Evaluating tutor training for online PBL teamwork courses in first year engineering

The use of Problem-based Learning and other collaborative pedagogies in undergraduate engineering courses is recommended by a plethora of learning theory and research on educational best-practice, particularly for Applied Sciences such as Medicine and Engineering. One barrier to implementing and sustaining these curricular and pedagogical approaches lies in the development of the appropriate knowledge and skills and a consistent and appropriate approach in the teaching team. A significant change from the traditional pedagogies employed by tutors and the training of tutors is required, if PBL and similar methods are to be effective in delivering their numerous affordances, especially in asynchronous online environments for distance learning. This paper describes the development of a strategy to train engineering tutors in online PBL facilitation, and the evaluation framework used to assess the effectiveness of this training. Results of the evaluation of training and subsequent behavioural changes of the tutors are given. The evaluation revealed a variance between the message of the training and subsequent practice. Recommendations are made about the need for ongoing tutor development and support, and the necessity of evaluation in the implementation of PBL pedagogies

The impact of curriculum content in fostering inclusive engineering: data from a national evaluation of the use of EWB projects in first year engineering

The year of Humanitarian Engineering draws our attention to the need to develop engineers who are not just technically competent but who can effectively address the needs of communities, maintain their ethical responsibilities, and take sustainability into consideration. This is what we understand by inclusive engineering. One approach to introducing such considerations into the curriculum has been the widespread use of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) projects in development settings as first year learning opportunities. We are evaluating different uses of these projects in 13 universities around Australia and New Zealand using a program logic data gathering methodology and a critical realist analytic approach to answer the research question 'what works for whom under what circumstances?' In this paper we will concentrate mainly on one of these sites The University of Queensland. Data reveals that the EWB projects have great potential for raising issues of community involvement, ethics and sustainability but that the content of projects alone cannot guarantee that such objectives are addressed. Contextual factors, including: the focus of the course (e.g. professional development versus design), the attitudes of staff, and the pedagogy used all contribute to the successful pursuit of non-technical objectives. Projects with little obvious humanitarian or inclusive content such as one for long-wall supports in mining were found to foster context-sensitive approaches. In addition to project content, educators who are seeking to develop humanitarian and inclusive engineers need to pay attention to consistently expressed goals and values amongst the teaching team and the alignment of assessment (in style and weighting) with clearly stated learning goals

A realistic evaluation of universal water metering in the United Kingdom’s South East

An increasing number of regions in the United Kingdom (UK) are experiencing water shortages. The universal installation of household water meters has been identified as one way to reduce demand on limited supplies. The general consensus among policy-makers and water practitioners is that meters ‘work’ by providing a financial incentive to residents to use less water. Recent studies however, suggest that mechanisms that drive changes in water-user behaviours are more complex and context-dependent. Using an approach developed in the field of program evaluation, this paper examines policy-maker and water practitioner understandings of how a current universal metering program in the south east of the UK ‘works’. These understandings are then compared to how water meters are managed and accepted at a household level. The findings demonstrate how ‘Realistic Evaluation’ (Pawson & Tilley, 1997) can be used to gain a deeper understanding of how technological interventions ‘work’ in complex social systems

Educational technologies and learning objectives

Technologies such as online tools, simulations, and remote labs are often used in learning and training environments, both academic and vocational, to deliver content in an accessible manner. They promise efficiencies of scale, flexibility of delivery, and face validity for a generation brought up on electronic devices. However, learning outcomes are not the same in all circumstances and sometimes contextual and cultural factors can lead to the failure of a technology which has been successful elsewhere. This paper draws on studies of the use of simulators and simulations within the vocational environment of the rail industry and uses Realistic Evaluation to assess and specify what works for whom in what circumstances. It is postulated that this evaluation framework could be a useful tool in the assessment of educational technologies used in engineering education. © Tibbits et. al., 201

An evolving model of design culture

This paper addresses the difficulty of bringing about culture change; it is based on a project that is examining the role of design management in the context of large one-off projects in the mining and construction industries. A model of culture taking into account technology, values and organisation is presented. In different situations, different facets of the model - values, technology or organization - turn out to be most significant in understanding the state of the culture in that situation. But we then also need to make the link between culture and behaviour, before any intervention can be planned. This is particularly so when the practice of design management is desired by a company to become more value added to a company's projects

Techno-social systems in organizations

The introduction of new electronic tools or alterations to existing ones can easily founder on user reluctance unless due consideration is given to how the technology fits into users' lives and meets their needs. This is a commonplace for technology developers yet all too often at the point of implementation, such factors are forced into second place by the glamour of the new. This paper discusses such a history in an industrial setting and describes how a team of engineers and social scientists applied a systems model to explaining the relevant cultural factors behind user reluctance in this case. The model describes the techno-social system in terms of dynamic tensions between the technology itself, the organisation of work in various settings within the company and the values, such as decisiveness, held by workers and promoted by the company. The model uncovered often unspoken and unacknowledged aspects of the nature of users' problems using a systems discourse that engineers and technicians found it easy to relate to. © 2005/2006 (this paper), the author(s