Portfolio assessment of laboratory practicals integrating learning across modules

Physical Metallurgy, a compulsory module on the part time and full time Materials Engineering degree programme at Sheffield Hallam University has for a number of years utilised a series of separate practical based laboratories in order for students to gain a greater understanding of some key concepts associated with linking microstructure to properties and processing. One of the main issues of these stand-alone practicals was that students were following a menu of tasks, leading to a lack of deeper understanding of key concepts and theories and therefore were unable to link information between each of them. A recent revision of this module has drawn the practical elements into a year-long integrated package of practical work, where students undertake an investigation, developing broader and deeper skills. Additionally the learning strategy utilises the output of another module in manufacturing, using the output of a casting practical linking the two modules with an integrating investigation, eventually leading to summative assessment by portfolio. This paper will detail the development of the new programme of work undertaken by the students and evaluate, using student feedback, and how student learning and achievement has been improved compared to previous methodologies

Student produced media and the use of web based sites for the assessment of technical and communication skills in engineering students

This paper describes the development of new assessment approaches for engineering students through the use of video production and on-line blogging. The course team in Materials Engineering have developed an approach enabling students to explore ideas and publish work by creating a short film focussing on technical areas. This technical work was previously assessed by a written report and PowerPoint presentations. However, the team wanted to make the reporting more creative and fun for the students and so decided to incorporate a more visual approach introducing video production skills into modules taught on the programme. Discrete modules at all levels of the course were developed in this respect and the outputs of this work have been previously reported. For example, students were given the task of researching a topic in polymers or composites and the end production was a digital video case study handed in on a CD or DVD for assessment. This assessment task replaced a traditional 6 week case study that would have covered the same technical areas, but would have resulted in a group report and PowerPoint presentation. The students were supported with an initial seminar on video production skills, followed by weekly drop-in sessions for technical support on filming and editing. During the last two years students have been asked to produce a website in the form of a technical blog to report their work, both individually and in groups. The result has been an end of module presentation of the sites for summative assessment. The paper will describe the advantages and issues realised with this type of activity, utilising student feedback as part of the evaluation

A new network of development in Engineering education in the UK

Many engineering education organisations exist worldwide to enhance the learning experience of student engineers and to foster an environment conducive to preparing graduates for an ever changing future. Recent developments in UK Engineering Education are presented, together with a brief underlying philosophy, exploring a networking model to connect enthusiasts and provide support for their developments and innovations

Introducing audio-visual media for inspirational learning and positive engagement

Student engagement and retention are issues that many of us are currently trying to address. Making learning challenging and more inspirational for students is perhaps one way of addressing this. Introduced here, is a novel and innovative method of reporting undergraduate project work through the process of digital video production. The authors provide qualitative and quantitative evidence from two UK institutions that students from several disciplines undertaking a wide variety of project work become better motivated to learn both the subject matter and essential transferable skills. The paper also reports on a Royal Academy of Engineering sponsored project which is now underway to create an easily accessible „toolkit‟ resource that addresses the issues faced by a new adopter based on the experience of the project team and feedback from participating staff and students

An academic’s toolkit for innovative project reporting using audio visual media

The paper introduces a novel method of injecting additional motivation to team projects. Teams of students, engaged in a variety of different assignments are encouraged to learn while creating their own audio-visual media; they are required to prepare and edit a short video documentary as a replacement for the more conventional written or oral report. Using survey data, collected over several years at two separate UK universities, the authors provide evidence that this medium generates much needed engagement, help teams to bond and promotes a deeper understanding of the subject matter. An additional benefit is that the assessment process is considerably less tiresome for the academics. There appears to be vast potential for transferability of this method to many different applications, disciplines and age groups, but while the idea may sound attractive to many lecturers, it marks a significant departure from the norm. The authors have, therefore, created an easily accessible ‘toolkit’ resource that focuses on issues faced by a new adopter based on their own experience and on feedback from staff and students who participated in the pilot projects. The ‘toolkit’ incorporates appropriate resources, including teaching and assessment materials, with example projects taken from the science and engineering subject area

The Sound of Silence? : a comparative study of the barriers to communication skills development in accounting and engineering students

Employers often consider graduates to be unprepared for employment and lacking in vocational skills. A common demand from them is that the curriculum should include ‘communication skills’, as specific skills in their own right and also because of the central role that such skills can play in developing other desirable attributes. Current thinking in communication has indicated a split between communication apprehension and communication development. There are indications that techniques designed to develop communication skills will not resolve communication apprehension and that, if an individual has a high level of communication apprehension, these techniques will not result in improved communication performance. This paper compares and contrasts the levels and profiles of communication apprehension exhibited by accounting and engineering students. The implications of the findings are then discussed and the need for further research in the area of vocational choice is identified

Analysis of critical thinking skills across an international, cross-institutional student group

Academic programmes implicitly require critical thinking, and increasingly the requirement for critical thinking is explicit as part of autonomous and inquiry based learning. Because of the different cultural and learning backgrounds across a global student group, there is not a single, uniform understanding of and approach to critical thinking. This presentation describes research conducted to explore engineering students conceptualisation of critical thinking, with a view to using the findings to contribute to improved design of academic programmes. Research subjects were a cross-institutional, global group of masters level engineering students; the investigation spanned two separate academic cohorts each in two different institutions. A set of attributes giving evidence of critical thinking was determined from the literature (Castle, Colucciello and Profetto-McGrath). A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to provide insights into emerging themes. Focus groups were used to identify key themes, and questionnaires will be used to further explore those themes and confirm initial findings. Statistical measures of analysis such as variance and correlation of ranks will highlight similarities and differences in how groups of students conceptualise critical thinking. The preliminary research has confirmed an inconsistent development of critical thinking attribute

Developing employability in engineering education: a systematic review of the literature

In this systematic review of the research literature on engineering employability, curricular and pedagogical arrangements that prepare graduates for work in the twenty-first century were identified. The research question guiding the review was: Which curricular and pedagogical arrangements promote engineering students’ employability? The particular focus of the study was on how authors prioritised engineering knowledge and professional skills. The review drew on a theoretical framework that differentiated between engineering knowledge and professional skills to explain how employability could be included in engineering programmes. Data was obtained from research studies over the period 2007–2017. We found an interdependent relationship between engineering knowledge and professional skills that enabled engineering graduates to attain employability. The com of engineering problems require students to master engineering knowledge, while the ability to work with others across contexts requires professional skills. Both are necessary for deep understanding of engineering principles and a focus on real world problem

Teaching Engineering in a Simulated Industrial Learning Environment: a Case Study in Manufacturing Engineering

The paper describes a successful attempt to teach the subject area of manufacturing technology more effectively by recognising and addressing the different learning styles of a learner group. A two­fold strategy has been adopted. Firstly, to create a learning environment depicting the ‘manufacturing system’ being studied by incorporating its key elements, viz. real products and associated tooling parts, together with machinery and the processes involved, vividly communicated through a variety of video clips. Secondly, design and conduct a group activity within the learning environment generating enthusiasm and facilitating active learning with adequate tutor support for learner motivation and sustained attention, with the teaching being enhanced by counterpart PowerPoint slides. The technique builds upon the premise that the students’ understanding of engineering concepts is likely to be much better if they can relate them immediately to the context. In planning the session, the core principle of constructive alignment has been adhered to, i.e. designing the teaching process to positively engage students in the learning activity with primary focus on achieving the intended learning outcomes. In developing the delivery strategy, we have changed our approach from the previous tutor­centred activity to a more student–based activity, with the tutor adopting mainly a facilitator role in the latter. These are discussed in the paper and the pros and cons of different approaches evaluated. The scope and potential for application of the concept of ‘teaching in simulated semi­industrial learning environments’ to other engineering subject areas are highlighted through further examples