Design and development of practical instruction for freshmen engineering students in a renewable energy course

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Technical competence and problem solving skills are key graduate attributes that engineering students must develop, especially within a practical laboratory. A new specialized course in renewable energy was introduced at the beginning of 2014 at the Central University of Technology, with the main purpose of addressing this goal. The purpose of this research is to describe the design and development of relevant practical instruction which was introduced into one of the solar energy modules, termed Solar Energy Systems II. This module forms part of the curriculum of the new renewable energy course. The backward curriculum design method was applied in developing the practical instruction. Five learning outcomes were specified while three assessment strategies were selected, including oral presentations, written laboratory reports (headings include the experimental question, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations, data, conclusion and reflections) and a final written class test. Two main pedagogical methods were used involving authentic learning and computer-based learning, while lectures, group work, videos and a learning management system were also used. A questionnaire was finally used to obtain student feedback on the practical instruction. Students indicated that the practical work was enjoyable (92%), relevant to the theory (83%), and a valuable learning experience (97%). This practical instruction has given freshmen engineering students the opportunity to demonstrate their acquisition of important graduate attributes that may help them to contribute to the socio-economic development of South Africa.