Abstract
Engineering projects affect many of the UN’s sustainability goals. The development and design of new products and systems using a circular economy perspective is an important challenge towards a more sustainable society. Product development projects have common process characteristics, but methodologies, tools and methods differ for developing hardware (mechanical and electrical) or developing software. In Mechatronics such methods need to be combined, and product development and project-based learning is well suited for teaching and learning within Mechatronics, in addition to technical specialization subjects within both mechanical, electrical and software engineering. It is also suited for developing consciousness for sustainability. At UiA project-based learning is a part of several courses. This article draw out some experiences from teaching two different project-based product development courses the last two years, one at Bachelor and one at Master level. The courses are viewed as products, and product development is used as methodology for developing teaching and learning as well. The aim is continuous improvement of the learning outcome of these courses. This is in accordance with the SoTL-approach, Scholarship of teaching and learning.
Highlights
Attitudes, values, skills, knowledge and understanding are future competence needs [1], that teaching product development may emphasize
The product specification and concept development lay a large part of the foundation for product quality in the whole product life cycle, related to different product dimensions, i.e. function, production, use, safety, environmental impact, logistics, reverse logistics
A scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) model for developing pedagogical competence is described by Olsson & Roxå [9]
Summary
Values, skills, knowledge and understanding are future competence needs [1], that teaching product development may emphasize. Producing results is a shared goal, and this “getting things done” is a process: it is a way of thinking and doing that involves planning, specification, execution, iteration, and reflection These are all elements of both product development, project based learning and teamwork. UNs sustainability goals as well as a life-cycle and circular economy perspective as context for the projects and development processes is suitable to facilitate the student’s growth of a competence based on attitudes, values, skills, knowledge and understanding that help them do conscious choices, both in their development practice and for the products developed, as well as for developing their creativity.
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