Engineering Lecturers Research Articles

Traditional vs Non-traditional Teaching and Learning Strategies - the case of E-learning!

The traditional teaching approaches are generally teacher-directed and where students are taught in a manner that is conducive to sitting and listening. It is true that the traditional expectations and department philosophies often allow us to continue with the lecture-based model with some useful results as evident by the past accomplishments of many and this cannot be disputed as much. However it is often argued that the traditional approach may not provide students with valuable skills and indeed some even go as far as saying the traditional method leads to a student not retaining knowledge after exams - they have little or no recall of the body of knowledge learnt beyond the end of a semester, for example. The teaching of mathematics that is usually referred to or called non-traditional uses constructivist philosophy as its basis; this implicates strategies in which the individual is making sense of his or her universe. So the student is an active participant, which allows an individual to develop, construct or rediscover knowledge - a major goal that can be very time consuming process if taken literally for each student; alternately, there is also a philosophical position known as social constructivism; which suggests group work, language and discourse to be vital for learning in a cultural framework of the knowledge base; so the use of group work, discussion, and group solving problems in a cooperative manner lead to a discourse which is believed to be the most important part of learning process. It is argued that the non-traditional teaching is done using a problem solving approach; where the learner is the problem solver.Typically, university lecturers in mathematics and engineering are often not trained in the non-traditional classroom methods. Some have argued that even if they included non-traditional teaching in their universities in fact they may not be in reality using the so called non-traditional methods and goals. They argue that lecturers are often lacking the underlying philosophical knowledge of the non-traditional goals and objectives, and therefore they are not in a position to implement such methodologies and assessment techniques, in reality, even when they say they are.The non-traditional teaching and learning (NTTL) in mathematics and engineering needs to be well understood before any appropriate comparisons can be made with the older techniques if we are to do it in professional manner. For example the teachers of engineering courses need to reflect where the students are coming from, and where will they need to be after completing the course; also lecturers need to keep the context and goals of the course the degree program in mind while preparing for their class teaching content for the semester. So, we need to consider the knowledge, procedures, skills, beliefs and attitudes that will be expected for each student of mathematics or engineering at the end of the course that is to be taught in a time frame of 12 to 13 weeks; in addition to keeping the economic constraints of a university in modern times in check at all times.The computer based teaching technology (e-learning) is now constantly used in mathematics and engineering courses. The e-learning methodology is considered to be in line with the non-traditional approaches than the traditional teaching approaches; and this paper critically reviews the literature on mathematics and engineering that have made comparisons of the approaches outlined. The paper will specifically examine the advantages/disadvantages of the approaches as well the manner in which they influence performance of students in mathematics and engineering courses.

Competence-based learning in engineering mechanics in an adaptive online learning environment

Abstract In engineering sciences like mechanical or automotive engineering, pre-knowledge in mathematics is required to follow deeply specific engineering lectures. Mathematical skills are essential preconditions to successfully complete engineering lectures. It is necessary that these preconditions are identified for each individual student so that suitable learning opportunities can be provided according to the individual student needs. Within this paper an approach of competence-based learning in engineering mechanics is presented. This approach is assisted by an online learning environment that is adapted and extended by several features in order to enable a competence-oriented learning strategy. Computer-assisted tests are used for measuring mathematical pre-knowledge and pre-skills. Moreover, a mastery learning approach based on exercises is utilized in order to secure a certain skill level before students move forward to learn subsequent competencies. Test results influence the individual learning path by offering different learning elements to each student.

Flexibility of Organic Thermoelectric Material for Photovoltaic Solar Energy Management and Conversion

Objective:The flexibility on a design maneuvering of building automation systems with the integration of organic solar cells is investigated.Methods:The energy demand load of the Engineering Lecture Theatre (ELT) at the University of Lagos is analyzed and parametric studies of the heat and charge transport within aMimosa pudicabased solar wafer are conducted, along with the modelling of a network of microchannels. A walk-through energy audit of all the devices that are installed or operated within the ELT and the thermophysical properties of the building envelope are considered, with the aim of satisfying the ASHRAE standard for thermal comfort and indoor air quality. A two-dimensional finite volume formulation of the heat and charge transfers within the boundaries of the flexible laminate and the organic extract is utilized.Result:Parametric analysis of the flow phenomenon and temperature distribution, especially across the wafer, at various operating conditions helps to determine significant design criteria, and assists in confirming the feasible power performance of the organic solar cell for building energy management.Conclusion:The results are anticipated for the design of reliable building automation systems for effective demand side monitoring, and for estimation of the economic viability of a proposed development of hybrid organic-inorganic based solar energy system for independent power generation within the Faculty of Engineering.

A pilot study investigating further education engineering lecturers’ readiness for the shift in Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) assessment

The summative assessment approach of all level three Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications is changing away from a purely teacher-based, criterion-referencing internal assessment approach to a mixture of internal and external assessments including exams for core units. As this is a shift away from what teachers may be familiar with, the question of whether teachers are cognisant of how to effectively prepare students for high-stake exams arises. This paper reports on a pilot study preparing such an investigation by developing questionnaires with relevant techniques recommended in the literature and then comparing responses of two groups of teachers. One group is BTEC lecturers who may be unfamiliar with exam preparation. The other group routinely prepare further education students for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams and, therefore, is familiar with exam preparation techniques and serves as a control group. One aspect of the research outcomes pertains to the refinement of the research method and suggests incorporating a formal interview. The other aspect relates to the tentative research results, which found that the responses of both groups have a high degree of agreement. However, there are some differences when it comes to detailed assessment preparation planning, student motivation and parental involvement. As the number of participants was very small, any conclusions suggested here need to be substantiated by a larger sample involving more than one college.

Integration of Numerical, Theoretical & Experimental Methods for the Calculation and Measurement of Strains in an Experimental Stress Analysis Lecture

This work provides a description of a numerical, theoretical and experimental study for assessing stresses during elastic behaviour of metallic structures by employing, theoretical, numerical and experimental data obtained from strain gages. A systematic protocol is presented for sorting and analysis of the resulting data for the purposes of undergraduate mechanical engineering lectures as its impact on the expected competencies and abilities of the students is discussed. 3D models of an experimental testbed are proposed for analysing by Finite Element Method (FEM). In addition, these models have been also evaluated by solid mechanics theory, calculating elastic strains as the result of loads applied to the structure. Simultaneously, a demonstrative methodology is suggested for connecting type T strain gages (two perpendicular grids), to an embedded data acquisition system, so that the strains measured can be recorded. The results obtained show significant consistency between the methods with a maximum error around of 10% within the studied range. A discussion is provided for regarding means of encouraging improvement in the skills of undergraduate students in measuring strains through these systematic methods.

Improve Understanding of Basic Engineering Lectures with e-learning

A cloud service, Handbook, has been introduced in the lectures for the second and third grade students in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering in the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The cloud service can be accessed by students’ personal ICT devices, such as smart phones (android or iPhone), tablets, and notebook computers. Several faculty members have improved their lectures taking the advantages of the cloud service and the ICT devices.

What Should be After “Maybe the World’s First Attempt on Vibration Engineering Lecture (Experience-Based Program: Building to Perform a Lecture Vibrated Freely)”?

What Should be After “Maybe the World’s First Attempt on Vibration Engineering Lecture (Experience-Based Program: Building to Perform a Lecture Vibrated Freely)”?

Vocabulary Needs of Engineering Students: A Survey

There is substantial amount of technical vocabulary that new engineering students at the tertiary level are required to read and understand in their field of study. Technical vocabulary refers not to a single word but to a group of terms used to explain scientific processes and relations. This means that in the field of engineering, a scientific field, many technical terms are used. These terms may pose some difficulties to the students when reading engineering textbooks, so here seems to be a need to familiarize them with engineering terms to facilitate reading of those textbooks. In order to develop this specialist list of engineering terms, a group of 7 engineering lecturers were interviewed to find out the students’ vocabulary needs through the seven subject matter expert perspectives. In addition, a survey was carried out on a group of 318 engineering students in a tertiary institution. The survey aims to find out the needs of engineering students for a list of introductory engineering terminology. This paper will therefore present the results of the survey.

The teaching of Islamic science, technology and engineering: The effects on the Polytechnic students of architecture in Malaysia

This study aims at investigating the effects of Islamic Science,Technology And Engineering course towards the changes of attitude, moral and behaviour of students Architecture of a polytechnic in Malaysia. 50 students of Architecture Diploma programmes who had taken Islamic science,technology and engineering course in semester July 201 6 were involved in this study. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires regarding the students’ perceptions towards Islamic science,technology and engineering course and were analysed using percentage, frequency, t-test and correlation test. The findings show that the overall mean for the increment of the students’ understanding and awareness of Islamic science,technology and engineering is 4.41, their perceptions towards Islamic science,technology and engineering course is 4.29, the students’ perceptions towards Islamic science,technology and engineering lecturers is 4.55, their perceptions towards daily activities is 4.74 whereby the students’ perceptions towards the teaching of Islamic science,technology and engineering course is 4.12. The results of the t-test showed that independent variables had only a little influence on the dependant variables based on the significant level which is 0.05. Apart from that, based on the overall mean and percentages on the changes of the students’ attitude, this study found that the Islamic science,technology and engineering course had given positive effects on the students of the polytechnic.

Initiatives to foster engineering student motivation: A case study

There is little doubt that student motivation is essential in providing a beneficial learning experience. One way to provide such motivation is to stimulate it through the most suitable methods of assessment. This paper shares the experience acquired by the authors - university lecturers in Civil Engineering at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid – both through their assessment methods and the feedback received via the Moodle platform. Over the last eight years the authors have introduced increasingly dynamic methods in their teaching and assessment, with highly satisfactory results being obtained. Over the last three academic years a test through co-assessment has been added and during the two an assessment exercise implemented through the Moodle platform. Each test has a weight of 5% of the final mark for the module. After sitting the respective Moodle test, the students filled in a questionnaire that sought their views not only on the teaching methods but also on how motivational they found such methods. As expected, the results showed that the students considered the internet-based Moodle platform to be useful. However, the most notable finding was that the majority felt that alternative teaching and assessment methods such as, among others, cooperative learning, were those that were most beneficial to their learning experience.

FísicActiva: applying active learning strategies to a large engineering lecture

ABSTRACTThis paper presents and analyses the results obtained by applying Active Learning techniques in overcrowded Physics lectures at the University of the Republic, Uruguay. The course referred to is Physics 1, the first Physics course that all students of the Faculty of Engineering take in their first semester for all the Engineering-related careers. Qualitative and quantitative data corresponding to three semesters are shown and discussed, indicating that the students that attended these lectures outperformed the students that followed the course in the traditional way: the pass rates increased, whereas the failure rates decreased. The students highly valued this methodology, in particular, the interactive and relaxed dynamics, highlighting the concern of professors to answer questions by means of new questions so as to promote reasoning. The results obtained point to a work path that deserves to be deepened and extended to other Engineering courses.

Our Hydraulic Engineering Profession

Abstract This 2015 Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Lecture reflects on the synergy between facts/knowledge and imagination/creativity. Our hydraulic engineering profession deals primarily with h...

Industrial Secondment as a Tool to Enrich Engineering Education in Southern Africa

Research determined that Southern Africa lacks engineering capacity. This is attributed not only to low numbers of qualified engineers but insufficient skills and experience held by some of the few local engineers. This is compounded by the fact that the majority of institutions that offer engineering training in Southern Africa have outdated equipment and machinery for training of students. Engineering lecturers spend most of their time in universities and little time in industry; hence, they are behind in requisite knowledge of current technological advances and this cascades into their delivery of teaching, producing a graduate who may not be in tandem with industrial needs. This paper explores the benefits of secondment as a tool for enriching engineering education in Southern Africa. It also highlights case studies of academic staff in the UK and the University of Zimbabwe who have been on industrial secondment and finally recommends a way forward to enrich engineering education.

The Pransky interview: Dr Rob Buckingham, Director at UK Atomic Energy Authority and Robotics Pioneer

Purpose The following article is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned successful business leader, regarding the commercialization and challenges of bringing technological inventions to market while overseeing a company. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The interviewee is Dr Rob Buckingham, Director at UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Robotics Pioneer. Dr Buckingham is an innovator of snake-arm robotics for confined and hazardous environments. In this interview, Dr Buckingham shares some of his 30+ year personal and business experiences of working in industry, academia, co-founding and directing a robotics company and heading up a new UK government-funded organization for remote handling. Findings Dr Buckingham received his BSc and his MEng in the Special Engineering Programme at Brunel University in London. The program’s objective was to train engineers for the industry by developing problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills of students, which Buckingham accomplished while being sponsored by the UKAEA and as a National Engineering Scholar. After obtaining his PhD in robotics at the University of Bristol, Buckingham, he remained at Bristol for two years as a lecturer in mechanical engineering. In 1997, he co-founded OC Robotics, a private company that designs snake-arm robots specifically to operate in confined spaces. Buckingham directed OC until 2014, when he returned to where he began his early career, UKAEA Culham, this time as a Director and Head of the new Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) Centre. Under Buckingham’s leadership, RACE is involved in exploring many areas of remote operations, including inspection, maintenance and decommissioning and will be instrumental in developing new remote tools and techniques for academia and industry. Originality/value With the unique experience of studying at a university’s distinctive engineering program while working as a young engineer for the UKAEA who sponsored him, Dr Buckingham found his lifelong passion and career in robotics for remote handling. He was one of the creators of the emerging field of snake-arm robotics. He is now applying his innovative, commercial technologies and strategies from working in the nuclear, aerospace, construction and petrochemicals sectors to the industry of nuclear fusion. Dr Buckingham was awarded The Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal in 2009. In the same year, his company OC Robotics won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation. Buckingham is also a Fellow of the UK Institute of Engineering Technology, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a visiting professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. He was co-chair of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Special Interest Group Steering Group during the preparation of the influential UK RAS strategy, which has since been adopted by UK Government.

Mathematics, modelling and students in transition

This article is based on data from two major research projects that investigated students involved in mathematically demanding courses during their transition through college and into university. It explores the nature of modelling as a mathematical practice in this important transition phase for students. Theoretical considerations are informed by illustrative accounts of a college mathematical modelling lesson and engineering lecture exemplifying the complex nature of mathematical modelling in these two phases of post-compulsory education. This raises important issues concerning the teaching and learning of mathematical practices in relation to modelling and applications. The discussion presented here is seen through the lens of Cultural Historical Activity Theory that informed the project team’s analysis of the case studies developed of both institutions and individuals. In this article, data and earlier findings are reinterpreted to better understand how we might support students as they move from learning mathematics to learning to use mathematics effectively in pursuit of their other studies. The accounts of classroom and lecture activity illustrate how ‘doing mathematics’ is mediated in different ways ensuring that students experience modelling and applications as mathematical practices very differently in each. This leads me to explain why, but also infer that students are likely to experience difficulties in transition both ‘vertically’ in progression from one activity system to another over time (college to higher education) and ‘horizontally’ between activity systems in which they participate concurrently (maths and engineering classes in university).

Sir John Harold Horlock FREng. 19 April 1928 — 22 May 2015

John Harold Horlock was one of the outstanding engineers of his generation. His expertise was in the thermodynamics and fluid mechanics of turbines and compressors, as used for jet engines and for power generation. He made major contributions to this field over 60 years. After graduating from Cambridge he worked for Rolls-Royce for two years before returning to Cambridge to study for his PhD, and was subsequently appointed a lecturer in engineering and a Fellow of St John's College. At the age of 30 he was elected to the Harrison Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Liverpool, where he remained for nine years, producing an impressive amount of individual research as well as transforming the department into one of the best in the country. Returning to a chair at Cambridge he reorganized the Mechanical Sciences Tripos and founded the Whittle Laboratory, which became one of the world's leading centres for turbomachinery research. He then became Vice-Chancellor of Salford University, remaining there for seven years before moving on to become Vice-Chancellor of the Open University. After retirement at the of age 62 he continued to be very active: as a consultant, as Treasurer and Vice President of the Royal Society, as a frequent visitor to the Whittle Laboratory and as the author of many papers and several books. Knighted in 1996, Sir John Horlock will be remembered not only for his intellectual abilities but also for his personal skills, which enabled him to interact freely with all levels of society, from cabinet ministers to graduate students.

620 振動工学の講義における多分世界初の試み : 講義を行う建物ごと自由振動させる体験型授業の実施報告(SS2 じっくり講演してじっくり質疑するセッション)

620 振動工学の講義における多分世界初の試み : 講義を行う建物ごと自由振動させる体験型授業の実施報告(SS2 じっくり講演してじっくり質疑するセッション)

Impact of Past Project on the Educational Experience of Civil Engineering Students

Civil engineering lecturers need to develop effective early emphasis and educational challenges in order to prepare the current students with in-depth fundamental principles, applicable technical knowledge, and realistic appreciation on challenges faced by practicing civil engineers. In view of its importance, the use of past civil engineering projects as case studies have been integrated into the existing civil engineering curriculum at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. In order to enhance our undergraduate students’ understanding, cognitive learning desire, and overall learning experience, an additional module has been incorporated in the past five years to investigate major past civil engineering projects. Students are free to choose any of past projects as their case studies and are required to find, sort, synthesize, and present critical elements that contributed to the overall success of the past projects in the form of discussion essays. In this paper, the universal consensus between the lecturers and the students on the effectiveness of past civil engineering projects as case studies to enhance students’ lifelong learning desire and aspiration towards ethical practice are investigated. The lecturers’ and students’ views on the extent of coverage of the key elements and the preferred disciplines from the past projects are furthermore evaluated. The outcomes indicate that the use of past projects as case studies enhanced students’ educational experiences that conduce for cognitive learning desires (73% of lecturers & 81% of students), motivated for future ethical practice (82% of lecturers & 86% of students), and reassured aspiration (100% of lecturers & 97% of students) in becoming practicing civil engineers upon graduation. A common view derives from this study is that the curriculum needs to further its extent of coverage on the industry practices.

中高生のための機械工学講座とものづくり教育

Open lectures in Chiba Institute of Technology are held in the first term, the latter term and the summer. We hold a mechanical engineering lecture for junior and senior high school students in the summer. The purpose of this lecture includes leading of understanding and interest of the mechanical engineering through the manufacturing experience. In this report, we focus on not only a participated member but also an assistant student. The lecture on theory of the machine and the build of a stirling engine were carried out in 2015. From the result of the questionnaire, it was demonstrated that some participated member took in the pleasure and the difficulty on a production. Then, some assistant students also got further understanding of the manufacturing and led to improve their skills.

Engineering lecturers’ views on CLIL and EMI

ABSTRACTThe present study aims to shed some light on how engineering lecturers teaching in English at a Spanish university view their work (teaching goals) within the current European internationalisation trend of offering courses and master programmes in English. A questionnaire where content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and English-medium instruction (EMI) were differentiated and with questions on their self-attributed duties, training preferences, assessment and internationalisation issues, among others, was prepared. The 41 lecturers who participated were asked to identify the modality they were following and their views related to the key factors in their courses. Findings point to the fact that EMI is the modality they follow and that they do not want to shift to CLIL because they refuse to teach language. To gain qualitative information about their beliefs, six lecturers were later interviewed. These interviews suggested that lecturers attach no importance to language integration. More specifically, they do not usually reflect on their lecturing, they welcome the idea of distinguishing both modalities in higher education (HE), they regard English proficiency as a key factor for all stakeholders and finally they think CLIL better suits less proficient students in HE.