Multidisciplinary Engineering Education Research Articles

Exploring the connection between deep learning and learning assessments: a cross-disciplinary engineering education perspective

It is widely accepted that student learning is significantly affected by assessment methods, but a concrete relationship has not been established in the context of multidisciplinary engineering education. Students make a physiological investment and internalize learning (deep learning) if they see high value in their learning. They persist despite challenges and take delight in accomplishing their work. As student deep learning is affected by the assessment system, it is important to explore the relationship between assessment systems and factors affecting deep learning. This study identifies the factors associated with deep learning and examines the relationships between different assessment systems those factors. A conceptual model is proposed, and a structured questionnaire was designed and directed to 600 Queensland University of Technology (QUT) multidisciplinary engineering students, with 243 responses received. The gathered data were analyzed using both SPSS and SEM. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that deep learning is strongly associated with learning environment and course design and content. Strong influence of both summative and formative assessment on learning was established in this study. Engineering educators can facilitate deep learning by adopting both assessment types simultaneously to make the learning process more effective. The proposed theoretical model related to the deep learning concept can support the key practices and modern learning methodologies currently adopted to enhance the learning and teaching process.

Roadmap to inclusive curriculum: a step towards Multidisciplinary Engineering Education for holistic development

Abstract : One of the key aspects to measure the prosperity of any nation in this global economy can be its leadership in technology & innovation. Engineering is applied everywhere; from the design and development of novel products and processes to providing solutions to complex challenges. Engineering education is therefore of key significance to a growing economy. With a prime focus on improving qual i ty and providing hol i sti c development of learners, developments are taking place worldwide in Engineering education & research. The term 'learners' indicate students and has been used interchangeably in the entire script. Purpose: National Education Policy 2020 of the Government of India proposed reforms to the existing education framework of the country and emphasized on introducing multidisciplinary undergraduate programmes with multiple exit options. This study proposes an inclusive curriculum with different course types from multiple disciplines for anundergraduate engineering programme and articulates the relevance of the framework to foster holistic development. Research Methodology: The study incorporates a structured design approach where inputs from senior leaders of 60 Universities offering undergraduate programmes formed the basis of the preliminary work. The academic framework was designed under the regulations and guidelines of the statutory body for t echni ca l programmes. On succ essful implementation, a research instrument was administered to a cohort of learners of an undergraduate engineering programme, and the data collected was then analysed. Findings: From the findings, we infer that a multidisciplinary engineering programme would enhance research skills and enable the learners to selfmanage to a great extent along with developing their critical thinking skills. The results are statistically significant with p<0.05. Implications of the Study: This study would help Universities and Higher Education Institutions to explore the possibilities of provisioning courses from diversified disciplines in an Engineering curriculum to promote multi-disciplinarity. The findings from the study would be beneficial to the learners to realize the potential of multidisciplinary education and accordingly pursue their career aspirations. The studyprovides an insight into competencies to be developed through the framework of a four-year undergraduate engineering programme thereby enabling Industry practitioners to reorient the job roles that thrive in the future. Keywords: Multidisciplinary Education; academic curriculum; holistic education; Engineering Framework; Learners.

Remote practicals in the time of coronavirus, a multidisciplinary approach

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across the world have curtailed face to face teaching. Associated with this is the halt to the delivery of the practical experience required of engineering students. The Multidisciplinary Engineering Education (MEE) team at The University of Sheffield have responded to this problem in an efficient and effective way by recording laboratory experiences and putting videos, quizzes and data online for students to engage with. The focus of this work was on ensuring all Learning Outcomes (LOs) for modules and courses were preserved. Naturally, practical skills cannot be easily provided using this approach, but it is an effective way of getting students to interact with real data, uncertainty and equipment which they cannot access directly. A number of short case studies from across the range of engineering disciplines are provided to inspire and guide other educators in how they can move experiments on line in an efficient and effective manner. No student feedback is available at the time of writing, but anecdotal evidence is that this approach is at least acceptable for students and a way of collecting future feedback is suggested. The effort expended on this approach and the artefacts produced will support student learning after the initial disruption of the lockdown has passed.

On Competition-driven Teaching of Multidisciplinary Engineering Education: Implementation cases at University of Stavanger

This article will reflect the experience gained on problem-based learning (PBL) projects implemented in the last six years at University of Stavanger (UiS). The PBL projects were implemented by establishing two ”student-driven” student organizations, ION Racing and UiS Subsea, that design and construct Formula 1 style single seat racecar and underwater robot respectively. The student organizations simulate an engineering company that receives order from a client and deliver the product according to the customer specifications. The fundamental objective of the projects is to stimulate the learning process in the engineering profession in a multidisciplinary environment, gain knowledge within science and engineering, and develop skills in use of advanced tools and techniques. The article highlights the student competition environment briefly and presents the result of a survey conducted on students currently participating in the PBL project. The survey result clearly indicates that the students’ preference for learning is on project work in a team and hands-on exercises including laboratory works.

Development of remote monitoring and control system for mechatronics engineering practice: The case of flexible manufacturing system

The purpose of this study is to design a test set with remote access so that it can be used in laboratory applications in a multidisciplinary engineering education. The test set equipment used in the study consists of work stations that belong to the flexible manufacturing system, which is designed by the Festo Didactic Company. The flexible manufacturing system is a didactic set for mechatronics training. It can be used with different configurations and training purposes. In this study, the flexible manufacturing system set has nine work stations with different functions from each other. These stations such as distributing, testing, processing, handling, sorting, etc. can be worked alone and together with several assembly line configurations. In the developed didactic model, the existing equipment of the system such as mechanical and electrical infrastructure was used. Control of all the stations was realized by designing PIC 18F4580 and 18F2585 microcontrollers-based hardware. Control area network was used as the communication protocol between the work stations of the flexible manufacturing system. Online monitoring and real-time control operations for all parameters of the designed system were performed over the software which was developed using the LabVIEW program. Users who are connected to the system via the Internet can control the system using the designed LabVIEW-based software. Furthermore, they can upload–download their programs which will be written by them to the system via the Internet, and they can see the results of their own operational scenarios. Thus, the system with its developed structure is not restricted to existing operational scenarios for students. Hence, it has gained flexibility by allowing students to try their programs remotely. Also, in order to obtain feedback about the designed structure of the didactic system, a survey, conducted on 29 engineering students, was realized. The presented structure of the mechatronic didactic system was found to be successful by the students who joined the survey.

A web-based educational tool using programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB-OPC server

Many technological developments contribute to the progress of the education system. Especially, engineering education is affected by the latest developments in internet technology. Therefore, the engineering education system has to keep up with developing technology by using web-based systems. This work provides a convenient method to improve students’ learning outcomes, their skills and their real-time experiences in multidisciplinary engineering education such as electrical, electronics, mechatronics and control engineering. In this study, a web-based real-time laboratory system was developed by using a programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB server via object linking and embedding for process control. The developed educational tool can be accessed on internet by the currently registered students. This remote accessible real-time mechatronic system consists of a programmable logic controller-connected MATLAB server, a water level tank, a servo pneumatic actuator, a pressure transmitter and two real-time cameras. The established system provides a real-time experience for students by using real instruments accessible on internet. This developed educational tool can be used as a complementary practice for some engineering courses such as sensors and actuators, control systems and industrial automation systems.

Multi-Disciplinary Education for Product Design and Development

In this paper, puts forward a kind of design method of multi-disciplinary engineering education for product design and development. In educational globalization era, higher education has paid more and more attention to cultivate innovation type of talents, who should receive interdisciplinary education. Mechanical design is an integrative subject. Every student should have a basic ability to finish a product design or plan. As a good mechanical engineer or product designer, should know different kinds of knowledge such as mechanical, materials science, industrial design, economics and so on. Along with the development of higher education popularization, the universities pay more and more attention to the talent cultivation and fusion. Followed by many scholars at home and abroad for interdisciplinary teaching research, its essence is expounded. But although the concept of education that interdisciplinary described the basic form, but to carry out interdisciplinary education in college education environment is not easy even if everyone knows it is very important. In order to solve this problem, the first thing is to break through the traditional education ideas, the second is to set an interdisciplinary teaching organization, the third one is to build a set effective incentive mechanism. So in the paper, puts forward a design method of multi-subjects amalgamation during the education of product design and development.

Development of Multi-disciplinary Engineering Education in College of Technology

Development of Multi-disciplinary Engineering Education in College of Technology