The Bioengineering Systems major offered at the University of Melbourne aims to enable students to rigorously integrate mathematics and modelling concepts with the fundamental sciences of biology, physics, and chemistry in order to solve biomedical engineering problems. This requires mastery of core concepts in engineering design, programming, mechanics, and electrical circuits. Historically, these concepts have been sequestered into separate subjects, with minimal cross-curricular references. This has resulted in the compartmentalisation of these concepts, with students often failing to appreciate that these seemingly disparate ideas can be synergistically combined to engineer larger, more capable systems. Building the capability of students to integrate these trans-disciplinary concepts is a unique aspect of the major that seeks to prepare students to solve real-world problems in the digital age (Burnett, 2011). We previously implemented trans-disciplinary design in the second-year subject Biomechanical Physics and Computation by integrating the teaching of mechanics and programming (typically covered in separate subjects in standard engineering degrees). This integration was explored largely through assessment redesign that focuses upon authentic learning (Bozalek et al., 2014). In these assessments, students have to model real-world mechanical systems using programming, for example, the construction of an animated physics-based model for a bicep curl. Here, an understanding of either the mechanics or programming component is insufficient to properly complete these assessments – students necessarily have to master both in order to perform well. Student feedback surveys have indicated that student learning has benefited from this redesign, as they have helped put programming concepts in a real-world context by demonstrating their utility in solving complex physics problems. Quantitatively, trans-disciplinary design has contributed to improvements in the following survey scores from 2017 (pre-redesign) to 2019: “I found the assessment tasks useful in guiding my study”: 3.85 to 4.43, “I learnt new ideas, approaches, and/or skills”: 3.88 to 4.32, “I learnt to apply knowledge to practice”: 3.63 to 4.13 (averages, maximum: 5). To further model trans-disciplinary design, we have established a collaborative curriculum design team (Laurillard, 2012) to develop a coordinated set of learning activities and assessments centred around the design, construction, and control of a bionic limb. Using design-based research (McKenney & Reeves, 2019), our team will model a design-based research approach within the curriculum over a two-year project timeline. By integrating these learning activities across four core subjects in the Bioengineering Systems major, students will be involved in an authentic learning project that integrates the concepts taught in the context of a larger system. The project involves hands-on design and fabrication of a bionic limb facilitated by a learner-centric ecology of resources (Luckin, 2008), including an ePortfolio consisting of Jupyter Notebook, GitLab, MS Teams and Adobe Spark. The intended learning outcomes are to enhance students’ capacity to integrate trans-disciplinary knowledge by providing continuity in assessments and learning objectives across our curriculum. The presentation will outline the methodology behind the collaborative trans-disciplinary curriculum design project and will also explore how the team is navigating the impact of COVID-19 on a traditionally lab-based project in a hybrid mode.
The rise of flexible degree structures has allowed students to explore a wider breadth of knowledge. This has resulted in an increase in students with diverse backgrounds in different areas of foundational mathematics and physics enrolling in engineering subjects. Teaching engineering concepts while catering to these diverse cohorts is an ongoing challenge. This is compounded by the fact that teaching activities still largely rely on static two-dimensional formats such as PowerPoint slides and handwritten notes. The engineering concepts on which this study is based are those involving spatially and temporally varying elements. PURPOSE OR GOALTo improve learning outcomes and the student experience, we explored the integration of new technologies in the development of more effective supplementary teaching and learning materials. We were particularly interested in technologies allowing dynamic phenomena to be fully explored and interrogated by students. The long-term goal is to develop a library of interconnected interactive resources that students can access to fix any gaps in expected knowledge, and to reinforce concepts taught in synchronous learning sessions (i.e. lectures, tutorials) by providing alternative and more visual perspectives. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODSApplying a design-based research methodology, we initially experimented with the introduction of a series of short concept-focused video tutorials in a second-year engineering mechanics subject. Following positive student feedback, we broadened the scope of this project to include a graduate-level medical imaging subject. In this next iteration, the H5P platform was used to embed interactive quizzes within the videos, which students could use to gauge their understanding and receive real-time feedback. An interactive MATLAB-based virtual lab prototypesimulating a mechanical testing labwas also developed. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMESSurvey data indicated that students find interactive embedded quizzes helpful in their learning this was the case for incorporation in both our short concept videos and pre-recorded lecture content. Conversely, students found the current iteration of the virtual lab neither helpful nor unhelpful in their learning. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARYWhile more work remains to be done in this space, our findings suggest that access to more visual, dynamic, and interactive content allows students to explore engineering concepts in more intuitive ways than is possible with traditional two-dimensional formats.
Engineers ultimately work in multi-disciplinary workplaces, yet degree structures and siloing of subjects typically prevent students from interacting with those outside of their own discipline. As products and technology become increasingly complex, engineers can no longer do design in isolation. Learning designs need to mirror real world complex team projects. In this project we provide an example of how Design-Based Research can be used as a meta methodology to design a learning experience that is implemented through a design-based collaborative student team project. An important part of the design process is to understand the interface with other disciplines of engineering and be able to specify appropriate requirements and verify that those requirements are being met. If these groups of students do not interact while at university, they are ill-prepared to do such design across disciplinary boundaries in the workplace. Moreover, if they are incapable of being able to formally specify what they require from other engineers, then they would not be able to verify that the design meets those specifications. This capstone project seeks to address these issues through the following objectives: Develop a multi-disciplinary team design project that can be rolled out to two core, candidate subjects in different departments in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT); Develop appropriate learning activities that support the project and promote cohort interaction outside of traditional discipline / departmental boundaries; Design relevant feedback and evaluation mechanisms in order to monitor student team progress and gauge the effectiveness of the approach in building cohort, enhancing student graduate outcomes and employability skills; Enhance students’ communication and project management skills; Expose students to real-world engineering practices through the involvement of an industry partner in the scoping and design process. The project takes a Design-based Research (DBR) (McKenney and Reeves, 2019) approach that aligns with the four stages of DBR that is mirrored in both the design of the learning experience and in the student design project itself: Analysis – problem identification (Threshold Concepts: transdisciplinary collaboration, authentic learning), literature review, establishment of a collaborative learning design team Design prototype intervention (design of authentic learning environment) Evaluation (implementation of prototype with stakeholders – students/industry partner) - Re-Design / Evaluation Iterative Loop Development of Transferable Design Principles for designing authentic (real world) transdisciplinary learning environments in collaboration with industry Designing a speaker system, which contains electrical and mechanical systems that interact in a complex transfer of energy from electrical to mechanical to acoustic energy, is an inherently multidisciplinary endeavour consisting of both electrical and mechanical engineering concepts. This project will be completed by two capstone teams, one with a mechanical engineering focus and one with an electrical engineering focus, that will closely interact with each other in order to produce a working speaker system that will be tested and evaluated by an industry partner, creating an authentic learning experience (Herrington et al., 2014). A particular speaker application will first be chosen by the project teams (e.g. PA speaker, bookshelf speaker, instrument speaker, studio monitor), with corresponding design goals to be determined by the team. Teams will be required to select appropriate speaker drivers, supplied by the industry partner, to form the basis of electrical and mechanical design of the (minimum) two-driver speaker system utilising established design principles (Theile, 1971a, 1971b; Small, 1972, 1973a, 1973b). The Speaker System Design (Electrical) project team will focus on designing the electrical / electronic side of the speaker system, including modelling, building and testing both passive and active types of crossovers in order to achieve the required performance for the chosen application and consider aspects such as frequency domain performance, power, heat and cost. The electrical project team must interface with the mechanical project team to understand the mechanical characteristics of the enclosure that the speaker is being placed in to design their crossovers. The Speaker System Design (Mechanical) project team will focus on designing the mechanical / acoustic side of the speaker system, including designing, modelling low frequency response, building and testing a suitable enclosure to minimise vibrations and diffraction and ensure suitable performance characteristics for the chosen application consider aspects such as exterior construction materials, geometry of the design, high frequency diffusion patterns, venting and interior absorption materials to minimise resonances. The mechanical project team must interface with the electrical project team to understand the characteristics of the speaker-driving circuitry to design a suitable enclosure. The main pedagogical outcomes of the project are to give electrical and mechanical engineering students a real world experience of transdisciplinary collaboration. We will use pre/post student questionnaires and post project focus groups to evaluate the impact of the project on the student learning experience. University ethics consent will be applied for, involving participant consent and information forms, and anonymous data collection. This presentation will introduce the first two phases of the Design-Based Research project as an example of implementing DBR to design authentic learning – the pedagogical problem analysis, and the proposed prototype educational design capstone project. References Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., & Oliver, R. (2014). Authentic Learning Environments. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. Elen, & M. J. Bishop (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (pp. 401-412). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_32 McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. (2019). Conducting educational design research (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315105642 Small, R. H. (1973). Vented-Box Loudspeaker Systems--Part 1: Small-Signal Analysis. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 21(5), 363-372. Small, R. H. (1973). Closed-box loudspeaker systems-part 2: Synthesis. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 21(1), 11-18. Small, R. H. (1972). Closed-box loudspeaker systems-part 1: analysis. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 20(10), 798-808. Thiele, N. (1971a). Loudspeakers in vented boxes: Part 1. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 19(5), 382-392. Thiele, N. (1971b). Loudspeakers in vented boxes: Part 2. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 19(6), 471-483.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic required us to quickly adapt and familiarise ourselves with new skills and technologies in the shift to online teaching. Irregular communication due to extended lockdowns has meant that while knowledge on effective online teaching has been developed, this knowledge has not been properly disseminated to our junior teaching staff. As they operate predominantly in student-facing positions, it is essential that our junior staff be equipped with information on best practice in online teaching as well as with an awareness of the resources available to support them. PURPOSE OR GOALTo address the gap outlined above, we developed a new professional development program for our junior teaching staff, focusing mainly on online teaching. The goal was to share our collective knowledge on best practice in online teaching, and to demonstrate how various technologies could aid in promoting active learning in an online setting. The program also aimed to initiate a community of practice around teaching and the online teaching space. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODSIn designing our program, we considered student feedback from previous semesters, and more recent feedback on the online teaching experience from 2020. The final program covered the following topics: general advice, navigating Zoom and physical setup for online teaching, online tools for active learning, engagement within teaching teams, online feedback, and blended synchronous learning. Tools and technologies showcased in the program were embedded in the delivery to allow first-hand experience. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMESAn exit survey indicated that in general, participants found the program useful, with an average rating of 8.27 (out of 10). The top areas that participants indicated that they would like more assistance were quizzes and tools for active learning (31%), providing feedback to students (22%), and blended synchronous learning (20%). Zoom (12%) and the physical setup for online teaching (15%) did not rank highly, in line with our observation that a large percentage of participants had some prior experience with online teaching in 2020. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARYIn summary, we piloted a professional development focused mainly on online-teaching for junior staff. The program was well-received, and the collected feedback will used for implementation and improvement of future run.
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