Team Engineering (first presented in autumn 2006) was the first course (module) at the Open University (OU) to use wikis and video-conferencing in combination to support the work of project teams. Teams of five students, working remotely from one another, tackle an engineering project over 32 weeks.The teams schedule regular meetings throughout the project and these are conducted using FlashMeeting, a lightweight video-conferencing system being developed by the OU's Knowledge Media Institute, KMi (http://flashmeeting.open.ac.uk). Unlike other systems, FlashMeeting requires no software installation. In addition, it not only archives the meetings but also provides detailed analysis of the proceedings.The teams are encouraged to use the wiki facility in the OU's virtual learning environment (VLE) for their collaborative report-writing. The collective work of the team is assessed through these reports. The performance of the individual is assessed through their reflective account of the project. The archiving facility in FlashMeeting has been of huge help in developing this. For the next presentation of the course a learning journal is to be added to the existing means of support.Feedback from tutors and students alike has been extremely positive, whilst recognising the limitations of the technologies in their current implementations. This paper gives an account of the students' achievements and offers an assessment of the pedagogic potential of using these media together. IntroductionTeam Engineering is the compulsory final course in programmes of study leading to the OU's Integrated Masters Degree in Engineering (MEng) and Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering qualifications. Entry to Team Engineering is only open to students who have completed all the other components of their programme, so this will always be the final course a student undertakes in order to complete their qualification. For both qualifications, these components include optional study selected from postgraduate courses in technology, computing, mathematics and science, plus a professional development planning course. In addition, the integrated MEng requires students to have completed an engineering honours degree not more than three years previously.
Many organisations and individuals already offer distance learning in science, engineering and technology (SET). Offerings range from on-line lecture notes or home-grown simulations to global multi-media programmes with high-quality student support.There is, however, still a certain reluctance in some circles to accept that successful open and distance learning is possible in SET. Searching for 'engineering' in the courses and programs of one prestigious distance learning university in North America provokes the following response:As a distance education university, [we are] unable to offer courses in the area of engineering.Yet experience has demonstrated very clearly that the delivery of such learning is indeed possible.As with all teaching, open and distance approaches are successful only if based on good pedagogical design addressing the purpose, structure and pace of the material, hence engaging students and encouraging active learning. For distance learning such pedagogical design is often expensive, and can only be justified by comparatively large student numbers.Much open and distance teaching offers meagre student support. To be successful, course developers must integrate student support into the learning materials, including such elements as a modest number of face-to-face sessions or electronic communication at a distance.This presentation discusses these issues in the context of SET distance teaching and presents examples of good practice from the UKOU, including:• an introductory course in ICT that adopts an issues-based approach, in order to demystify the subject and make it more attractive to students • resource-based approaches in engineering education• team projects at a distance• an emphasis on 'active learning' An argument is also to be made for the importance of openness if we really wish to promote engineering. In this context 'openness' means making programmes available to all students * Presented at Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their Educators 2010-2020, Munich, Germany, 9-11 November 2007 2 (even those without formal school-leaving qualifications) that will ultimately enable them to qualify as a professional engineer or an educator of engineers. The traditional approach to engineering education has been hierarchical and linear: a good school leaving certificate in mathematics / science followed by an often very theoretical university education plus an application-oriented final project. If we are serious about attracting new engineers, this will no longer do. An open and distance approach to engineering formation, based on outcomes rather than input educational levels, and with an emphasis on lifelong learning and professional development, can make a major contribution to change.
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