Djamel Azzi, Ifeyinwa E' Chika

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ENGINEERING LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT Current and
Emerging Trends

• By
• Djamel Azzi, Ifeyinwa E. Chika
• and Barry P. Haynes
• Department of Electronic and Computer
  Engineering, University of Portsmouth,UK.

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INTRODUCTION

• Engineering faculties aim to graduate real-world
  problem solvers able to
• make reasoned decisions in challenging
  situations.
• design and implement sustainable systems and
  technologies with multidisciplinary implications
• ? preparing students for the 21st Century
  engineering profession

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Why 21st century engineering skills are so
important

• Our graduates are now competing in a new global
  economy.
• The nature of work is changing.
• Requirements of the workforce are changing

Reference Partnership for 21st century Skills
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The question is

• Are our graduates prepared for the 21st Century
  or will an entire generation of Nigerian
  engineering students fail to be relevant in the
  global economy because they cannot
• critically think their way through abstract
  problems,
• work in teams,
• collaborate
• distinguish good information from bad,
• be creative,
• engage in life-long learning
• understand professional and ethical
  responsibilities.
• communicate effectively
• The answer to this question depends on the way we
  carry out engineering teaching and learning

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Engineering teaching and learning

• The way engineering teaching and learning is
  carried out is changing.
• Hence, we plan to discuss the following
• The paradigm change in engineering teaching and
  learning
• Implications of the change for
• the teacher
• assessment
• the curriculum
• the laboratory
• Conclusion

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What is Paradigm Change?
Look at Societal Changes (Paradigm Shifts)

• Industrial Age Information Age
• Bureaucratic organization Team organization
• Autocratic leadership Shared leadership
• Centralized control Autonomy, accountability
• Adversarial relationships Cooperative
  relationships
• Mass production, etc. Customized production,
  etc.
• Compliance Initiative
• Conformity Diversity
• One-way communications Networking
• Compartmentalization Holism
• (Division of Labor) (Integration of
  tasks)

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What is Paradigm Change?

• According to Thomas Kuhn (1962)
• Think of a Paradigm change (or shift) as a
  change from one way of thinking to another.
• It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of
  metamorphosis.
• It just does not happen, but rather it is driven
  by agents of change, by need.
• Old beliefs and ways of doing things are replaced
  by the new paradigm creating "a new gestalt"

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The current paradigm of engineering education A
Lecture paradigm

• A methodological and behaviourist framework
  that is
• content and lecture-based and fosters
• memorization of facts
• rote learning
• passivity
• lack of mental activity
• lack of creativity
• the instructor as an all knowing authority
• authoritarian manipulation of students
• motivation by carrot and stick method
• INSTRUCTION OR TEACHER-CENTRED PARADIGM

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The new paradigm of engineering education A
Learning paradigm

• A cognitivist and constructivist framework that
  is activity-based. It takes into account the
  need to
• know and develop the whole personality of the
  learner
• enhance/facilitate learning
• foster critical and sustainable thinking,
• promote experiential learning and cognitive
  growth
• de-emphasise lecturing
• emphasise learning and active participation
• promote collaboration and team work
• LEARNING OR STUDENT-CENTRED PARADIGM

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Recap

• Our current educational system has a lecturing
  focus.
• The educational needs of the 21st Century (the
  Information Age) require a shift to a learning
  focus.
• Fundamental changes are needed throughout the
  educational system.

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Recap
Average Retention Rate
The Learning Pyramid
Saranne and Farrell, 2005
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The way forward

• A paradigm change from lecturing to learning
  This is the current trend.
• A clear shift in purpose to produce learning
  with every student.
• Make learning holistic
• Embrace Student-Centred Learning which seeks to
  improve the quality of learning through a
  redefinition of
• the learning environment,
• the roles of the lecturer,
• the roles of the learner
• the relationship among them

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Student-Centered learning

• Student-centered learning
• Participatory/Active/Experiential/Deep learning
• Problem-based learning (PBL)
• Collaborative learning
• Increased student responsibility and
  accountability
• Advanced technologies as tools
• Teacher as mentor and facilitator
• Reduction in lecture hours

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1. Fundamental Changes for the Teacher

• Need for A Paradigm Change of Instructors
  Professional Profile and Strategies
• Teaching, like learning, has to be
• Customized/Adaptive, focused on the learner.
• Scholarly
• Collaborative
• Active
• Creative
• Attentive (the teacher needs to listen, advice
  and counsel)

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Why focus teaching on the learner?

• People learn at different rates . . . .
• Also, students differ in their
• Learning style
• Sensory/ Intuitive
• Visual/ Auditory
• Inductive/Deductive
• Active/Reflective
• Sequential/Global
• Approaches to learning
• Pace of intellectual development

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? Diversification Of Instructional Strategies

• Different learner characteristics necessitate
  diversification of instructional strategies in
  order to achieve a high correlation between
  teaching, learning and fair assessment

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Scholarship of Teaching An Emergent Issue for
the teacher

• Scholarship is demonstrated only by research
• no research/publication, no promotion
• teaching is not part of the promotion
  consideration
• teachers give priority to research over teaching
• The concept of scholarship of teaching
• to redefine scholarship to include teaching, not
  only research
• Make teaching part of promotion consideration
• Implications
• teaching (like research) has to be
• evidenced and represented
• publicly displayed
• assessed
• archived and referenced

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Scholarship of teaching

• What others are doing
• Teaching portfolio (USA)
• reflective writing by teachers
• teaching logs
• CATs and classroom research
• Professional qualifications in teaching and
  learning (UK, Ireland).
• postgraduate certificate in teaching and learning
  

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2. Fundamental Changes for Assessment

• Diagnostic Assessment is now a necessity
• ?collection of data to motivate and enhance
  learning.
• ?identification of students
  learning gaps
• TOOLS
• Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
• Classroom Research
• Dynamic Assessment
• Cognitive development assessment students grow
  
• intellectually over time
• From a state of ignorant certainty
• to a state of intelligent confusion

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Diagnostic assessment

• Diagnostic assessment affords
• students opportunity for self-assessment
• teachers opportunity to know the students and
  also develop scholarship of teaching
• Application Example
• The most famous CAT is the The Minute Paper (used
  in more than 400 classes at Harvard)
• A Harvard Professor found it so useful he
  invented a version of the Minute Paper that he
  calls the Muddiest Point

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3. Fundamental Changes for the curriculum

• A multi-dimensional curriculum for developing
  multi-skilled graduates
• The thrust of such a curriculum will be
• PBL-based structure centred on design-build-test
  experiences
• Team-based activities
• Collaborative activities
• How to effect such changes
• Redesign complete integration of the concept
• Reform bolt-on, build-in, modify, adjust

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1999/2000 session
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To appreciate the need for curricular changes
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4. Implications for the laboratory

• Teacher-centred paradigm
• students work through a series of prescribed
  experiments following instructions.
• they write and submit reports.
• Student-centred paradigm
• open ended experimental and specific objective
  problems
• students take responsibility for everything
• design
• data analysis
• interpretation/conclusions
• Outcome better learning results.

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CONCLUSION
There is remarkable consensus among educators
on one key conclusion we need to bring what we
teach and how we teach into the 21st
Century. TIME Magazine, December 18, 2006
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Conclusion

• Our engineering graduates need to be 21st century
  compliant by being
• critical thinkers
• problem solvers
• innovators
• effective communicators
• collaborators/team players
• self-directed/life long learners
• IT, information and media literates

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Conclusion
These skills should become the curriculum
design specifications of 21st century
engineering education in Nigeria.
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• THANK YOU
• FOR
• LISTENING
• QUESTIONS?