Active Learning in Engineering Education: a (re)introduction

ABSTRACT

The informal network ‘Active Learning in Engineering Education’ (ALE) has been promoting Active Learning since 2001. ALE creates opportunity for practitioners and researchers of engineering education to collaboratively learn how to foster learning of engineering students. The activities in ALE are centred on the vision that learners construct their knowledge based on meaningful activities and knowledge. In 2014, the steering committee of the ALE network reinforced the need to discuss the meaning of Active Learning and that was the base for this proposal for a special issue. More than 40 submissions were reviewed by the European Journal of Engineering Education community and this theme issue ended up with eight contributions, which are different both in their research and Active Learning approaches. These different Active Learning approaches are aligned with the different approaches that can be increasingly found in indexed journals.     

学习科学的两次重大转折与学习研究的工程转向:基于学术思想史的考察

该文从学术思想史的视角出发,提出自学习科学创建以来,学习研究在三十年间经历了三次重大转向。第一次是让学习研究“立地”的“方法学转向”,以“基于设计的研究”的提出为标志,缓解了百余年来教育学与心理学之间的紧张关系,为学习研究走向统一提供了一个“脚手架”;第二次是让学习研究“顶天”的“基础研究转向”,以教育与认知神经科学崛起为标志,向基础研究下沉,并对实践产生了正反两方面影响。现在即将迎来第三次重大转折——学习研究的“工程转向”与学习工程的崛起。该研究提出,要从前两次重大转折中把握学习研究的未来走向,推动学习工程的崛起和可持续发展,既要基于“基于设计的研究”的工程隐喻,实现科学思维向工程思维的转换,促进学习研究中科学、技术与工程的一体化发展,又要直面学习研究从基础科学向应用实践转化面临的挑战与伦理问题,利用人工智能技术赋予的力量跨越二者之间“过于遥远的桥”,从而缓解“顶天”与“立地”之间重新浮现的巨大张力。     

基于问题式学习的《学前卫生学》课程教学模式研究——把握好PBL模式应用的五个基本环节

基于对PBL教学模式的特点、三年制学生学习的特点以及《学前卫生学》课程要求的综合考虑,认为《学前卫生学》课程教学可以选用PBL的教学模式;基于问题式学习的《学前卫生学》课程教学模式主要包括五个基本环节,即导入问题、分组分工研究、小组讨论、小组成果汇报和集体反思与评价;同时在应用中还应注意处理好选取合适的教学内容、提升教师教育素质、增加教师与学生共处时间、增加教师间的合作、解决好后续的工作等几个问题。     

工科本科生主动学习特征及其影响因素分析

利用2019年"中国本科教与学调查(CCTL)"数据,对中国高校工科本科生主动学习特征及其影响因素进行了实证分析。分析结果显示,工科本科生主动参与频率显著低于总体。不同性别、不同学校类型、不同年级工科本科生主动学习水平存在显著差异,男性工科生主动学习水平显著高于女性工科生,普通高校工科生主动学习水平显著高于一流大学高校与一流学科高校,大一、大四工科生主动学习水平高于大二、大三工科生。在影响因素方面,教师主动教学与教学满意度是制约工科生主动学习水平的主要因素,教师采用讨论与实地调研等主动教学方法越多,工科生主动学习水平越高。     

Reframing Resources in Engineering Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The notion of “resources” is often framed in an economic sense: money, time, equipment and the like. The authors reconceptualise this notion, situating resources as embedded in curricular frameworks, teacher practice and student experience. This leads them to define resources as “the potential to participate in socio-cultural action” which is illustrated in this article through a series of reflections on the part of the authors, all within the context of engineering education. First, they demonstrate that curriculum can be productively thought of as a route marker for the development of resources that students need in order to enact their role as professional engineers. Thereafter, they show that lecturers bring tacit resources of trust, care, creativity and credibility to the teaching and learning space, and that these are necessary to overcome the inertia that often resists the transformation of teaching and learning practice. Finally, they reflect on how students’ prior learning experiences can be harnessed as a resource for teaching and learning. In so doing, they present resources as tied to sociocultural practices and personal and institutional histories, and encourage others to take up these ideas so as to consider how resources, viewed in the authors’ sense, are valued within (engineering) education.     

以先进的理念引领工程硕士研究生教育改革 ——来自澳大利亚查尔斯特大学混合学习模式的启示

2018年工程类专业学位类别的调整为培养单位进行工程硕士教育改革提供了更大的自主权。打破工程硕士与工学硕士培养的同质化、突出工程实践能力培养和职业导向是工程硕士教育改革的方向。澳大利亚查尔斯特大学改变以学科知识体系进行课程设计的传统,基于项目学习和"主题树"在线学习进行课程设计,打造以混合学习模式为特色的土木工程本硕贯通项目,有利于培养具备实践能力、创新能力、职业素质的工程人才。研究查尔斯特大学的工程教育改革案例对我国高校工程硕士研究生教育改革有启发和借鉴意义。     

国外及我国开展研究性学习的综述

研究性学习是近年来世界教育界研究的热点问题。美国研究性学习主要以基于问题的学习和基于项目的学习为主;法国已经在初中、大学预备班和高中全面开展研究性学习;日本以综合活动课程的形式开展研究性学习;韩国的研究性学习将学生的学习内容分为知识和研究活动两个层次;德国开展课题学习;而我国把研究性学习作为课改的主要内容。     

An Evaluation of Using Data Set in Teaching and Learning within a Further and Higher Education Context

Abstract

This study aims to establish the effectiveness of an industrial data set in the delivery of an active approach to teaching and learning across a range of programme levels from NVQ to MSc within Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) Institutions in North Wales. The result described in the paper reinforces in FE and HE the advantages of active learning involving an industrial data set as a link between theory and practice. Implementing the data set as a learning resource, combined with field visits allowed an active approach to teaching and learning. For the FE groups this was an established approach, while not so for the HE institutions. The use of an industrial data set by adopting an active approach was found to be effective, as judged by student satisfaction, enriched the educational experience for both FE and HE groups. The overall response for all questions by all groups for the Strongly Agree/Agree categories (SA/A) was between 86% and 95%. The Disagree (D) responses ranged from 0% to 3% and the Undecided/Blank/Not Applicable (UD/B/NA) ranged between 5% and 14%. Students found the lectures of interest and enjoyed active learning. The analysis has heightened the benefits of relating education to its respective industry and adopting an active approach for all programme levels within FE and HE.     

Learning mechanisms in multidisciplinary teamwork with real customers and open-ended problems

Recently, there has been a trend towards adding a multidisciplinary or multicultural element to traditional monodisciplinary project courses in computing and engineering. In this article, we examine the implications of multidisciplinarity for students' learning experiences during a one-semester project course for real customers. We use a qualitative research approach and base our analysis on students' learning reports on three instances of a project course titled Multidisciplinary working life project. The main contribution of this article is the unified theoretical picture of the learning mechanisms stemming from multidisciplinarity. Our main conclusions are that (1) students generally have a positive view of multidisciplinarity; (2) multidisciplinary teams enable students to better identify their own expertise, which leads to increased occupational identity; and (3) learning experiences are not fixed, as team spirit and student attitude play an important role in how students react to challenging situations arising from introduction of the multidisciplinarity.     

欧美工程教育改革的几个动向

工程教育的改革与发展是建设创新型国家和提升国家竞争力的重要议题.本文对欧洲工程教育改革的三项计划和美国相关的动向及战略部署予以介绍和点评,为我国工程教育研究提供必要的参考.     

论继续教育工程与构建学习型社会

当今世界,科技进步日新月异,国际间的竞争日趋激烈,其表现形式主要是综合国力的竞争,而综合国力的竞争已由过去对自然资源和市场的竞争,转变成了今天对人才和知识的竞争,而人才和知识的竞争实质上就是对教育的竞争。因此,当今世界各国比以往任何时候都重视教育。对教育进行改革,理所当然成了世界各国的首要重任。而仅仅依靠学历教育来实现国际间的竞争是远远不够的,也满足不了如今信息社会时代的发展需求。笔者认为,作为教育子系统的继续教育,则在国际间的竞争中成为一支不容忽视的力量。     

教育行动研究的构思与设计

在知识经济时代的今天，教师成为行动研究者的观念已广为流传，教育行动研究是培养科研型教师或教师在职培训的群众性研究范式。本文根据行动研究的特点和方法，着重阿述一个有意义合理的行动研究计划的几个主要环节，以期为教育行动研究者提供一个研究的理论框架。     

工程教育改革的趋向探析

21世纪前后,世界主要国家和地区都有急切的工程教育改革意识,美、英、欧盟等老牌发达国家和地区都出台了一些有重要影响的报告文件,并对当前工程教育改革趋势做出了重要判断.工程教育一直是我国高等教育的主体组成部分,工科毕业生是我国国民经济发展的重要支撑力量,但其中不如人意之处也常常受到社会各界的批评.本文力图从借鉴他山之石的角度,对制约当前我国工程教育质量提高的师资和实践教育方面提出一些见解.     

高等职业教育引入研究性学习的探讨与实践

研究性学习将教师由课堂主导转变为课堂引导，加强了学生学习的自主性。它有利于学生探索精神，创新精神的形成，最终会使课堂教学变得更加生动有趣。本文从研究性学习的特征等几方面对研究性学习进行了系统的阐述。     

工程教育学生通用学习成果鉴别:基于工业界视角

在高等教育规模持续扩大及高等工程教育毕业生素质与工业界需求差距明显的背景下,从工业界视角识别工程教育学生通用学习成果,对提高高等工程教育人才培养针对性和有效性具有重要意义。综合运用内容分析、问卷调查、交叉比较的方法,识别出工业界版、适用本科院校工科专业类认证性通用学习成果"时间管理""组织承诺""终身学习""人际关系网络""诚信""主动性""沟通""团队合作""工程领导力""经验知识""问题解决""工程实践"等12项要素。工业界需求的通用学习成果与工程教育专业认证标准规定的学习成果之间有涵盖交集,但不完全相合。     

高职英语写作项目学习法行动研究

为了探索项目学习法是否有助于提升高职学生英语写作能力,以项目学习法为指导,在高职英语写作教学中开展行动研究。首先提出问题,验证假设;然后设计行动研究方案,共2轮,分为3个阶段,以“电子邮件写作”作为项目任务典型案例进行教学实践;最后进行结果分析。实践证明:项目学习法用于英语写作教学效果明显,学生不仅提高了英语写作能力,而且增强了自主学习意识和团队合作能力。     

远程开放教育工科课程的引领式学习与考试测评新模式的研究

在远程开放学历教育中,工科类专业具有其独特的重要性：在国际上,一般是高质量的知名开放大学才设有理工科专业,如英国开放大学等;在国内,与高职高专蓬勃发展的局面相适应,电大的工科类专业近年来茁壮成长。然而,其开设专业所需设施与师资的高奈件要求,及其课程内容“难学”、“难考”等痼疾,是长期制约专业发展的瓶颈之一。为此,借鉴国外远程教育成功作法,构建新的引领式学习与考试测评新模式,对于探讨网络环境下理工科教学与管理有着十分重要的意义。     

基于新工科教育的应用型地方高校通信工程专业建设的研究与实践

在新工科建设背景之下,如何关注社会发展新需求,培养更多高质量通信工程专业应用型人才,是走向通信工程专业建设与发展的关键。本文则是以沈阳大学通信工程专业的建设为例,基于新工科建设的基本思想,更新了传统的教育理念,加强了目前的产教融合,探索出基于新工科教育的应用型地方高校通信工程专业建设模式。     

Empowering Engineering College Staff to Adopt Active Learning Methods

There is a growing consensus that traditional instruction in basic science courses, in institutions of higher learning, do not lead to the desired results. Most of the students who complete these courses do not gain deep knowledge about the basic concepts and develop a negative approach to the sciences. In order to deal with this problem, a variety of methods have been proposed and implemented, during the last decade, which focus on the “active learning” of the participating students. We found that the methods developed in MIT and NCSU were fruitful and we adopted their approach. Despite research-based evidence of the success of these methods, they are often met by the resistance of the academic staff. This article describes how one institution of higher learning organized itself to introduce significant changes into its introductory science courses, as well as the stages teachers undergo, as they adopt innovative teaching methods. In the article, we adopt the Rogers model of the innovative-decision process, which we used to evaluate the degree of innovation adoption by seven members of the academic staff. An analysis of interview and observation data showed that four factors were identified which influence the degree innovation adoption: (1) teacher readiness to seriously learn the theoretical background of “active learning”; (2) the development of an appropriate local model, customized to the beliefs of the academic staff; (3) teacher expertise in information technologies, and (4) the teachers’ design of creative solutions to problems that arose during their teaching.