Christel Heylen

Problem solving and engineering design, introducing bachelor students to engineering practice at K. U. Leuven

A present-day engineer has a large scientific knowledge; he is a team-player, eloquent communicator and life-long learner. At the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the course ‘Problem Solving and Engineering Design’ introduces engineering students from the first semester onwards into real engineering practice and teamwork. Working in small groups, the students integrate basic principles of all regular scientific courses to solve real-life engineering problems. This makes the coursework more interesting and helps the students to master the abstract theories presented in lectures. Through the increasing complexity of the assignments, the students are gradually confronted with technical and social competencies such as a systematic approach to problem solving and engineering design, teamwork, project management and communication skills. ‘Problem Solving and Engineering Design’ has been implemented in the bachelor of engineering since September 2003. The current paper describes the course objectives, the way the course is implemented to support project-based learning and the feedback obtained from the didactic team and the students.

A technical writing programme implemented in a first-year engineering course at KU Leuven

Technical communication and technical writing are important skills for the daily work-life of every engineer. In the first-year engineering programme at KU Leuven, a technical writing programme is implemented within the project-based course ‘Problem Solving and Engineering Design’. This paper describes a case study for implementing a writing programme based on active learning methods and situated learning in large classes. The programme consists of subsequent cycles of instructions, learning by doing and reflection on received feedback. In addition, a peer-review assignment, together with an interactive lecture using clicking devices, is incorporated within the assignments of the second semester. A checklist of desired writing abilities makes it easier to grade the large number of papers. Furthermore, this ensures that all staff involved in the evaluation process uses the same criteria to grade and for providing feedback.