Prue Howard

Changing paradigms for professional engineering practice towards safe design—an Australian perspective

Abstract Engineers have a duty of care to end users of the systems they design under current statutes and at common law. Considerations such as cognitive compatibility and usability of equipment and system design are becoming issues of increasing importance, as society becomes more reliant on information technology and automation. That engineers contribute to human error in these systems through latent design error and poor management decision-making is well documented. Therefore, the role of engineers can be considered integral to positive outcomes in workplace safety. This research offers an opportunity to understand why engineering design work may be contributing to human error on part of the operator, and offers hope toward a future when engineers will embrace safe design principles. This cross sectional study examines the relationship between professional engineering education and ergonomics. This research specifically addresses the attitudes of engineers to the inclusion of ergonomic principles in engineering practice and in undergraduate engineering curriculum. It was found that the surveyed members of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) had a positive attitude toward the inclusion of ergonomic principles in their design practice. The intensity of their attitude was more positive if they had some previous exposure to ergonomic training. At present few engineering faculties systematically include ergonomic principles in their design courses. The most encouraging finding was the overwhelming support for the inclusion of ergonomic principles in undergraduate engineering curriculum. This finding was complimented by current literature suggesting a changing engineering paradigm, one that would facilitate and embrace these concepts, encouraging promotion of sustainable engineering design well into the future.

Human-centred engineers: a model for holistic interdisciplinary communication and professional practice

Abstract There are many challenges facing graduate engineers in a rapidly changing world. Engineers of the future will require abilities previously not considered ‘core’ to their professional practice. This research is aimed at the development of an enhanced understanding of the human component in system development and operation in both engineering and human factors graduates. Consideration of ‘human factors’ in engineering design will reduce the likelihood of human error, resulting in a safer, more efficient work environment for all stakeholders. The synergy of practice of the two disciplines of engineering and human factors, through an innovative teaching model, such as the one currently being developed, will ensure that graduates from both disciplines will become leaders in their professional practice. This model is being developed through an action research project. The findings indicate that the two disciplines must learn to work together during the entire design process. It is not enough to simply educate the engineers in the basics of human factors and the human factors practitioners in the basics of the design process. True integration is needed to achieve the synergy. Relevance to industry Current engineering education prepares graduates well in terms of technical solutions, but very poorly in terms of social design skills. This paper informs a paradigm change that will encourage continued technical reliability, but enhanced social responsibility.

Developing a conceptual model for the effective assessment of individual student learning in team-based subjects *

Assessment of student learning in team-based subjects can be challenging, as the inherent complexity in this learning environment can create ambiguity for academic staff and students alike. This five-institution research project gathered data from academic staff and students about their experiences with assessment in team-based settings, data which served as a support for the development of a conceptual model for effective assessment of individual student learning in this highly collaborative setting. This paper reports on the research design of this on-going project, the conceptual assessment model, and the future directions for the project itself.

Influences on Student Learning in Engineering: Some Results from Case Study Fieldwork

Abstract This paper closely examines factors affecting students’ progression in their engineering programs through fieldwork conducted at three Australian universities. To extract clues on how specific teaching methods can be used to maximise learning, the investigation considered factors such as understanding how students take in, process and present information. A number of focus groups were conducted with students, and the data gathered was combined with survey results of students’ and academics’ learning styles. The paper reports on the process followed and provides some analysis of the gathered data, as part of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Associate Fellowship program.

Exploring Synergies between Learning and Teaching in Engineering: A Case Study Approach

Abstract Understanding how we take in, process and present information as part of the learning process, provides clues on how specific teaching methods can be utilised to maximise learning. The literature suggests that a mismatch between learning styles or preferences and teaching styles and approaches may present a barrier to learning and contribute to attrition. This paper presents some early findings of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Associate Fellowship program, involving three universities, which uses a case study approach to explore the interactions between students’ learning styles on the one hand, and lecturers’ teaching styles, goals and philosophies, on the other. The paper also initiates discussions on how teaching approaches may be tailored to address the diversity of students’ learning styles over the duration of the engineering program, to enhance their learning experience and outcomes.

Strategies to Remove Barriers and Increase Motivation to Use the Tablet PC in Formative Assessment

Background: The Tablet PC has been employed to provide feedback through formative assessment to students in preparatory mathematics courses at Central Queensland University for close to a decade. A study conducted in 2011 on formative assessment and feedback given via the Tablet PC within these courses conveyed extremely positive outcomes (Adams, Dekkers and Elliott, 2012). Approximately 90% of the 140 students surveyed found the feedback beneficial to their learning and that assessment was returned, on average, within two to four days . These findings would indicate that these methods should be adopted into mainstream higher education courses (Adams, Dekkers and Elliott, 2012). Purpose: This paper investigates how engineering academics can be encouraged to integrate the use of the Tablet PC to improve student understanding of course content through formative assessment feedback. In particular it looks at the barriers and motivators for using the Tablet PC. Design/Method: Building on the research and experiences of staff involved in the use of the Tablet PC to provide feedback on formative assessment in preparatory mathematics courses, strategies are to be developed to implement and improve these practices in undergraduate engineering courses. Using a grounded theory methodology, the research team have a two stage process. Stage one which is reported on in this paper uses the observations of the team to identify the barriers and motivators. Results: Based on the results obtained from studies conducted on the utilisation of Tablet PCs in preparatory mathematics courses, incorporation of the technology into engineering undergraduate courses would appear to benefit students. Stage one identifies the motivators and barriers and how these impact the uptake of the Tablet PC within the engineering school of Central Queensland University. Conclusions: The Tablet PC is both an innovative and adaptive form of technology which is able to support the teaching and learning process. Through the recognition of the observed positives and negatives of Tablet PC application in other courses strategies will be implemented that remove the recognised barriers and provide benefits thus encouraging engineering academics to use the Tablet PC to provide feedback on formative assessment.

Navigating the Scholarship of Integration: Insights from a Maze

This chapter explores the meaning of the term “scholarship of integration.” In doing so, it uses self-investigation (reflective practice) to chart the first-named author’s journey in the scholarship of integration. It also suggests a theoretical approach based on institutional logics, and it unpacks two generic skills that the authors consider to be particularly critical to the practice of this scholarship: precision and multiplicity. Applying a different logic to a maze helps to highlight paths not perceived by an original logic—those camouflaged by rituals or taboos, and hidden traps. Traversing the scholarship of integration carries its own risks and requires its own specialised skills.