Syed Ahmad Helmi Syed Hassan

Cooperative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL): A practical PBL model for engineering courses

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an inductive learning approach that uses a realistic problem as the starting point of learning. Unlike in medical education, which is more easily adaptable to PBL, implementing PBL in engineering courses in the traditional semester system set-up is challenging. While PBL is normally implemented in small groups of up to ten students with a dedicated tutor during PBL sessions in medical education, this is not plausible in engineering education because of the high enrollment and large class sizes. In a typical engineering course, implementation of PBL consisting of students in small groups in medium to large classes is more practical. However, this type of implementation is more difficult to monitor, and thus requires good support and guidance in ensuring commitment and accountability of each student towards learning in his/her group. To provide the required support, Cooperative Learning (CL) is identified to have the much needed elements to develop the small student groups to functional learning teams. Combining both CL and PBL results in a Cooperative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL) model that provides a step by step guide for students to go through the PBL cycle in their teams, according to CL principles. Suitable for implementation in medium to large classes (approximately 40–60 students for one floating facilitator), with small groups consisting of 3–5 students, the CPBL model is designed to develop the students in the whole class into a learning community. This paper provides a detailed description of the CPBL model. A sample implementation in a third year Chemical Engineering course, Process Control and Dynamics, is also described.

System Dynamics Analysis of a Blood Supply Chain System

Supply chain is a complex system with many challenges to accomplish an important goal. Since the dynamical essence of supply chain is stemmed from the customer demands so decision making will be a major issue in this particular topic. However the decisions wont be usually in an optimum level because of the higher complexity of the system. In addition, the various supervisions of lots of groups with variety of managerial issues on different echelons have made some dilemmas to achieve the overall goal of the system. The aim of this study is developing a system dynamic model for better understanding of the blood supply chain behavioral pattern. Also the reflection of the current model is obtained and some comparisons among the current model and four different scenarios are investigated. The analysis at the end shows the system performance under four various investigated scenarios.

MCDM for engineering education: Literature review and research issues

The Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodology had been widely applied and accepted in businesses, industries and manufacturing sectors. However, there is a limitation of resources available on discussing the way of MCDM may applied in engineering education decision problems within university setting. The current economic crisis as well as the changes in the way Ministry of Higher Education providing funding to higher education institution had created a major shift in emphasis. Both public and private higher education institutions are facing increasing cost and declining revenue streams. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature which focused in seven majors engineering education decision problems: resources allocation, performance measurement, budgeting, scheduling, planning, obtaining resources, and evaluation. The paper carried out review of articles in international scientific journals and well known international conferences related to MCDM applications published within 2000 and 2016 inclusive. Related articles are reviewed and analyzed for the types of decision problems that were paid most attention to, MCDM approaches adopted, and inadequacies of those approaches. Some improvements and possible future works are recommended based on those inadequacies. The reviewed result will create an interest to university management as it is presented in an effective way to academic process improvement, resources allocation and achieving greater satisfaction among students.

Characteristics of Student Centred Learning from the Perspective of Engineering Lecturers

Student Centred Learning (SCL) approach is recommended worldwide in higher education. However, many engineering educators are reluctant to shift from teacher-centred to SCL approach because they perceive that effective teaching must heavily involve lectures and knowledge must be transmitted to the learners by the lecturer. This research seeks to identify engineering lecturers’ perspective on the characteristics of meaningful learning. The characteristics are compared to SCL characteristics as outlined by the How People Learn framework. Using data collected among engineering lecturers over two years at the beginning of training workshops on SCL conducted in various universities throughout Malaysia, the data is analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The results show the positive characteristics mentioned are SCL-related approaches, proving that SCL is a relevant teaching and learning approach in engineering because it is not only recommended by experts but also concurred by engineering lecturers when seen from their own learning perspective.

Motivating Engineering Students to Engage in Learning Computer Programming

Motivation is essential for successful engagement in learning. This factor is especially important in courses that are considered difficult and require high cognitive engagement such as computer programming. One of the approaches to motivate engineering students in learning is to create an effective learning environment. This paper presents a qualitative study on undergraduate engineering students’ motivation towards learning programming based on the How People Learn (HPL) framework. The HPL framework comprises of elements that can be considered by instructors to design an effective learning environment. The methods designed for this study are observations and interviews while thematic analysis is employed in analysing the data. Findings based on lenses of the HPL framework are presented. Several recommendations for improving the learning environment are summarized as part of the outcomes of the study.

Perception of complex engineering problem solving among engineering educators

According to the Washington Accord, skills to solve complex problems in engineering are important in the curriculum of engineering education. To fulfill the accreditation exercise, engineering educators must be able to design complex engineering problems to assess the learning of this important skill. Therefore, this research was conducted to explore what do engineering educators perceived as complex engineering problems and how did they design these problems in order to foster the skills among their students. A focus group discussion was conducted among 12 engineering educators. The audio recording was transcribed and analysed qualitatively. The result shows that only one engineering educator understands complex engineering problems and most of the attributes. The other were not able to tell more than three of the complex engineering problem attributes. As a conclusion, training on the attributes of complex engineering problems is needed to ensure that the teaching and learning of engineering programmes fulfill the accreditation criteria.