Polytechnic Design Thinking From the Beginning

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rustin Webster ◽  
Joseph Dues
Keyword(s):  
Success Rate ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Short Paper ◽  
Successful Completion ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Final Project ◽  
College Of Technology ◽  
Team Project

In August 2013, the Purdue University President and Board of Trustees designated the transformation of the College of Technology into the Purdue Polytechnic Institute as one of Purdue’s “Big Moves”. This transformation requires changes of enormous breadth and depth for everyone in the college. Now, almost half-way through the transformation, milestones and expectations continue to be met. However, much work is still to be done to fully execute a successful transformation. The transformation continues to allow faculty extraordinary opportunities to revise many parts of the college, including curricula, instruction methods, learning spaces, etc. A key characteristic of the transformation is creating learning environments that are student-centered with innovative instruction techniques. TECH 120 – “Design Thinking in Technology”, is a freshman level survey course designed to develop a student’s perspective and enhance their skills in living and working in a technological society while introducing them to the College of Technology — now Purdue Polytechnic. Prior to the fall 2015 semester, Purdue Polytechnic New Albany decided to redesign portions of their TECH 120 course. The aim was to improve team project-based learning opportunities while incorporating modernized teaching methods. With a fresh set of eyes and collaboration between new and tenured faculty the projects, lectures, and assessments were all analyzed looking for areas for higher level of innovation and creativity. The aim for the overall effort was to increase student success rate (i.e. successful completion of assigned project tasks) while improving the alignment with elements of the transformation. In past semesters, the course consisted of a mixture of traditional instructor-led lectures and a series of team projects. Each individual project part was intended to build upon each other while promoting the successful completion of a much larger final task. At the core of each project was LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT. The second generation set in the MINDSTORMS series is a programmable robotics kit that is based on robotics technology similar to that used in industry today. Each group (3–4 students) were given their own kit at the beginning of the semester. The final project statement was to design and build an autonomous robot which could identify and follow a light source attached to an instructor’s robot, which would be driven around a room. This task proved to be difficult and had a low success rate. The new project is to design and build a robot that autonomously draws the initials (first and last name) of each team member within an assigned writing zone on a poster. The constant and open collaboration between the two TECH 120 instructors and the incorporation of student input proved to be important during the redesign. The success rate at the end of the semester increased. From course surveys, data also shows that students’ enjoyment and interest in the final project increased. This short paper will describe the introduction to a team project-based activity in a polytechnic setting which uses modernized teaching methods. Preliminary findings and observations will be presented.

Project Management for Project-Based Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 247-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahron Williams van Rooij
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Schedule Management ◽  
Final Project ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Project Outcomes ◽  
Team Project ◽  
And Performance

This chapter reports the results of a case study in which the final project outcomes of small virtual instructional design teams using Project Management in an online graduate-level course are compared with teams using a less-structured approach. Based on the findings, the author offers the following recommendations for structuring project-based learning in small virtual teams: (a) assess through pre- or in-course questioning individual motivators of success and performance in virtual teams, (b) provide teams with templates with which to document roles, responsibilities, milestones and key deliverables, and (c) offer time and schedule management tips to reinforce/extend entry skills in team project management and participation. This case study can serve as a resource to eLearning practitioners seeking research-based best practices for both managing and participating in project teams that may have limited human and material resources and that may be distributed over a number of geographic locations and time zones.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Project-Based Learning at a Polytechnic in Malaysia: an Input Aspect Evaluation Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadrina Sadrina ◽  
Ramlee Mustapha
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Final Project ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
Model Project

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Polytechnic in Malaysia. This study was designed with Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) model. Project-Based Learning is a different approach than the traditional learning in the sense that it is a student-centered learning approach based on the principles of constructivism. However, this present paper focused on the input aspect with comparing students’ and supervisor’ perspective. The input dimension assesses the module and supervisor’s readiness. This study involved a random sample of 118 students and 43 supervisors in the Mechanical Engineering Department in Polytechnic Kota Bharu Malaysia. The instrument used in this study were a set of questionnaire. The study found that both the students and supervisors agreed that Project-Based Learning approach is appropriate for the final project course J5012. In addition, both groups of respondents believed that the supervisors possesed adequate technical knowledge and implemented supervisory duties effectively. Nevertheless, students perceived the module content was hard to understand.

Project Management for Project-Based Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 1190-1206
Author(s):  
Shahron Williams van Rooij
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Schedule Management ◽  
Final Project ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Project Outcomes ◽  
Team Project ◽  
And Performance

This chapter reports the results of a case study in which the final project outcomes of small virtual instructional design teams using Project Management in an online graduate-level course are compared with teams using a less-structured approach. Based on the findings, the author offers the following recommendations for structuring project-based learning in small virtual teams: (a) assess through pre- or in-course questioning individual motivators of success and performance in virtual teams, (b) provide teams with templates with which to document roles, responsibilities, milestones and key deliverables, and (c) offer time and schedule management tips to reinforce/extend entry skills in team project management and participation. This case study can serve as a resource to eLearning practitioners seeking research-based best practices for both managing and participating in project teams that may have limited human and material resources and that may be distributed over a number of geographic locations and time zones.

scholarly journals Conceptions of Learning and Teaching for Faculty Who Teach Basic Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Carvalho ◽  
Francis C. Dane ◽  
Shari A. Whicker
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Approaches To Teaching ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Teacher Centered

Abstract Introduction Conceptions of learning and teaching refer to what faculty think about teaching effectiveness. Approaches to teaching refer to the methods they use to teach. Both conceptions and approaches range from student-centered/learning-focused (active learner engagement) to teaching-centered/content-focused (passive learner engagement). This study explored how faculty teaching experience influenced faculty conceptions and their approaches to teaching. The authors hypothesized that more experienced educators appreciate and apply active learning approaches. Methods The authors used a cross-sectional survey to collect anonymous data from the Basic Science faculty at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM). The survey included the Conceptions of Learning and Teaching scale (COLT; Jacobs et al. 2012) and demographic information. They assessed instrument reliability with Cronbach’s alpha and examined relationships between variables with correlation and chi-square and group differences with ANOVA. Results Thirty-eight percent (50/130) of faculty responded to the survey. COLT scores for student-centered (4.06 ± 0.41) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than teacher-centered (3.12 ± 0.6). Teacher-centered scores were lower (p < 0.05) for younger (30–39, 2.65 ± 0.48) than older faculty (50–59, 3.57 ± 0.71) and were negatively correlated with using multiple teaching methods (p = 0.022). However, 83% (39/50) reported using both traditional lectures and active approaches. Discussion Faculty conceptions about teaching showed appreciation for active learning, but a tendency to use traditional teaching methods interspersed with student-centered ones. Teaching experience was not related to faculty conceptions but was related to their teaching approaches. The amount of time dedicated to teaching was related to the appreciation of active learning, and young teachers were more student-oriented.

scholarly journals Towards a signature pedagogy for design and technology education: a literature review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt McLain
Keyword(s):  
Technology Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Design And Technology Education ◽  
Signature Pedagogy

AbstractDrawing on the work of Lee Shulman, this article reviews literature exploring the concept of signature pedagogies, which are described as having have surface, deep and implicit structures. These structures are complex and changing; concerned with habits of head, hand and heart. Emerging from professional education and now being explored in STEM and Humanities education, they are characteristic forms of teaching and learning that are common across a sector. Common themes emerge from within a range of disciplines including art, built environment, design, music, religious, social work and teacher education. These include the roles of the curriculum, the teacher, the learning environment, as well as capability, uncertainty and the challenges associated with signature pedagogies. Focusing on literature from design education, the paper explores the nature of signature pedagogy in design and technology, as a tool for professional discourse. The conclusions propose a discursive framework for design and technology education in which the structures are tied together by the three fundamental activities of ideating, realising and critiquing; more commonly thought of as designing, making and evaluating. The deep structure being project-based learning, undergirded by the implicit values and attitudes associated with design thinking; including collaboration, creativity, empathy, iteration and problem solving. Design and technology education has something unique to offer the broad and balanced curriculum through its signature pedagogies and the way that knowledge is experienced by learners.

Ten Years of Positive Feedback on Project-Based Learning From First-Year Engineering Students’ Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabela C. Alves ◽  
Francisco Moreira ◽  
Celina P. Leão ◽  
Sandra Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Continuous Improvement Process ◽  
On Line

Abstract Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an active student-centered learning methodology. Several schools (of varying degrees of education) have implemented, in different ways, PBL, having as common strands that the student learns in teams, and being challenged in the context of a case-scenario. In Portugal, a PBL methodology has been implemented, in the first year of an Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program, for more than 15 years. This represents a total number above 700 students of IEM enrolled in PBL during the reported timeframe. A continuous improvement process of the PBL activities was relentlessly pursued during such period. Grounded on end-of-term on-line PBL process satisfaction questionnaires, as well as on results of each PBL edition final workshops, this paper studies and reports on a number of such achievements and shortcomings. Thus, this paper presents the analysis of the results of ten academic years of PBL evaluation process, grounded on the compiled results obtained from 2009/10 to 2019/20. Also, a synthesis of the effective findings (either positive or negative), systematically pointed out by the students, will be presented. Altogether, the PBL implementation in the IEM program has been very positive for students and teachers and worth for others to follow.

scholarly journals Meta Analisis Pengaruh Integrasi Pendidikan STEM dalam Model Project Based Learning Terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Izzah ◽  
Venny Mulyana
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
And Mathematics

Education is essentially an activity carried out by students which results in changes in themselves. This principle implies that what must be prioritized is the learning activities of students instead of something that is given to students. STEM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) can train students to apply their knowledge to create designs as a form of solving environmental problems by utilizing technology. The learning model recommended for use in the 2013 curriculum is a student-centered learning model, one of which is the Project Based Learning model. This study will analyze how much influence STEM education with the PjBL model has on student learning outcomes. This study uses a meta-analysis method. determined via the Effect Size (ES). Research data were obtained from 25 national and international journals. The meta-analysis study is based on three categories, namely education level, subjects and student learning outcomes. The results showed that; first, the influence of the PjBL model of STEM education based on the level of education is most effective in SMP. ES value = 1.89 and categorized as high. Second, based on the type of subject, the most effective influence of the PjBL model of STEM education is Mathematics. ES value = 3,7 and categorized as high. Third, based on student learning outcomes, the influence of the PjBL model of STEM education is the most effective in the aspect of skills. ES value = 1.68 and categorized as high.

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