Wednesday, the 29th of August: Planning project work, supervision and assessment

1. Wednesday, the 29th of August: Planning project work, supervision and assessment 8.30 Presentation of the mini project, assessment and questions 9.30 Planning a project work Ideas of Project Work + PBL Themes Controlling different projects Gabs Blooms taxonomy 9.45 Exercise (Make 1-3 project proposals (different types) for a given semester) 10.10 Coffee break 10.30 Supervision Tasks of the supervisor Tools Contracts An example Tasks Group classification Roles of the supervisor Facilitator interventions What about students cooperation? Assessment The hidden curriculum Basic assumptions Assessment - practice Points 12.00 Lunch

2. Reflection-in-action, missing: • Mess at the higher levels KOM problem • How to make project proposals Examples must wait • Drawbacks of using the Aalborg model Gab’s to day • More about other teaching systems Next year • Differences in skills, e.g. DTU/Aalborg Experiences from companies • What information is available from the study boardLook at the Internet • God and bad story’s I will try to remember, more next year • Supervising final project’s Compare as we go along supervision • Evaluation of presentations Put into assessment • There should be developed general guidelines for teachers from the study board. You could start with some of this material (handouts). Turned over to the study board • Maybe there should even be a booklet for foreigners entering Aalborg University Turned over to the foreign office

3. Presentation of the mini project • Each group present the results from their project yesterday afternoon • The other groups and the lecturer comments both the presentation and the results

4. Ideas of Problem-based Learning • As a learner-centred process, problem-based learning meets the learners' interests and as such gives room for developing learning motivation. • Furthermore, problem-based learning emphasizes a development of analytic, methodical and transferable skills.

5. Ideas of Project Work + PBL Project work is a way of organizing the learning process that lead to development of abilities to: • formulate objectives, aims and goals • start and end a project • analyse and specify problems or objectives • analyse and specify criteria for solution • write reports • collaborate, organize and plan the working process • handle projects • manage oneself

6. What is a theme? A framework for teaching and learning • an area where technological development and human, social economic and political development are explicitly linked and mutually interact

7. Methodological themes Specification of the overall engineering methods/disciplines to be applied - but not specification of the area of specific engineering to which the method should be applied. There must be possibility to allow a broad range of different areas, e.g.: • modelling of dynamic systems • design of engineering constructions

8. Problem oriented themes Concentrating on issues which are common to all engineering areas, e.g: • working environment, • natural resource consumption • pollution

9. What is a good theme? • Must inspire and motivate the students, pose a challenge • Broad to be able to integrate specific technical knowledge • Clear description • what is it all about • actuality • state of the art • some of the problems to be solved • technological implications • clear relation to subjects/discipline • project examples

10. Controlling different projects

11. Gaps Deep under- standing project project Traditional teaching focused on a broad overview ????? ??? The student understanding need not remember exemplarity - interdisciplinary

12. Levels of understanding - Bloom • Knowledge • memorize • Comprehension • translation,interpretation • Application • Use, in new situations • Analysis • uncover relations between entities • Synthesis • Building something new of the entities • Evaluation • Judging

13. Planning a project work Conclusion: • The project proposals should be in good correspondence with the theme of the semester • Propose a problem project if possible

14. Exercise • Choose a semester you know something about • Prepare 1-3 project proposals (different types) for the semester

15. Coffee break until 10.30

16. Tasks of a supervisor • In the beginning of a project: • Help to find appropriate literature • Help establishing contacts with companies ect. • Discussing the project proposal with the students • During the whole project period: • Commenting both oral and written presentations/memos/working paper • Continues assessment of the professional level of both group and individual • At the end: • examination

17. Tools for supervision • Setting learning objectives - Bloom • Contracts • Students peer assessment • Process analysis (only first year) • Change of the teaching role towards: • facilitation • dialogue

18. Why Contracts: Create common expectations and clear agreements. • Content could be: • face to face meetings? (whenever possible) • how often are you going to have meetings? (once a week) • how long meetings (1 hour) • where? (in the group room) • agenda • chair of the meeting • students own objectives for the period • supervisors objectives for the period • areas of response to the Aworking papers@ during the period: • Language, structure, details, methods • external contacts • response to the group process

19. An example: project supervision Prepare the meeting by reading the working papers, reflecting the project structure and details, and formulate your own objectives for the meeting. • let the students be responsibly of the agenda • start discussing the agenda • points in mind: • the contract (formative evaluation) • external contacts • the structure of the project • the working process • Ask questions about the content of the working papers

20. Tasks for a group meeting • Planning tasks • Subject tasks • Social aspect where in the process? where in the educational progress? which type of project? types of students, experienced project managers, good or poor, social aspect Depending on:

21. Characteristics for a well functioning group: • Common goal or objectives • Agreement about group standards • The members ”plays” all the necessary roles • All group members respect the others

22. Co-operation: group classification

23. Roles of the supervisor • The group member • Takes over responsibility for the project work • Very active in choice of theory and methods • Gives answers in stead of asking questions • The visitor • Stands on the sideline, ready to kick or withdraw • Points out directions where to seek answers • The students own the project • The consultant • Only activated on request • Only answers the questions asked • leave all decisions, planning and control to the group

24. Roles of the supervisor - 2 Discuss the following questions: • Is one of the roles better than the other? • Do all groups need the same role? • Could it be useful to change roles during a project period? • Do you think your role will change when you gets older and more experienced?

25. Roles of the supervisor - 2 Discuss the following questions: • Is one of the roles better than the other? • The students learn the most from the visitor • Do all groups need the same role? • No, e.g.. A hierarchic group don't need a consultant • Could it be useful to change roles during a project period? • Yes, in some periods try to be a consultant • Do you think your role will change when you gets older and more experienced? • Often young supervisors become group members

26. Facilitator interventions • summarizing • mirroring • asking open-ended questions • use why, how, what, where • dynamic list of question • feedback as rethinking loudly

27. What about students cooperation? How can the supervisor find out - and what to do? • ask to the way the students organize the work and discuss the working process • ask to special project functions • discuss objectives for the organizational aspects • individual consultations • feel the atmosphere - be present • let the student discuss • try to involve all the students

28. What about students cooperation? - 2 Put on the students agenda when starting the project: • level of ambitions • how to share the work • discipline of meetings • how to solve conflicts • social relation

29. Assessment - the hidden curriculum The aim of the study goals objectives Teaching and learning methods: PBL and project work Forms of the exams and criteria

30. Basic assumptions • Examination is dominating the students learning approach • Criteria for evaluation are crucial for the learning process • Personal skills, metalearning etc. need formative evaluation forms • Evaluation is a basic part for the learning process (reflection) • Education is forming identity

31. Assessment - practice Peer group Project group Supervisor and (external) censor

32. Points • Criteria and methods of self and peer assessment has to be integrated in the summative examination • Evaluation/reflection has to be part of the learning environment - both as structures and at the informal level • Supervisor has a role to play in facilitating students peer assessment

33. Project supervision • Changing focus from product to process • Students opinion • Example of supervision - Video

34. Lunch until 12.45

35. 12.45 Introduction to role-play 13.00 Exercise: Role-play of a supervising situation 14.10 Coffee break 14.30 Exercise continued 15.30 Assessment of course (reflection-on-action) What have we accomplished according to your expectations? What is missing according to your expectations? Which subjects from the course do you need the most in the next months? Are you well "equipped" to start teaching (both as lecturer and supervisor)? If not: What do you need more? Would it be a good idea to meet again and share experience e.g. in November and again after theProject exam in January 2002? 16.00 End of course

36. Role-play • Six role plays/advising situations that describe various group situations will be held. The particular topics the groups will work with and where the group work will take place will not be stated in advance but is chosen by the group, e.g. your project from yesterday. • The role plays illustrate an advisor meeting. • The group will have already given an agenda to the advisor (which topic the group wants discussed at the advisor meeting) played by a person from another group. • The group's members assign roles between themselves, so that the outlined situation in the role play occurs. • Each role play lasts approximately 7 minutes. • Each play is commented by 6 observers.

37. Assessment of course Reflection-on-action: • What have we accomplished according to your expectations? • What is missing according to your expectations? • Which subjects from the course do you need the most in the next months? • Are you well "equipped" to start teaching (both as lecturer and supervisor)? • If not: What do you need more? • Would it be a good idea to meet again and share experience e.g. in November and again after the Project exam in January 2002?