le.ac.uk

1. An Integrated Approach to Design Teaching in a General Engineering DepartmentHongbiao Dong, Andrew Norman, Andy Willby, Abdelwahab Aroussi, John Fothergill www.le.ac.uk Department of Engineering University of Leicester UK

2. This talk will be about: • Introduction • Integration of design throughout the undergraduate curriculum • Implementing project based learning using CDIO concepts • Evolution of project based learning in Leicester • Composition of design teams • Key activities in our second year design • Promoting active learning • Integrating technical and professional skill training • Concluding remarks

3. Leicester 9th largest city

5. Typical activities in 1st and 2nd years Integration of design throughout the undergraduate curriculum

6. Design – an Integrated approach 1st Year Design 2nd Year Design 3rd Year Design • Modules in: • Management • Risk, reliability and quality • Design Study Management • Technology and Society 4th Year Design 12th GRADE 12th GRADE 12th GRADE AEROSPACE AEROSPACE AEROSPACE ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC MECHANICAL MECHANICAL MECHANICAL GENERAL GENERAL GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONIC ISC ISC ISC EMBEDDED SYSTEMS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

7. Implementing project based learning using CDIO concepts • Evolution of project based learning in Leicester • Composition of design teams • Key activities in our second year design • Promoting active learning • Integrating technical and professional skill training

8. Evolution of project based learning in Leicester Partial Design * Total Design * * Pugh S., Total Design, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1991

9. Composition of Design Teams

10. Key activities in our second year design Christmas Easter

11. Promoting active learning Four levels of learning and teaching: • Level 1: Learning is up to the students A teacher’s responsibility is to know the content well and to expound it clearly. When the students do not learn well, then it is due to something the students are lacking. • Level 2: Teaching is treated as a performance Teacher obtains an armoury of teaching skills. However, the teaching is focused on the skill itself, but the effectiveness of learning is dependent on student s. • Level 3: Teaching is seen as supporting learning Learning can only be effective if it is engaged by learners. The teacher’s responsibility is to set up an environment of learning activities and assessments . • Level 4: Students take control The level is the ultimate aim of higher education. The focus is on how the student can manage what they do, initially within framework created by the teacher, but ultimately creating their own framework. A student cannot operate effectively at level 4 without having experienced level 3. * Briggs 1999 ** Goodhew P.I., Bullough T.J., in proceedings of 1st CDIO conference, June 7 to 8, 2005

12. Our Students’ Learning style ** Kolb, D.A., Experiential Learning, Prentice Hall, 1984 A recent survey a Leicester found out: using the Approaches to Study Inventory * • Medical students most likely to take a deep approach to learning • Law students differ in their reasons for study – largely external to subject matter • Most engineering students are visual and sensing learners. – Engineering students like to learn from the concrete experience, such as experiments, being the basis for observations and reflections, which allow them develop a 'theory'. * Entwistle, N. Styles of Learning and Teaching, David Fulton, London, 1988

13. Integrating technical and professional skills training (I)

15. Integrating technical and professional skills training (II) • Team work A result of team work effort with clear individual contributions. The collaboration and team spirit is a key issue for the success for their design. • Real-life experience in managing design team MEng students act as line managers of the design team. They are responsible for the overall technical and people management together with budget control. • Communication and leadership training • Structured communication – design report and interview • Non-structured communication: frequent discussions to build consciousness among all members of the teams and styles of each person. • Foundation for leadership development for students during university years. • Planning self-learning, as the foundation for lifelong learning and CPD.

16. Concluding Remarks The integrated approach emphasizes the need for systems and product design approach, and adopts the CDIO concepts in the design teaching. The exercise of our design teaching provides students with a platform to think across discipline-specific engineering fundamentals. The adoption of CDIO concepts enhances active Learning The integrated approach provides students with an opportunity to develop professional and leadership skills

17. Acknowledgement The Engineering Department at Leicester would like to thank the Royal Academy of Engineering for offering the Visiting Design Professorships and all our Visiting Design Professors. All authors thank the late Colin Morrison for his long time contribution to our design teaching.