Constructionarium

1. The University Perspective Constructionarium

2. Our “hands on” education on campus is limited to “lab scale” Design teaching uses models but it doesn’t teach construction decision-making and risk reality Our wave tanks does not incur the same risk awareness as building over water Dr Mike Cook of Buro Happold brings us industry “know-how” but cannot bring industry scale to the classroom

3. university contractor Teaching team designers Industry scale is too risky, expensive & alien for academics alone Design engineers from industry “thinks big” (much bigger than classroom scale) and “thinks risk” and “thinks creative” Contractor from industry: “thinks big” and “thinks risk” and “thinks logistics”. Contractors HANDLE risk as an everyday matter, at a scale not encountered in university labs. They deal with, not avoid, risk. Academics understand students and have field trip experience, pastoral care & welfare, academic assessment, cross-link to curriculum, understand project-based learning, supply PhD students and lab staff (as teaching assistants), experience in dissemination of education ideas; expert on nurturing students (who are HEI ‘clients’, not ‘employees’)

4. But even industry was nervous at firstLearning curve for teaching team thus: • 2003: the dam was “thigh high” • 2004: the bridge was beautiful 5m • 2005: the scale doubled to 10m bridge • 2006: too big? 25m steel pier built in fear • 2007: comfortable with an array of sizes but all require industry “process” (not DIY) • 2010: ran 10 projects simultaneously (ouch)

5. Distinguish it from work experience • Work experience teaches work “culture” • Exposes student to a “slice” of hands-on life • Cannot send 100 students to one employer • Cannot monitor 100 different employers • Assessment not easy • Client needs take priority over student needs • Student remains a student or junior engineer (cannot take decisions of a chartered eng’r) Constructionarium is academically efficient: fits timetables, serves industry, is easy to mark, teachers control the challenge, observable, repeatable, develops skills, enhances technical understanding, inspires, yields shared memories

6. Constructionarium effects: • “Concrete and steel” replace “paper and glue” • Motivates and inspires students (beyond mere technical learning). “I am” not “I will be” • Completes the theory-design-construction triangle of knowledge • Staff team now more sophisticated in its understanding of student potential/limits • QUICKLY SPREAD to 16 universities Useful: Freedom to adapt to teaching plan/style

7. Versimilitude? Nuclear engineering education needs to look at new build as well as implementing/operating Constructionarium challenges would pull new build to the front of students’ minds Costings: we inflate costs to mimic real-life costs Safety: it is the student and staff safety on the line. Real H&S risk outguns theory H&S always Time: 5 working days for big things Quality: client negotiates final contract settlement • Case studies only go so far • Models only go so far • Reality goes further, even at scale

8. What happens to the student? • Prep: technical, mindset, safety, skills • On-site for 6 days, 5 nights • “Know-how” meets “know-why” • Increased employability skill-set • Earn marks? earn respect! • Make decisions • Do more, faster • Reflect • Student engineer • Minimal discipline issues • Practical engineers shine • Reassess student “potential” Student tell-tale: the backpack

9. How do we know the impact? • Observation on site: just watch them • Output by the student teams • Reactions of industry participants • Reactions of students when interviewed (Imperial students told JBM accreditors that Constructionarium was “the best thing” in the degree) • Student pride & sense of self as an engineer

10. Learning outcomes or “threshold experience”? First principles: it must be right to have hands-on experience, no matter what role taken. LOs differ from student to student, (but same true for medics on clinical practicals in hospitals). • Could have a “checklist” approach? • Could have a team “reflective journal”? • Could have individual logbooks? • Could have a casestudy presentation followup? Could trust the students to benefit without pinning down the immediate LO: treat it as a “threshold experience” to benefit follow-up classes/modules.

11. Nuclear engineering adaptation Nuclear industry needs graduates willing to engage Nuclear industry new build will be big Nuclear industry operational will be big/long-term Nuclear industry needs different culture from norm Teaching staff not experienced in nuclear build/ops Opportunity to be interdisciplinary CPD expansion opportunity

12. CASESTUDY: Why adopt constructionium?MSc nuclear engineering at Imperial • Students with wide range of backgrounds (Chem, Mech, Civil, Elect, Mat Eng + physics, chemistry). • Aim to provide the broader understanding of nuclear engineering on top of their specialist degree. • Constructionarium provides a chance to experiencenuclear culture not just learn about it. i.e. engage with nuclear safety culture. • Gets students who may be involved in new build but aren’t civil engineers to understand some of the problems with design, supply chain etc that new build will face. • Gives the real sense of new build ishappening rather than just something that may happen in the future. • Strong possibility of use, in future, for decommissioning studies, Mechanical and Electrical engineering. • Constructionarium was mentioned by Georges Servière, adviser to the CEO of EDF, in his lecture at Imperial recently. Fair to say industry think it is a good idea!