Professor Kjell Jeppson (IESD Director) Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, Sweden

1. Implementing Constructive Alignment in a CDIO-oriented Master’s Program in Integrated Electronic System Design (IESD) Professor Kjell Jeppson (IESD Director) Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, Sweden jeppson@chalmers.se

2. Gothenburg Göteborg is located on the west coast of Sweden, and is the second largest city. ~900,000 inhabitants in the region

3. Context of IESD • Chalmers • Sweden´s second largest technical university • In excess of 9,000 students • Chalmers Master´s programs • Chalmers decided in 2005 to comply with Bologna declaration; 4 ½ yrs >> 3 + 2 yrs • Programs and courses to become student oriented: based on intended learning outcomes (ILO) • Bologna-aligned master´s programs were launched in Aug 2007 • 49 different programs started

4. Development of the IESD program • Main concerns: • Teaching system design with substance • Catering for mixed student backgrounds • Key pedagogical features: • Student oriented with clear learning outcomes • Design practice • tools and methodology training • technology platform exploration

5. Learning outcomes • Chalmers´ master´s programs to be student oriented • Syllabuses to be rewritten • from topic oriented to student oriented • Syllabus defined from what student should be able to do after a learning experience, after a course and after the program is completed

6. Overall program goal The key goals of this program are to educate IESD graduates that are • able to work as productive engineers in an industrial team designing and building complex electronic products, • qualified enough to undertake graduate studies leading to a doctorate in the field of electronic system design

7. In particular this means that our graduates should be • proficient in the basic trade of conceiving, designing, implementing, and verifying complex electronic systems • able to analyze new technical challenges and to generate technical advancements at either • the electronic system level or • the device and circuit level • trained in the use of various CAD tools used in industry • aware of the fundamental limitations of • the design tools • the design methodologies • the technology platforms that represent current best practice

8. What is CDIO? The need for CDIO In recent years, industry began to find that graduating students, while technically adept, lacked many abilities required in real world engineering situations. Faced with the gap between scientific and practical engineering demands, we [at MIT] took up the challenge to reform engineering education. • The result of the endeavor is the CDIO Initiative.

9. Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate CDIO is an engineering education initiative that was formally founded by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). In 2000 it became an international collaboration, with universities around the world adopting the same framework.

10. The Essential Functions of an Engineer To enter the engineering profession graduating engineers should be able to perform the essential functions of an engineer: conceive – design – implement – operatecomplex value-added engineering systemsin a modern team-based environment.

11. Four parts of the CDIO syllabus Conceive - Design - Implement – Operate • Technical Knowledge and Reasoning • Personal and Professional Skills • Interpersonal Skills • CDIO

12. What is constructive alignment? • Constructive alignment is a principle used for devising teaching and learning activities, and assessment tasks, that directly address the intended learning outcomes in a way not typically achieved in traditional lectures, tutorial classes and examinations (Biggs and Tang, 2007). • Constructive alignment is the underpinning concept behind the current requirements for program specification, declarations of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and assessment criteria, and the use of criterion based assessment.

13. Constructive alignment • Learners construct meaning from what they do to learn. • This recognizes the importance of linking new material to concepts and experiences in the learner's memory, and • extrapolation to possible future scenarios via the abstraction of basic principles. • The teacher makes a deliberate alignment between the planned learning activities and the learning outcomes. This is a conscious effort to provide the learner with • a clearly specified goal, • a well designed learning activity appropriate for the task, • a well designed assessment criteria for giving feedback to the learner.

14. Constructive alignment Learning and teaching activities Designed to meet learning outcomes Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) Assessment Methods Designed to assess learning outcomes

15. Constructive alignment Home assignment Lecture/tutorial Hand-in Feedback Lab session

16. Program curriculum

17. Focus on spring project

18. Common portal courses

19. Design methodology

20. Electives: systems or MOSFET ckts

21. Results • International program in integrated electronic system design implemented • Curriculum – class • Examination results • Staff work load • Student work load

22. Examination results

23. Conclusion • Integrated Electronic System Design (IESD); a new international Master programhas been implemented and is its third year • three key pedagogical features have been successfully implemented: • Student oriented based on learning outcomes • CDIO • Constructive alignment