Pbl In Engineering Education

PBL in Engineering Education: International Perspectives on Curriculum Change presents diverse views on the implementation of PBL from across the globe. The purpose is to exemplify curriculum changes in engineering education. Drivers for change, implementation descriptions, challenges and future perspectives are addressed. Cases of PBL models are presented from Singapore, Malaysia, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain and the USA. These cases are stories of thriving success that can be an inspiration for those who aim to implement PBL and change their engineering education practices. In the examples presented, the change processes imply a transformation of vision and values of what learning should be, triggering a transition from traditional learning to PBL. In this sense, PBL is also a learning philosophy and different drivers, facing diverse challenges and involving different actors, trigger its implementation. This book gathers experiences, practices and models, through which is given a grasp of the complexity, multidimensional, systemic and dynamic nature of change processes. Anette Kolmos, director of Aalborg PBL Centre, leads off the book by presenting different strategies to curriculum change, addressing three main strategies of curriculum change, allowing the identification of three types of institutions depending on the type of strategy used. Following chapters describe each of the PBL cases based upon how they implement the seven components of PBL: (i) objectives and knowledge; (ii) types of problems, projects and lectures; (iii) progression, size and duration; (iv) students’ learning; (v) academic staff and facilitation; (vi) space and organization; and (vii) assessment and evolution. The book concludes with a chapter summarizing all chapters and providing an holistic perspective of change processes.

The success of Problem Based Learning and Project Organised learning (PBL) as an educational method in the field of Higher Engineering Education is clear and beyond any doubt.

Engineering education leads the preparation of the next generation of engineers. This is a difficult task as engineering practices rapidly evolve, pressured by the technological advancements promoted by these same engineers. Engineering schools are integrated into large and rigid higher education institutions (HEI) that are not known for their agility. Nevertheless, engineering educators must have the agility to go beyond HEI boundaries to close the gap between professional practice needs and engineering education. Training Engineering Students for Modern Technological Advancement examines the role of engineering teachers in preparing the next generation of engineers and presents perspectives on active learning methods for engineering education. As such, it contributes to bypassing the compartmentalized way of course organization typical in many HEIs and prepares for more agile engineering education. Covering topics such as game-based teaching methods, Industry 4.0, and management skills, this book is a dynamic resource ideal for engineers, engineering professors, engineering students, general educators, engineering professionals, academicians, and researchers.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Project-Based Learning are teaching methods based on principles of student-centred learning, which target an interdisciplinary engineering curriculum. The transition from strictly traditional approaches in engineering education represents significant opportunities for change.

This second edition of Project-Based Learning (PBL) presents an original approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centric PBL. We define PBL as an “ill-defined task with a well-defined outcome,” which is consistent with our engineering design philosophy and the accountability highlighted in a standards-based environment. This model emphasizes a backward design that is initiated by well-defined outcomes, tied to local, state, or national standard that provide teachers with a framework guiding students’ design, solving, or completion of ill-defined tasks. This book was designed for middle and secondary teachers who want to improve engagement and provide contextualized learning for their students. However, the nature and scope of the content covered in the 14 chapters are appropriate for preservice teachers as well as for advanced graduate method courses. New to this edition is revised and expanded coverage of STEM PBL, including implementing STEM PBL with English Language Learners and the use of technology in PBL. The book also includes many new teacher-friendly forms, such as advanced organizers, team contracts for STEM PBL, and rubrics for assessing PBL in a larger format.

The Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research is the critical reference source for the growing field of engineering education research, featuring the work of world luminaries writing to define and inform this emerging field. The Handbook draws extensively on contemporary research in the learning sciences, examining how technology affects learners and learning environments, and the role of social context in learning. Since a landmark issue of the Journal of Engineering Education (2005), in which senior scholars argued for a stronger theoretical and empirically driven agenda, engineering education has quickly emerged as a research-driven field increasing in both theoretical and empirical work drawing on many social science disciplines, disciplinary engineering knowledge, and computing. The Handbook is based on the research agenda from a series of interdisciplinary colloquia funded by the US National Science Foundation and published in the Journal of Engineering Education in October 2006.

Future generations are being faced with the potential challenge of having to solve professional problems in a hybrid world in which there is no clear boundary between autonomous, non-human nature, and human-generated processes. This requires young students to effectively prepare themselves for managing issues of complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity in their professional practice. Global Perspectives on Fostering Problem-Based Learning in Chinese Universities is a comprehensive reference source that provides insight into the growing need for problem-based learning within higher education environments. Featuring a wide range of topics such as curriculum design, STEM education, and cross-cultural communication, this reference source is ideal for educators, instructional designers, academicians, administrators, and researchers.

Project approaches in engineering education are a relatively recent phenomenon in Portugal, Spain and Latin-America. Teachers, educational researchers and managers in engineering education are discovering the added value of team work, solving interdisciplinary open-ended problems in a meaningful learning environment that is similar to the professional context of future engineers. This book seeks to present a wide range of experiences of project approaches to engineering education, varying from mature to starting. It discusses different aspects of project approaches like project management, teacher training, assessment and institutional support. It also describes experiences taking place in a number of countries – Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Australia – in order to provide an overview of project approaches in different cultural backgrounds. It aims to encourage those who are considering project approaches in their own engineering education context, taking into account the advantages of training future engineers through project work, while being aware of the challenges that a shift from traditional education to a project may bring.