THE CDIO APPROACH

TO ENGINEERING EDUCATION:4. Engaging Students in Their Learning

and Assessing That Learning

November 2007

CDIO AS THE

CONTEXTTHE CDIO SYLLABUS

INTEGRATEDCURRICULUM

INTRO TO ENGINEERING

DESIGN-IMPLEMENT

EXPERIENCES

WORKSPACES

LEARNING

FACULTY COMPETENCE

ASSESSMENT

PRO-GRAM

EVALU-ATION

WHY WHAT

HOW

HOWWELL

SESSION FOUR

SESSION FOUR OBJECTIVES

Give examples of active and experiential

learning methods

Describe a variety of methodsto assess learning

Recognize the importance ofaligning curriculum, teaching,

learning, and assessment

RATIONALE FOR ENGAGING LEARNERS

“The teacher’s fundamental task is to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving the desired outcomes.

Remember that what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does.”

-- Thomas J. Shuell

(Courtesy of Queen’s University Belfast)

CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT

What shouldstudents know orbe able to do as aresult of thecourse?

How can studentsdemonstrate that theyhave reached theintended learningoutcomes?

What activities areappropriate for

students in order toreach the intended

learning outcomes?

Teachingand learning

activitiesAssessment

Intendedlearningoutcomes

Intendedlearning

outcomes

ACTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

ACTIVE LEARNING

Engages students directly in thinking and problem solving activities

Emphasis on engaging students in manipulating, applying, analyzing, and evaluating ideas

Examples:Pair-and-ShareGroup discussionsDebatesConcept questions

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Active learning in which students take on roles that simulate professional engineering practice

Examples:Design-implement experiencesProblem-based learningSimulationsCase studies

CONCRETE

EXPERIENCE

REFLECTIVE

OBSERVATION

ABSTRACT

GENERALIZATION

ACTIVE

EXPERIMENTATION

Tutorials, Activities, Labs, Simulations

Lectures: Concepts, Models, Laws

Design-Implement Projects, Field Work

Journals,Portfolios,Lab Notes

USING A VARIETY OF METHODS

(Adapted from Kolb, 1984)

METHODS THAT ENGAGE LEARNERS

Concept Questions

Pre-Class Readings & Homework

Case Studies and Simulations

Cooperative Learning

Learning Objectives

Muddiest-Part-of-the-Lecture

Cards

Project-Based Learning

Ticking

Circle the teaching and learning methods used in your course or program.

CONCEPT QUESTIONS

• Focus on a single concept

• Are not solvable by relying solely on equations

• Reveal common difficulties with the concepts

• Have several plausible answers based on typical student misunderstandings

SAMPLE CONCEPT QUESTION

To maximize endurance, an airplane must fly in a manner that

1. Minimizes drag

2. Maximizes drag

3. Maximizes the lift/drag ratio

4. Maximizes power available

5. Minimizes power required

SAMPLE CONCEPT QUESTION

Social negotiation promotes learning because students

1. Have opportunities to evaluate their own understandings

2. Are placed in situations with students they wouldn’t otherwise meet

3. Learn the principles of workplace negotiations4. I have no idea

TICKING

• Students are asked to prepare solutions to a set of problems. All students work on the same set of problems

• At the recitation or class session, students tick on a list the problems they are willing and prepared to present

• Students are chosen at random to present the problems on the board - one student per problem

• The student must demonstrate an honest effort to prepare the problem, and be able to lead a classroom discussion to a satisfactory solution. Should they fail in this, their ticks are cancelled (for that session)

• Ticking at least 75% of the problems is required, or rewarded with bonus points, or similar

• Note that the reward is given for the ticks. As the purpose is purely formative, the quality of presentations does not affect the grade

COMMENTS ABOUT TICKING

WHAT STUDENTS SAY:

“I now realize that in every course before this, I have only solved problems to get them done, without thinking really.”

“This gave me motivation to prepare for class, because I did not want to stand up and say that I couldn’t do it.”

This is the first time I have seen friends, who are generally weaker students, really “get it”.

WHAT INSTRUCTORS SAY:

“Suddenly, students don’t want to leave! They stay and work after class, discussing alternative solutions. During all my years as a teacher I have never seen anything like this.”

“This raised the level of the whole course. The lectures, as well, have become interesting to students, now that they have the basis for understanding them.”

(Courtesy of KTH-Royal Institute of Technology)

KEY PRINCIPLES

• Generating time on task

• Generating appropriate learning activities

• Providing prompt feedback

• Providing feedback that the students pay attention to

• Helping the students internalize criteria for quality

It’s about improving what the student does.

(based on Gibbs, 1999)

COOPERATIVE LEARNING (JIGSAW)

Divide the class into groups of three or four. These are students’ base groups.

Within each group, count out the number of concepts to be learned.

Students move to the group with all the same number, e.g., all the 1’s together.

In this new group, students discuss the assigned concept. They decide how they will teach this concept to their base groups. They can use sketches and examples to clarify the concept.

Students return to their base group and teach their concept to the whole base group.

When all groups have learned all the concepts, check for understanding.

PROCEDURE

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING

• What are some of the ways that I can check to see if you understand the concepts you learned in the Cooperative Learning Jigsaw activity?

• What is the role of the instructor with cooperative learning activities?

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING

• What are some of the ways that I can check to see if you understand the concepts you learned in the Cooperative Learning Jigsaw activity?

• What is the role of the instructor with cooperative learning activities?

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

• Student-centered and self-directed

• Organized around real-world problems

• Focused on authentic skills

• Collaborative• With faculty as facilitators

BEST PRACTICE

CDIO Standard 8 -- Active Learning

Teaching and learning based on active and experiential learning methods

CDIO Standard 11 -- Learning Assessment

Assessment of student learning in personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills, as well as in disciplinary knowledge

CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT

What shouldstudents know orbe able to do as aresult of thecourse?

How can studentsdemonstrate that theyhave reached theintended learningoutcomes?

What activities areappropriate for

students in order toreach the intended

learning outcomes?

Teachingand learning

activitiesAssessment

Intendedlearningoutcomes

Intendedlearning

outcomes

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Performance Assessment

Design Project Assessment

Peer and Self- Assessment

Reflective Journals and

Portfolios

Learning Objectives

Circle the assessment methods that you use in your course or program.

Informal Assessment

Self-Report Instruments

INFORMAL ASSESSMENT

• What did you learn so far today?What did you learn about?

What did you learn how to do?

What do you have more confidence about, or change your opinion about?

• Without looking at your notes, write three or four things you learned.

NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

Procedure

When everyone has finished writing at least three responses, ask the first person for one response from his/her list.

Record the response so that everyone can see it. (Do not discuss; simply record.)

Go to the next person, ask for a different response. A person who does not have any different responses to

add to the common list simply passes. Continue around the group until all different ideas have

been named (nominal) and listed. Summarize the responses.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Design ConsiderationsStudents prepare and present a

performance of a valued activity, e.g., oral presentations and technical briefings, problem-solving, teamwork

It is the process itself that is assessed

ProcedureUse rubrics that address specific

criteria relevant to the process and scales with 3 to 5 levels of mastery

CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW

DESIGN PROJECT ASSESSMENT

Design ConsiderationsA project whose focus is on the

development of a tangible product

The product itself, the process, and quality of reasoning are all assessed

ProcedureUse rubrics that address

specific criteria relevant to the product, process and quality of reasoning and scales with 3 to 5 levels of mastery

SAMPLE DESIGN PROJECT ASSESSMENT

• Product Assessment– Built to

specification– Time

• Team Collaboration• Written

Documentation• Reflective Journal

(Courtesy of Chalmers University of Technology)

Formula Student Project

SAMPLE DESIGN PROJECT ASSESSMENT

• Product Assessment– Built to

specification– Course completion– Time– Number of trials

• Team Collaboration • Articulation of robot

logic

LEGO Robotics

(Courtesy of Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

ACTIVITY: MUDDIEST-PART-OF-THE-LECTURE CARD

What is still “clear as mud” to you?

What teaching, learning, and assessment methods can you introduce or improve in your courses?