A framework for the progressive development of transferable skills throughout an undergraduate engineering programme

Gavin Duffy School of Electrical Engineering Systems, College of Engineering and the Built Environment.

Reflective practice and self assessmentPerhaps the most important of the transferable skills is that of self-directed lifelong learning. In this poster, this does not mean taking a continuing professional development (CPD) module once a year. This means the development of self analysis and evaluation skills normally referred to as a reflective practice. The graduate should be able to observe and analyse his/her performance in any situation before evaluating or judging it so that modifications and improvements can be planned for the future. This transcends and is beneficial to all forms of learning but is very important in group learning. There is much to reflect on in group learning as it is student centred and it’s success is very much down to the individual performance of each student. It is important that the student becomes aware of how one learns at the beginning of the programme, what his/her preferred learning style is and how this relates to commonly accepted learning cycles so improvements can be made. S/he should learn to write accurate accounts of behaviour during the learning event and begin to critically analyse to identify strengths and weaknesses; in other words, a correct self-analytical approach should be developed. As with all effective formative assessment, quick and regular feedback to the student should be provided to facilitate this development. The student should then progress to evaluating how good or bad the performance was and identifying how to improve performance. Graded self-assessment is more honest when an effective reflective practice has been developed and should be initially based on criteria provided by the tutor. In the final stages, the students should be able to develop their own criteria for self-assessment and will greatly benefit from that approach after graduation.

The group-based project-driven approachDevelopment of these skills can be achieved without the need for extra modules if they are integrated with the technical content in a group-based project-driven approach. Students are divided into groups of 4 to 5 and presented with a series of short problems or one long project and is commonly known as problem-based learning. In years 1 and 2 a very large emphasis should be placed on the learning process which seeks to evaluate how each individual in the group manages him/herself. These criteria include effort made to understand and question other members, check for mistakes, accept and complete tasks on time and report back, teach others and help maintain a good group dynamic. A key aspect to the success of this approach is the self-directed phase where the student completes the task s/he accepted and prepares to report back to the group. Here is the opportunity to develop lifelong learning and information literacy skills and the student should equally reflect on his/her performance in this phase and on the group meetings. Marks are also provided for group products such as presentations or artefacts made by the group but the emphasis in early stages of the programme should be on the process and each individual’s contribution to the group. This will encourage the development of a well functioning group which then becomes more likely to produce good results. This demands much time from the tutor in the early stages but as students become used to group work and more practised in self-directed learning less emphasis on assessing the process is needed. In the later stages of the programme the students should become more self reliant and the payback on staff time can be realised.

Notes and acknowledgements

This project started in September 2009 as one of the teaching fellowships in the then Faculty of Engineering and is a work in progress that will finish in June 2010. Some lecturers on the BE in electrical engineering decided to become involved in the project and there is now a module using a group-based project-driven approach in each year of the programme. This method of teaching also has a very large impact on laboratory management and the support of the technical officers has been very important in facilitating this approach. The project consists of developing the above framework for implementation in this BE programme. The project is aligned with the DIT learning and teaching strategy. The input of the Head of Learning Development in the College of Engineering and Built Environment in all aspects from project planning to tutor workshops has been invaluable and we also have the full support of the Director who is very keen to see a move to student-centred learning. It is planned to continue with this change in the coming years so this teaching fellowship project will have a lasting impact.

BibliographyAlverno College. Faculty., Loacker, G., & Alverno College Institute. (2000). Self assessment at Alverno College. [Milwaukee, Wis.]: Alverno College Institute. Boud, D. (1995). Enhancing learning through self assessment. London ; Philadelphia: Kogan Page. Miflin, B. M., Campbell, C. B., & Price, D. A. (2000). A conceptual framework to guide the development of self-directed, lifelong learning in problem-based medical curricula. Medical Education, 34(4), 299-306. Moesby, E. (2007). What is an effective approach to introducing PBL/POPBL in an institution? Aalborg: Faculty of Engineering, Science and Medicine. SCONUL. (1999). Briefing Paper, Information Skills in Higher Education: The Society of College, National and University Libraries, UK. Tiberius, R. G. (1999). Small group teaching : a trouble-shooting guide. London: Kogan Page.

Ethics

Reflection

Communication

GroupWork

DisciplineContent

TransferableSkills

DisciplineContent

DisciplineContent

withTransferable

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Programme without integration Integration started Full integration of disciplineand transferable skills

Introduction

Today’s engineering graduates are entering a rapidly changing world in terms of economy, energy and technology. Many graduates end up in different disciplines or even professions than their education prepared them for and hence they must be able to adapt quickly to change. This is reflected in a change in the programme outcomes specified by accrediting professional bodies both at home (Engineers Ireland) and abroad (ABET in the US for example). Transferable skills such as communicating to a varied audience, problem solving, ethics, ability to work individually and in a team, and lifelong learning, now comprise half of these programme outcomes. Although all of the engineering programmes in the DIT were recently accredited the same may not hold true in the future if a more rigorous examination of the attainment of transferable skills is carried out. This poster summarises an initiative to progressively develop transferable skills that is being carried out in the School of Electrical Engineering Systems as part of a teaching fellowship project.

Progressive development of transferable skillsThere exists in any programme a clear and logical development of discipline specific knowledge. Engineering students learn the fundamentals of science in year 1 before seeing how these are applied in their discipline in years 2 and 3. They are therefore prepared for the advanced specialist modules in the final years. One might argue that a student transferring from another discipline in year 2 may need to work hard to get up to speed on electrical circuit theory for example. The argument here is that the same approach should apply to the other half of the programme outcomes required by accrediting bodies. A clear and logical progressive development of these skills should exist in the programme so the students can move from beginner to intermediate to advanced. For example, group based activities are often unsatisfactory because students do not know how to work in a group and find it hard to talk to each other, negotiate, question a team member, offer and defend an idea; they seek answers from others in authority and do not look to themselves. A very large emphasis should be placed on developing group skills in years 1 and 2 and less emphasis should be needed in year 3 and very little in year 4. (In fact, a common requirement in many programmes is that students do an individual or group project in the final year but there is rarely evidence of development of the skills needed for this). Likewise for communication; the final year student should be able to deliver a professional presentation and take questions afterwards. S/he should also be able communicate effectively in a team environment and to a varied audience. The full 4 years of the programme should be used to build these skills. Now one might argue that the transferring student should work hard to get up to speed on group work, presenting, self-directed learning and any other transferable skill that may be lacking.

Item Feature Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Problems Duration Short Short Short or long Short and long

Reflection Observe behaviourAnalyse performanceEvaluate performanceSelf assessmentLearning style

++++NoneIdentify own style; thinks about how we learn

+++++++Based on criteria provided by tutorBecome more aware of learning and how to improve own style

++++++++++ Based on criteria provided by tutorIs aware of how learning occurs, shows how it is being modified

++++++++++++Based on criteria provided by student

Communication PresentationWrittenGroup work

Much guidance & feedback, short on simple topicsGuided, simple structure providedIntroduce to small group discussion, learn how to discuss in a group and make sure everyone is involved

Much feedback, on more complex topics, with groupMore professional structure provided; start to use appropriate voice and tenseBecome more adept at small group discussion; learn to discuss with tutor

Same + with robust questioning from tutorImprove on previous + appropriate referencingAssist group focus, identify and solve problems, comment on group process

Individual, long on large project, much questioning, professional deliveryVariety of structures and styles used, correct judgement of when to use appropriate styleGroups should be almost autonomous, intervention rarely needed by tutor

Information Literacy(Based on SCONUL framework)

Recognise information needDistinguish ways of addressing gapConstruct strategies for locatingLocate and accessCompare and evaluateOrganise, apply and communicateSynthesise and create

+++++++

+++++++++

+++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++

Role of tutor Manage discussion/guide learningProvide knowledgeAssess processAssess product

++++++++++++

+++++++++++

+++++++++

++++++++

Table 1. Proposal for the progressive development of transferable skills (currently being developed based on a literature review as part of this project)

Figure 1. Different models for delivery of transferable skills. Figure 2. Robosumo, a group-based project-driven module that integrates development of technical knowledge and transferable skills