Keynote 3: Aruna Shekar
Educating Students for the Future: Building Problem Solving and Innovation Skills through Product Development Projects
|
Aruna Shekar |
Profile
Dr Aruna Shekar is a Senior Lecturer in Product Development at Massey University’s School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, New Zealand. Her research interests are in product development management, consumer research, product innovation process, methods and best practices. She has taught at Massey for seventeen years, and has coordinated the final year product development projects with industry. She is a Foundation Board member of the Product Development & Management Association in New Zealand (www.pdma-nz.org).
Aruna received her PhD in Product Development from Massey University, and has supervised several postgraduate students.
She is interested in fostering critical thinking about the role of product development and engineering entrepreneurship in society. This leads to a systems view and an interest in identifying emerging opportunities in the area. She has a methodological bias towards action-research and project-based learning, and is therefore involved in partnerships with industry on product development projects.
Born in India, Dr. Shekar has lived in New Zealand for 25 years including a couple of years in Australia. She has worked in three different countries, which allows her to bring a diverse, international perspective to both her research and teaching. "I have always believed that my role as a Senior member of staff goes well beyond teaching the principles and concepts from a textbook. I explain theory with interesting examples from industry."
Abstract
Research and new trends in engineering education clearly emphasise the importance of practical application of theory, creativity and innovation as key skills required for problem solving. The world has changed rapidly in the last decade and major changes such as globalisation, technological advances, inter-connectedness, and accessibility to information influence the way current and future generations of students learn. Educators are finding it challenging to fit in new material into a full curriculum in a timely manner. Research with industry professionals indicates that they require graduate students to be able to think critically, analyse problems, create innovative solutions and communicate effectively. The Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) have stated that “There is a need for professional engineering graduates who are “rounded” and not just technical boffins -many of the existing graduates do not have strong “soft” skills. Graduates entering industry have technical knowledge that is largely theoretical, and industry needs to invest considerably to close off the knowledge gap between principles as taught and codified knowledge as used in industry.” There is an urgent need to improve the way 21st century students are educated and prepared for their future professional work.
Project- based learning (PBL) is a successful approach that addresses some of these challenges and needs. The PBL method of learning and teaching requires a new mindset and a change of role for both students and teachers. Students are active learners and are involved in hands-on activities, while teachers are facilitators who provide guidance to students, and encourage students to think and work through the problem situation. The author and her colleagues have found that this method increases student motivation, and allows them to apply their theoretical knowledge in an interactive environment, where they discuss concepts with each other and also with staff. Students learn to research and define the problem clearly, explore the solution space for more than a single solution, learn to iterate and improve their designs to develop an appropriate solution that meets the objectives. Students learn the key skills of problem solving progressively, starting with simpler applications through to more complex problem solving. A comparison is made of this progression in learning by examining the three best reports from each course, starting in semester one, through to semester three. In addition to these reports, student logbooks, reflection on practice, classroom observations and student interviews by staff, have provided evidence of student learning.
Based on a review of the literature, experience in project-based teaching, and feedback from staff and students, a number of specific recommendations are made on educating students on the key design and practice skills required for the future. These best practices are relevant to many engineering disciplines and can be applied to most subjects across the curriculum. Massey University has run PBL courses in product development engineering for several years, and has recently expanded this method to include all of the engineering disciplines. This allows for problem solving by a team of multi-disciplinary students and collective learning. International projects are also included for all first year engineering students, through the Engineers without Borders (EWB) organisation. As a result of doing these courses, students have stated there is an increase in their confidence in making decisions and a better understanding of how engineering principles relate to real-world problem solving. The presentation will cover: the criteria for successful PBL, the benefits of this style of learning alongside traditional theoretical courses, assessment methods, recommendations, and also provide evidence of the learning of key concepts through a range of practical examples.
