Design Engineering Curricula to embedThreshold Learning Outcomes

Roger Hadgraft and Sue Wright8 Nov 2010

Part of the ACED led ALTC project addressing engineering graduate outcomes

Learning and Teaching Academic Standards ProjectThe Australian Learning and Teaching Council has received funding from the Australian Government for this project.

The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council or the Australian Government.

4 components of the project

• Revision of Stage 1 Competency Standards• Engineering pathways• Attrition and Retention• Graduate Certificate module (this part)• 2 previous workshops, each 2 days on teaching and

learning issues• Now this one day workshop on curriculum design

Some key issues

• The intention is that today’s workshop model can be implemented in your own school

• Recognize that participants are at different stages and come with different intents• Learn from each other while nudging at your needs and

interests• What is meant by curriculum design? • Includes Outcomes, Activities and Assessments – where, when

and who etc. What is meant by authentic implementation?• Important to realize that effective change can be

implemented in small ways

Overview

• Introductions and define your Needs• Make sense of the graduate outcomes for your

program – write the brochure• Map your curriculum – do, assess and/or teach• Identify gaps – what evidence will you provide?• What resources are available to plug the gaps?• Forming a national collaboration

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Context of standards – TEQSA

• New Higher Education Quality and Regulatory Framework• To regulate the sector against agreed standards for

higher education. • Government committed to active involvement of disciplines

in defining standards.

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Standards Framework

TEQSA Registration• Provider standards: infrastructure, resources, etc• Qualification standards: AQF• Information standards: myUniversity websiteTEQSA Quality Assurance• Learning and Teaching Academic Standards: Learning

outcomes• Research standards: Excellence in Research for Australia

Initiative (ERA)

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Learning & Teaching Academic Standards Project

To define threshold learning outcomes for selected disciplines or programs as defined in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

What is the essence of Engineering & ICT?(February Forum)

1. Context & Systems (Need/Problem definition)2. Design processes (problem solving)3. Modelling (disciplinary knowledge)

Gaps identified in workshops

• The ability to solve open-ended problems is quite often missing from graduates’ abilities. Thinking around roadblocks, …rarely one answer …

• Lack of appreciation in environment and sustainability; risk application in engineering

• Focus on basic engineering principles – more emphasis on computer skills and applications

• Ability to communicate in a formal genre or in emails and reports to non-engineers; public speaking skills

• Personal traits, eg humility, drive, confidence

1. Needs, Context + Systems• Understand the problem

2. Problem solving and Design

3. Abstraction and Modelling

4. Coordination and communication

5. Self management• and reflective practice

5 major outcomes

Needs, Context and Systems

Graduates must be able to:• Identify, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs, • establish priorities and the goals, constraints and

uncertainties of the system (social, cultural, environmental, business etc.),

• using systems thinking, • while recognising ethical implications of

professional practice.

Problem solving and Design

Graduates must be able to:• Apply problem solving, design and decision

making methodologies to develop components, systems and/or processes to meet specified requirements,

• including creative approaches to synthesise alternative solutions, concepts and procedures,

• while demonstrating information skills • and research methods.

Abstraction and Modelling

Graduates must be able to:• Apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline

fundamentals to analysis, design and operation, • using appropriate computer software, laboratory

equipment and other devices, • ensuring model applicability, accuracy and

limitations.

Coordination and Communication

Graduates must be able to:• Communicate and coordinate proficiently by

listening, speaking, reading and writing English for professional practice,

• working as an effective member or leader of diverse teams,

• using basic tools and practices of formal project management.

Self management

Graduates must be able to:• Manage own time and processes effectively by

prioritising competing demands to achieve personal and team goals,

• with regular review of personal performance as a primary means of managing continuing professional development (lifelong learning).

1. Needs, Context + Systems• Understand the problem

2. Problem solving and Design

3. Abstraction and Modelling

4. Coordination and communication

5. Self management• and reflective practice

5 major outcomes (reminder)

• Where is this outcome taught in my program?• How do the outcomes at each year/level of the

program build the final outcome?• How will we assess the outcomes? • What evidence will we show the accreditation

agency?

For each outcome …

Where are you at?

• You may be asking: What are other people doing? What are useful curriculum models and solutions?

• Or you might be further along: How might we implement? How do we get other people on board?

• Or you might have established a curriculum framework but now need to know eg how to conduct group-based project work; how to teach team skills

• Or you might be at the stage of asking: How do we provide good assessment against these outcomes?

• Or you might be at a different phase altogether…

So, please introduce yourself

• Something brief about yourself and where you’re from

• Where are you at? • What is next for you? • What do you need to know and be able to do at

this point? • What do you want by the end of the day?

Outcomes lead the way

• The tension between being too specific and being too vague – eg what does “developing awareness” look like?

• Restructuring the curriculum around high level outcomes• What essentially do you want your graduates to take out

of your program that they transfer to novel contexts?

Basic Principle of Active Learning

• “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.

• ... what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does.” (Thomas Shuell, 1986)

ACTIVITY 1 – the Brochure

• Write the brochure (narrative) for your course/program.

• Make explicit [to a potential student or parent] how your program will deliver the essential outcomes for the engineering graduate of the 21st century.

• How is each outcome developed through your program?

• If you have time, tell the detailed story at each year level.

• REPORT

ACTIVITY 2 – Mapping

• Map your program against TLOs using a simple 1,2,3 model:

1. Do2. Do and Assess3. Do and Assess and Teach

• Provide one of our accreditation tables as an example

In more detail …

• Using the provided template map one (or more) of the 5 TLOs through your program. Use colour if doing more than one.

• Identify on your grid where further curriculum development is required. • Eg you do teamwork but don’t assess. You do and

assess teamwork but don’t teach.

Consider ...

• Who initiates the TLO; who extends etc? Who is responsible for maintaining robust and current perspectives / evaluation and links with other academics against this TLO?

• Consider individual tasks, subjects, sequences (vertically), semesters (horizontally), the whole program – at least 4 levels of integration

• REPORT

ACTIVITY 3 - Implementation

• Choose one of the key gaps that have been identified from the previous reporting session.

• Develop a strategy to implement it in your program.

• What assistance will you need?• What resources are available? (Network with

others to see what is happening elsewhere).

Where to from here?• Promulgate best practice teaching, learning and

assessment materials• http://aaee-scholar.pbworks.com • Engineering Education Resources Exchange (prototype)

• https://sites.google.com/site/eereexchange/

• Develop rubrics that document the required attainment• Develop ‘best practice’ teaching and learning resources• Develop communities of practice around the TLOs• Research how all of these steps can be integrated to

deliver a higher quality educational system• Opportunities for future ALTC grant applications.

Thank you

PO Box 2375 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 AustraliaTelephone 02 8667 8500Facsimile 02 8667 8515

www.altc.edu.au

11 February 2010