Engineering Education

Utilising Digital Assessment Strategies for Theory & Practical Work in Mechatronics

CONTEXT

In recent times, education has become ubiquitous due to the digital revolution. It is now possible to learn from a plethora of online resources in formats such as text, audio, or video. Emphasis is now placed on 21st century skills which includes Information, Media, and Technology Skills (Trilling & Fadel 2009). These fall under the general umbrella of Digital Literacy Skills. While it is common practice to use digital formats for providing learning resources, many educators still prefer paper-based (handwritten and/or typed) or in-person methods for assessment. Hence, this paper discusses some options for moving towards digital assessment for theory work (such as tests) and practical work in mechatronics.

PURPOSE OR GOAL

To investigate the effectiveness of digital assessment for theoretical work (tests) and practical work in mechatronics vocational education in New Zealand. Student feedback will be analysed to determine acceptance/challenges and obtain insights into digital literacy skills development.

APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS

Two approaches for conducting tests via digital means are described and conducted. A method of using video submissions to assess practical work demonstration is also presented. Anonymous student feedback is collected via digital questionnaires to evaluate the appropriateness of the methods. The questionnaires primarily consist of multiple-choice rated questions and the analysis is performed by the digital platform.

ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES

Preliminary results and analysis suggest that students are not very comfortable with using online formats such as Microsoft Word document files for typing answers and inserting images for tests. This indicates a need to improve digital literacy skills. The use of videos to demonstrate practical work was considered favourable by the students since it allowed them to showcase their work at the time it was working. This can be beneficial when equipment is shared between students.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY

Digital literacy skills are vital for engineering students. Educators commonly use online resources in formats such as text, audio, or video for student learning. These formats should be applied to range of assessments (such as tests and practical work) as well. Students can learn or improve digital literacy via its inclusion in classroom activities and practice assessments.

KEYWORDS

Digital Assessment, Digital Literacy Skills, Media Literacy, ICT Literacy.

For more details on this project refer to the following conference paper:

1. Chand, P., AL-Rawi, M. and Khanna, J. Utilizing digital assessment strategies for theory & practical work in mechatronics.​ Australasian Association For Engineering Education AAEE 2020, 2020, Sydney, Australia. Available link1 and link2

Online Assessment Strategies for Mechatronics Courses During the Covid-19 Lockdown

SUMMARY

Covid-19 has presented challenges and opportunities for higher education. Blended and online delivery of courses has become increasingly relevant during lockdowns and physical distancing requirements. Delivering and managing online and digital assessment has been a crucial part of blended/online courses. This presentation discusses some strategies used for digital assessment of theory and practical work in mechatronics related courses at Wintec. Two methods used for conducting tests via digital means is discussed. A method of using video submissions to assess practical work demonstration is also presented. The appropriateness of the digital assessment methods is analysed via anonymous student feedback. Digital literacy skills are vital for engineering students. Students can learn or improve digital literacy via its inclusion in classroom activities and practice assessments.

KEYWORDS

COVID-19 Lockdowns, Online Assessment, Mechatronics.

For more details on this watch the conference video below:

Work-Integrated Learning in Mechatronics

SUMMARY

In recent times, the focus of higher education in engineering has shifted towards producing work ready graduates. This requires graduates to possess a variety of soft skills in addition to technical skills and knowledge based on their engineering specialisation. The soft and technical skills are often enhanced via student work placements. Workplace learning implemented as a formal aspect of higher education curricula is often called work integrated learning (Cooper, Orrell, & Bowden 2010). Within academic institutions, emphasis is also placed on project work and teamwork to build a range of soft and technical skills. Final engineering project ideas can come from sources such as students, teaching staff, or industry. These projects tend to be done by individual students and can be limited to single branch of engineering. In simulated work integrated learning, a scenario like workplace learning is created within an educational institution. This could involve a team of engineering professionals from diverse disciplines developing an engineering product. Hence, this research describes various innovative approaches to work integrated learning for engineering diploma students at a New Zealand polytechnic.

KEYWORDS

Engineering Projects, Simulated Work Integrated Learning, Teamwork, Inter-disciplinary engineering.

For more details on this project refer to the following conference papers:

1. Chand, P., Foulkes, M. and Thomas, S. Introducing Simulated Work-Integrated Learning in Engineering Diploma Final Projects.​ Work-Integrated Learning on the Rise, 2021, pp. 13-17, Hamilton, New Zealand. Available here

2. Chand, P., Foulkes, M., Kumar, A. and Ariyarathna, T. Using Simulated Work Integrated Learning in Mechatronics Courses.​ The IEEE TALE Conference, 2021, pp. 01-06, China (Online). 10.1109/TALE52509.2021.9678549

Engineering Graduate Attributes and Curriculum Design

Summary

Research in these areas focuses on designing engineering education study programmes to produce graduates for work/industry. Engineering education is central to technology creation and economic growth. It is a major contributor to human welfare. It is based on pure science, mathematics, and technology. It is about analyzing, modeling, and proposing solutions to day-to-day problems taking into consideration various constraints, such as, laws of nature, optimized cost and time, regulations and politics, and culture and ethical values.

KEYWORDS

Engineering demand; Graduate attributes; Curriculum map; Rubrics; Learning outcomes.

For more details on this project refer to the following conference papers:

1. Chand, P., Assaf, M. H. and Jannif, I. Implication of Curricula Design on Engineering Education. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering, 2012, pp. 67–71, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 10.1109/TALE.2012.6360377

2. Chand, P., Foulkes, M., Kumar, A. and Ariyarathna, T. Using Simulated Work Integrated Learning in Mechatronics Courses.​ The IEEE TALE Conference, 2021, pp. 01-06, China (Online). 10.1109/TALE52509.2021.9678549

3. Al-Rawi, M., Chand, P., Khanna, J. and Kumari, S. Developing soft skills to produce work-ready international graduate diploma students in engineering: A comparative study.​ Work-Integrated Learning on the Rise, 2021, pp. 1-5, Hamilton, New Zealand. Available here

4. Al-Rawi, M., Chand, P. and Khanna, J. Aligning Research Objectives with Student Learning Outcomes and Sustainability Objectives in Student Engineering Development Projects.​ International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, 2021, Available: https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2021-67913