Towards active learning in first year manufacturing engineering modules

Student passiveness has been identified as a particular problem in a first year module of a Manufacturing/Mechatronics Engineering course at the City University of Hong Kong. Lecturers teaching Design Engineering and Analysis 1 & 11 in the BEng (Hons) have sought to introduce the students to aspects of the engineering design process as well as fundamental engineering concepts in ways designed to overcome student complaints of boredom often associated with a teaching approach perceived as too theoretical. Strategies aimed at bringing and element of 'fun' into the module and promoting active learning have been introduced in an attempt to combat low student motivation. These strategies are aimed also at encouraging students to use other than surface approaches to study to meet the module's assessment demands.

Early revaluations indicated that overall the strategies have achieved positive results - student motivation has increased and a sense of enjoyment, ownership and achievement has been created in the module. However, one disappointing aspect of the project is that, to date, these positive results have not been reflected in the students' attitudes towards groupwork, a major element of the strategies employed.

(At City University of Hong Kong the terms 'course' and 'module' describe programs of study and their component parts respectively.)

Two issues affecting higher education in Hong Kong: Their impact at CityU

1. In Hong Kong there appear to be two hierarchies operating which affect student first-choice preferences to tertiary institutions. The first is to do with the actual institution itself, i.e. it is perceived by students to be more desirable to study at Institution A as opposed to Institution B, while the second has to do with which particular disciplines students choose to study.

   In general, the first of these hierarchies remains relatively stable, changing little over time while the second is liable to change somewhat more dramatically depending on various social, political, and economic force in play at any particular time. However, of the two hierarchies seeming to exist, the first appears to be more significant. While in the final analysis students value studying at any university, a student unable to study their first choice discipline at their first choice institution would be more incline to change their choice of discipline rather than change their choice of institution. The reality of such a situation for "newer" institutions such as CityU is that some discipline areas find that their first year intakes contain significant numbers of students who have little understanding of the discipline they have enrolled in nor do they have any great professional commitment to that discipline.

   The influence of this feature in the Hong Kong context is compounded, perhaps more so than other parts of the world, because of the great value placed on a tertiary education. Gaining a position in a higher education institution is very significant both to the individual student and to their families. It is a matter of "face".

2. The second issue adding to the particular nature of higher education in Hong Kong relevant to this paper has to do with the prior learning experiences students bring with them to the higher education institutions. Both anecdotal experience and recent research findings (Biggs, 1992; Gow and Kember, 1990; Balla, Stokes and Stafford, 1991) suggest that Hong Kong first year students employ surface approaches to study - approaches which have been described (Biggs, 1989) as barriers to commonly held goals in higher education.

   As with their counterparts around the world, Hong Kong higher education students bring to the learning situation particular motives and conceptions of learning which influence the approaches to study they use to achieve their academic goals. In part, these approaches to study reflect the students' secondary school experience - experiences which in the Hong Kong context are often regarded as narrow and restricted. Since the 1980s, Hong Kong Education Commission Reports have expressed concern over the narrow range of teaching strategies employed in secondary schools. The concern is that such limited teaching strategies result in a restricted learning experience for students which, in its turn, develop within secondary graduates few skills with which to cope with the demands of higher education.

CityU: The problem and solution through active learning

It appears that tertiary teachers rely more on intuitive understandings of active learning that on commonly accepted definitions of the concept. Even so, most practitioners would acknowledge that active learning requires students to...

" ... do more than just listen. They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems. Most importantly, to be actively involved, students must engage in such higher order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Within this context, it is proposed that strategies promoting active learning be defined as instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing." (Bonwell & Eison, 1991. p iii)

Experiential learning focuses on developing an understanding of any particular subject matter through a process of reflecting on personal experience gained through interacting with that subject matter. Its advocates (eg, Kolb 1983) point out that a dimension of relevance is added to student learning when they are encouraged to consider how their understanding of specific concepts/subject matter changes as a result of reflecting on the consequences of related experiences. Group learning assists in promoting active learning by providing a context within which students are able to work collaboratively with their peers. Studies (eg, Harri-Augstein & Thomas 1991) have indicated that having opportunities to discuss ideas/issues with peers contributes positively to students enhancing their understanding of a particular topic.

Active learning is not new to ME. The mechanism used within the department to emphasise active learning is referred to as Student Centred Activities (SCA) - activities specifically developed by ME lecturers to encourage active learning. They are included in modules at all levels of the course to facilitate understanding of, and motivate interest in, the fundamental concepts of the discipline. The SCAs are designed to optimise experiential learning and group work, however, it is worth noting that SCAs developed for Engineering Design and Analysis 1 & 11 take the concept of group work well beyond simply 'discussing' ideas with peers. Groups are structured so as to provide students with the contexts within which to set, examine and solve relevant problems and so to enhance student understanding of the relevant concepts.

How the SCAs in Engineering Design and Analysis 1 & 11 have been developed through an action learning/teaching research model has been described elsewhere (Li and Stafford, 1995). The authors reported that introducing elements of 'fun' into the SCAs -moving from 'too serious paper-based' activities to considering problems from a point of view of 'define, design and build' solutions - added positively to levels of student motivation and achievement. Specifically, the students indicated that they found SCAs based on solving problems in a practical way more interesting and more challenging than those focused on somewhat more traditional paper-based activities. The students also reported that the active experience helped their understanding of the basic concepts being considered and appeared to develop a greater sense of ownership among the students. These perceived changes were not achieved by sacrifices in the perceived level of difficulty. Finally, these "gains", in their turn, led to more intrinsic motivation being reported by the students.

The focus of investigation

Edward Nehfer, writing on the Internet (28 July 1995), listed a number of activities that he found useful in overcoming exactly the situation met by the investigators at CityU. He advocated (i) starting small group teaching from the beginning of a module not half way through; (ii) quickly, regularly, and carefully explain to first year groups why the technique is being adopted; (iii) conduct regular monitorings to find out how your small group sessions are progressing - don't wait till the end of module evaluations; (iv) be prepared to "teach" the skills necessary for successful small group learning; (v) start slowly - don't expect too much; (vi) record when and why problems occur and be prepared to modify future sessions; and (vii) persevere even if your teaching evaluations go down. However, what would be of interest to the authors would be more specific comments/discussion from colleagues who have introduced small group situations successfully to first year students or indeed any students who have little or no experience/exposure to the techniques.

*** The authors acknowledge that this situation may reflect flaws in the instrument used (Attachment 1) or the administration procedure used. In fact, this is currently being examined as part as the ongoing cycles within the Action Learning/Teaching Research model.

References

Biggs, J.I. (1989). Approaches to the enhancement of tertiary teaching. Higher Education Research and Development, Vol 8, No 1, pp7-25.

Biggs, J.I. (1992). Why and how do Hong Kong students learn? Using the learning and process questionnaires. Education Paper 14, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong.

Bonwell, C.C. & Eisen, J.A. (1991). Action Learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No1, Clearinghouse on Higher Education, The George Washington University, Washington.

Entwistle, N., Thompson, S., & Tait, H. (1992). Guidelines for promoting effective learning in higher education. Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction. University of Edinburgh.

Gow, L. and Kember, D. (1990). Does higher education promote independent learning? Higher Education, 19, pp307-322.

Harri-Augestein, S. and Thomas, L. (1991). Learning Conversations: The self-organised learning way to personal and organisational growth. London: Routledge.

Kember, D. and Kelly, M. (1992). Using action research to improve teaching. HK Polytechnic Occasional Paper. Hong Kong.

Kolb, D.A. (1983). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New York. Prentice Hall.

Li, L. and Stafford, K. (1995). Creating fun for first year manufacturing students: A case study of enhancing learning. Paper presented at the Improving University Teaching Conference, Hong Kong.

Attachment 1: Questionnaire

1. This questionnaire is being used to tap students' learning at different stages of the module for course enhancement purpose. Please read each item carefully and indicate your attitude to each of the statements on the SURVEY FORM provided.

   Strongly Agree				Strongly Disagree
   5	4	3	2	1
   A	B	C	D	E

2. When you mark on the survey form, please use HB pencil and fill in the answer frame completely as shown in the marking instructions.

1. I often work with a group of friends in my private study.
2. I prefer working within groups to working individually.
3. I am interested in engineering as a subject.

4. I have understood the concepts of engineering design.
5. I know how to conduct engineering analysis.
6. I know how to apply the knowledge, concepts and theories that I have been taught to the design of mechanical parts.

7. been interesting.
8. stimulated me to ask questions and seek out my own answers from available resources.
9. deepened my interest in the engineering design process.
10. enabled me to apply the knowledge of engineering analysis to the practical solution of relevant problems.
11. developed my ability to tackle practical problems in engineering design.
12. developed my presentation skills.
13. improved my communication skills.
14. given me a sense of achievement.
15. developed my desire to work in the field of Manufacturing/Mechatronic Engineering in future.

16. I enjoy working in groups.
17. I find group work an effective way to generate new ideas.
18. I find myself able to learn more from group work than working on my own.
19. I find myself able to work effectively in a team.
20. I find myself able to motivate and organise others to work in group work situation.
21. I feel that working in groups has helped me develop a greater sense of responsibility.
22. I feel I have learned to respect and consider others' viewpoints through the group work.
23. I think engineering design involves (please write below):

Authors: Ken Stafford, Professional Development & Quality Services, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Email: pdken@cityu.edu.hk Li K.Y. Lawrence, Manufacturing Engineering Department, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Please cite as: Stafford, K. and Li K.Y. L. (1996). Towards active learning in first year manufacturing engineering modules. Different Approaches: Theory and Practice in Higher Education. Proceedings HERDSA Conference 1996. Perth, Western Australia, 8-12 July. http://www.herdsa.org.au/confs/1996/stafford.html