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Workshops As A Way To Improve And Enhance Student Learning And Engagement

Date : 24/02/2017

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Aron

Uploaded by : Aron
Uploaded on : 24/02/2017
Subject : General Studies

The Education system is continuously changing and adapting to the world changes that are affecting the diversity of the student population and the academic needs. This year the School of Engineering had undertaken substantial changes in the way the teaching is delivered. New ways of delivering and improve the teaching were introduced. In this regard, I have been involved with the design and delivery of new workshops for the first year undergrad engineering mechanics unit. These workshops were introduced to extend the inclusivity and cope with the increasing diversity of the students population. The first year is crucial to cover the knowledge/skills gaps that can guarantee a successful academic career. If some issues are not solved in the first year, the student will eventually drop out or will not perform well in the following years. What motivated these workshops was the fact that this unit still relied on traditional teaching methods, which include lectures in large classes and tutorials. It has been shown how these types of teaching methods are not always inclusive and prevent the active participation of the students [1] . Consequently, only students that are already engaged and self-direct progress well.

The workshops introduced in the engineering mechanics unit uses a cooperative group learning method [2]. The students are divided into groups and are assigned a problem, which is linked with what they have learned in the lectures and the tutorials. The workshops can be very different and might focus on a specific skill. For instance one of the workshops was focusing on writing skills and the students had to peer-review their respective lab report while the tutor was giving guidelines on how to write a scientific report. In another workshop, the students were asked to design (in group) a mechanical lab to derive the properties of an aluminium specimen. In this case, also, students were given guidelines.

The workshops seemed to be a good opportunity to review some theoretical concepts and improve the students engagement. Some students were very enthusiastic, while others were not engaged at all and needed some push. The hardest part was to get the students to work together due to the knowledge gap between them. Sometimes all the students in a group are stuck and loose motivation. This is interesting because I noticed a higher group commitment during lab sessions for the same unit and with the same students. I assumed that the main reason is that some students are still in the stage of grasping the concepts, and are discouraged by complex problems where sometimes they do not have all the information they need, but they have to look for them.

The Manjula D et. al [2] described in their paper the effect of these type of cooperative learning methods. Some useful key points were outlined and can be used for a future action plan to improve the workshop in our unit. For example, the good functioning of the group is at the core of the learning practice, which should be managed carefully. This imply a selection of the group and an assignment of a role to each group members. In our workshop the students are asked to form the group by themselves, and in case they cannot manage it (or take them too much time), they are divided into group randomly. This might give too much independency to the students that are stuck and confused since the beginning. A jigsaw approach could be a very good way to manage the group and promote inclusivity y[2]. I have tried to apply a similar method in a workshop session and students seemed to perform better when they are assigned clear tasks within the group.

A good practice that is actually implemented in our workshop is to assist, discuss and interact with the team constantly during the workshop. This facilitate their team working and achievements, which is proved by them being able to finish the task within the workshop session.

Another point of reflection outlined by Manjula D et. al paper[2], is the fact that the learner has to perceive that the activity is worthwhile. Linking the activity with the summative assessment can give that perception, but it does not work with all students. In this regard, one challenge is given by the fact that some students are pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. These students struggled more than others to grasp mechanical concepts, and are less motivated to engage with this unit workshops. Another paper which is less related with the academic workshops at universities but that can inspire improvements in the design of these workshops is Chris Rust[3] review and analysis of effectiveness of workshops in a professional contest (for teachers). The paper conclusions were that the workshops are effective and that the attendants apply changes to their practice based on these workshops. The changes were likely to be correlated with the workshop and at a lesser extent to the workshop facilitator (tutor). What can be drawn from this, is that each workshop should be design to push the students to carry on some action afterward, that will improve their current practice. An example could be the grasp of the concepts that were not clear during the tutorials, or correct typical mistakes or bad habit in writing reports, etc. Therefore the workshops should be worthwhile for the actual outcome that derive from them, and this outcome should be mentioned very clearly and specifically at the beginning of the workshop.

[1] J. M. Carpenter, Effective Teaching Methods for Large Classes, Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Education, vol. 24, no. No 2, Fall/Winter, 2006.

[2] M. D. Sharma, R. Millar, and S. Seth, Workshop tutorials: accommodating student-centred learning in large first year university physics courses, International Journal of Science Education, vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 839-853, 1999.

[3] C. Rust, The impact of educational development workshops on teachers practice, International Journal for Academic Development, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 72-80, 1998.

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