Strategies to engage engineering students in group project work

Project focused group work is significant in developing social and personal skills as well as extending the ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems. As a result of increasing undergraduate class sizes, along with the requirement for many students to work part-time, group projects, peer and collaborative learning are seen as a fundamental part of engineering education. Group formation, connection to learning objectives and fairness of assessment has been widely reported as major issues that leave students dissatisfied with group project based units. Several strategies were trialled including a study of formation of groups by different methods across two engineering disciplines over the past 2 years. Other strategies involved a more structured approach to assessment practices of civil and electrical engineering disciplines design units. A confidential online teamwork management tool was used to collect and collate student self and peer assessment ratings and used for both formative feedback as well as assessment purposes. Student satisfaction and overall academic results in these subjects have improved since the introduction of these interventions. Both student and staff feedback highlight this approach as enhancing student engagement and satisfaction, improved student understanding of group roles, reducing number of dysfunctional groups whilst requiring less commitment of academic resources.

SSCRC Project - work in progress

Video presented as part of Smart Services CRC Participants conferences. This video shows an example of the latest version of our middleware linking the YAWL workflow engine to Open Simulator. We have created a simple example of an accident victim being brought into a Hospital to be processed. The preliminary interface to the YAWL accident treatment workflow is shown as a worklist on the left of the image. The tasks are presented to the avatar via this interface, in a similar manner as done in web based workflow systems. Objects in the simulator are instrumented with a knowledge base, that enables the validation of actions within the world, to make sure that tasks are carried out correctly.

End-User Attitudes Towards EDM Use in Construction Project Work: Case Study

This article reports on a cross-sectional case study of a large construction project in which Electronic document management (EDM) was used. Attitudes towards EDM from the perspective of individual end users were investigated. Responses from a survey were combined with data from system usage log files to obtain an overview of attitudes prevalent in different user segments of the total population of 334 users. The survey was followed by semi-structured interviews with representative users. A strong majority of users from all segments of the project group considered EDM as a valuable aid in their work processes, despite certain functional limitations of the system used and the complexity of the information mass. Based on the study a model describing the key factors affecting end user EDM adoption is proposed. The model draws on insight from earlier studies of EDM enabled projects and theoretical frameworks on technology acceptance and success of information systems, as well as the insights gained from the case study.

"Project work" : um estudo de caso numa escola pública portuguesa

Relatório da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, Mestrado em Ensino de Inglês e Espanhol, Universidade de Lisboa, 2014

NTIC en la clase de Inglés : project work and video.

El proyecto propone la introducción y utilización de tecnologías audiovisuales en el área de Inglés mediante la organización de actividades de comunicación y simulación relacionadas con el entorno cultural y los intereses del alumnado. Los objetivos son: capacitar al alumnado para expresarse con fluidez y corrección en inglés; desarrollar la sensibilidad artística; fomentar el trabajo en equipo; introducir al alumnado en el conocimiento de las nuevas tecnologías, sobre todo el vídeo; potenciar la creatividad; y favorecer el uso del inglés escrito y oral en contextos comunicativos. La experiencia, que se centra en el desarrollo del programa de la asignatura para cada nivel, consiste por una parte en un acercamiento a los medios audiovisuales y al lenguaje visual (conceptos técnicos y aspectos lingüísticos y gramaticales basados en sencillas simulaciones); y por otra, en la organización de pequeños grupos que eligen un tema sobre el que recopilan información gráfica y bibliográfica para la posterior elaboración de un trabajo y un vídeo de apoyo. Al final cada grupo presenta su trabajo al resto de la clase, somentiéndose a un proceso de evaluación por parte de sus compañeros y de autoevaluación. La valoración es muy satisfactoria, debido al alto grado de adecuación entre proyecto y memoria y, a la gran ayuda prestada por el equipo directivo. Se adjuntan los trabajos realizados en clase: The Beatles, Dracula, The Silence of the Lambs, The Olympiads, The First Twenty, Cinderella, etc..

Imaginative Projects : a resource book of project work for young students

Flexibles y accesibles, estos proyectos imaginativos ofrecen una gran cantidad de material fotocopiable y proyectos para complementar cualquier libro de curso. Los proyectos capturarán la imaginación de jóvenes estudiantes y les motivarán a hablar el inglés de una manera cooperativa mientras trabajan en el proyecto. El libro está escrito para profesores de inglés cuyos estudiantes son de edades comprendidas entre los once y los diecisiete años. Proyectos imaginativos está dividido en diez capítulos, los primeros ocho de estos están divididos en mini-proyectos, cada mini-proyecto es una lección.

Professionalism in digitally-mediated project work

Fieldwork in a major construction programme is used to examine what is meant by professionalism where large integrated digital systems are used to design, deliver, and maintain buildings and infrastructure. The increasing ‘professionalization’ of the client is found to change other professional roles and interactions in project delivery. New technologies for approvals and workflow monitoring are associated with new occupational groups; new kinds of professional accountability; and a greater integration across professional roles. Further conflicts also arise, where occupational groups have different understandings of project deliverables and how they are competently achieved. The preliminary findings are important for an increasing policy focus on shareable data, in order for building owners and operators to improve the cost, value, handover and operation of complex buildings. However, it will also have an impact on wider public decision-making processes, professional autonomy, expertise and interdependence. These findings are considered in relation to extant literatures, which problematize the idea of professionalism; and the shift from drawings to shareable data as deliverables. The implications for ethics in established professions and other occupational groups are discussed; directions are suggested for further scholarship on professionalism in digitally mediated project work to improve practices which will better serve society.