Teaching motor racing engineering through real-life projects: benefits and challenges

Project-based learning (PBL) is widely used in engineering courses. The closer to real-life the project, the greater the relevance and depth of learning experienced by students. Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) is a fine example of a team-based project modelled on real-life problems whereby each student team designs and builds a small race car for competitive evaluation. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has participated in FSAE-Australia since 2004. Based on the success of the project, QUT has gone the additional step of introducing a motor-racing specialization (second major) to complement its mechanical engineering degree. In this paper, the benefits of teaching motor-racing engineering through real-life projects are presented together with a discussion of the challenges faced and how they have been addressed. In order to validate the authors' observations on the teaching approaches used, student feedback was solicited through QUT's online learning experience survey (LEX), as well as a customized paper-based survey. The results of the surveys are analysed and discussed in this paper.

Action inquiry into the use of standardized evaluation tools for music therapy : a real life journey within a parent-child community program

Sing & Grow is an early intervention music therapy project that provides community group music therapy programs to families with young children who encounter risk factors that may impact on parenting and optimal child develop variety of evaluation tools were devised and used over the first 3 years of the project. Upon the subsequent funding and expansion of the project at the end of this period, it was necessary to find, test and devise more rigorous, valid and reliable measures to withstand the scrutiny of researchers, and to combat the concerns and criticisms associated with the previous methods of data collection. An action inquiry project was therefore undertaken with two groups of project participants to trial the use of the Parenting Stress Index and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, both recommended by leading psychologists. Key findings that will be discussed include the friction between the deficit-focussed nature of many psychometric tools and the strengths-based approach taken in service delivery, the level of difficulty in terms of literacy and comprehension for vulnerable respondents, and the lack of one tool with the ability to comprehensively measure all aspects of a broad scoping program. Keywords: music therapy, evaluation, PSI, DASS, action inquiry.

A Delphi study on the critical sustainability criteria and indicators for Australian road infrastructure projects

With increasing media exposure and evidence of environmental impacts, it is increasingly recognized that incorporating sustainability principles in construction works is both crucial and beneficial. However a recent survey reveals that among stakeholders of infrastructure projects such as roads, there is no common understanding on what constitutes sustainability in real-life projects. Sustainability has been interpreted widely and differently and as a result, sustainability outcomes are not tangible at the project level or often neglected. Under such conditions, policies and strategies on sustainability remain largely ideological and cannot be sufficiently reflected in the actual project delivery. The major difficulty of this sustainability pursuit lies in the lack of consensus among the experts on sustainability criteria and indicators. To move ahead, these criteria and indicators are to be agreed upon. This paper reviews the sustainable infrastructure development, its criteria and indicators, focusing on road infrastructure context. It goes on to introduce a Delphi study, an integral part of a QUT research, aimed at identifying critical sustainability criteria and indicators for Australian road infrastructure projects. It paves the way for further identification of solutions for each critical indicator at a subsequent stage. The criteria, indicators and solutions will be encapsulated into a decision making framework for the enhancement of sustainability deliverables. By doing so, the research will promote more integrated thinking of and consistent approaches to the sustainability agenda in road and highway infrastructure projects in Australia.

Bushfire responsive design : real life responses to energy ratings, bushfire standards and biodiverse sites.

Many of the more extreme bushfire prone landscapes in Australia are located in colder climate regions. For such sites, the National Construction Code regulates that houses satisfy both the Australian Standard for Bushfire (AS 3959:2009) and achieve a 6 Star energy rating. When combined these requirements present a considerable challenge to the construction of affordable housing - a problem which is often exacerbated by the complex topography of bushifre prone landscapes. Dr Weir presents a series of case studies from his architetcural practice which highlight the need for further design-led research into affordable housing - a ground up holistic approach to design which recolciles energy performance, human behaviourm, bushland conservation and bushfire safety.

Teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects : a hands-on focus

In this paper different aspects of teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects with a hands-on focus at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are presented and discussed. As part of the study, a combination of data from core units, such as engineering design units, and elective units, was used, in addition to laboratory experiments, real-life projects, interactive software packages and industry visits. The mechanical engineering curriculum structure used at QUT, consisting of the main specialization (first major) and the second specialization (second major), is also discussed with specific emphasis on the teaching of tribology and maintenance-related subjects. To evaluate students' satisfaction with the novel teaching approaches used, tailored questionnaires were used as well as QUT's online learning experience survey (LEX). Statistical results of these sureveys are presented and discussed. In summary, these showed that students overwhelmingly support the hands-on and practical focus in teaching tribology and maintenance-related subjects and that the teaching approaches used shorten the learning curve and make students better prepared for integration in the workplace.

Real Design of a Virtual Landscape : Designing and building a landscape in Second Life

3D Virtual Environments (VE) are real; they exist as digital worlds with the advantage of having none of the constraints of the real world. As such they are the perfect training ground for design students who can create, build and experiment with design solutions without the constraint of real world projects. This paper reports on an educational setting used to explore a model for using VE such as Second Life (SL) developed by Linden Labs in California, as a collaborative environment for design education. A postgraduate landscape architecture learning environment within a collaborative design unit was developed to integrate this model where the primary focus was the application of three-dimensional tools within design, not as a presentation tool, but rather as a design tool. The focus of the unit and its aims and objectives will be outlined before describing the use of SL in the unit. Attention is focused on the collaboration and learning experience before discussing the outcomes, student feedback, future projects using this model and potential for further research. The outcome of this study aims to contribute to current research on teaching and learning design in interactive VE’s. We present a case study of our first application of this model.

Critical risk factors affecting the implementation of PPP waste-to-energy projects in China

Since 2003, Mainland China has been promoting the public–private partnership (PPP) procurement model in the waste-to-energy incineration sector to reduce the waste burying rate and improve environmental quality. Five critical risk factors (CRFs) that affect the construction and operation of waste-to-energy incineration projects have been identified from real-life risk events of 14 PPP waste-to-energy incineration plants through content analysis. These risk factors are insufficient waste supply, disposal of non-licensed waste, environmental risk, payment risk, and lack of supporting infrastructure. A recently completed PPP waste-to-energy incineration plant, the Shanghai Tianma project, was investigated to learn from the effective management of CRFs. First-hand data about the Shanghai Tianma project was collected, with a focus on project negotiation and concession agreement. Lessons learned about risk management were acquired. This paper presents a detailed study of the contractual structure, risk sharing scheme, risk response measures to CRFs, and project transfer of a PPP project. The study results will provide governments with management implications to prepare equitable concession agreements and benefit private investors by effectively mitigating and managing risks in future PPP waste-to-energy incineration projects.

Value-oriented process modeling : integrating financial perspectives into business process re-design

Purpose – Financial information about costs and return on investments are of key importance to strategic decision-making but also in the context of process improvement or business engineering. In this paper we propose a value-oriented approach to business process modeling based on key concepts and metrics from operations and financial management, to aid decision making in process re-design projects on the basis of process models. Design/methodology/approach – We suggest a theoretically founded extension to current process modeling approaches, and delineate a framework as well as methodical support to incorporate financial information into process re-design. We use two case studies to evaluate the suggested approach. Findings – Based on two case studies, we show that the value-oriented process modeling approach facilitates and improves managerial decision-making in the context of process re-design. Research limitations / implications – We present design work and two case studies. More research is needed to more thoroughly evaluate the presented approach in a variety of real-life process modeling settings. Practical implications – We show how our approach enables decision makers to make investment decisions in process re-design projects, and also how other decisions, for instance in the context of enterprise architecture design, can be facilitated. Originality/value – This study reports on an attempt to integrate financial considerations into the act of process modeling, in order to provide more comprehensive decision making support in process re-design projects.

Looking through the haze of discontent : smokers as a data source

In the case of industrial relations research, particularly that which sets out to examine practices within workplaces, the best way to study this real-life context is to work for the organisation. Studies conducted by researchers working within the organisation comprise some of the (broad) field’s classic research (cf. Roy, 1954; Burawoy, 1979). Participant and non-participant ethnographic research provides an opportunity to investigate workplace behaviour beyond the scope of questionnaires and interviews. However, we suggest that the data collected outside a workplace can be just as important as the data collected inside the organisation’s walls. In recent years the introduction of anti-smoking legislation in Australia has meant that people who smoke cigarettes are no longer allowed to do so inside buildings. Not only are smokers forced outside to engage in their habit, but they have to smoke prescribed distances from doorways, or in some workplaces outside the property line. This chapter considers the importance of cigarette-smoking employees in ethnographic research. Through data collected across three separate research projects, the chapter argues that smokers, as social outcasts in the workplace, can provide a wealth of important research data. We suggest that smokers also appear more likely to provide stories that contradict the ‘management’ or ‘organisational’ position. Thus, within the haze of smoke, researchers can uncover a level of discontent with the ‘corporate line’ presented inside the workplace. There are several aspects to the increased propensity of smokers to provide a contradictory or discontented story. It may be that the researcher is better able to establish a rapport with smokers, as there is a removal of the artificial wall a researcher presents as an outsider. It may also be that a research location physically outside the boundaries of the organisation provides workers with the freedom to express their discontent. The authors offer no definitive answers; rather, this chapter is intended to extend our knowledge of workplace research through highlighting the methodological value in using smokers as research subjects. We present the experience of three separate case studies where interactions with cigarette smokers have provided either important organisational data or alternatively a means of entering what Cunnison (1966) referred to as the ‘gossip circle’. The final section of the chapter draws on the evidence to demonstrate how the community of smokers, as social outcasts, are valuable in investigating workplace issues. For researchers and practitioners, these social outcasts may very well prove to be an important barometer of employee attitudes; attitudes that perhaps cannot be measured through traditional staff surveys.

Dismantling the public sector bastion : evaluation capital works

Purpose: The determination of the most appropriate procurement system for a capital works project is a challenging task for public sector clients considering the array of assessment criteria that are considered and the procurement methods that are available. This is particularly pertinent to the Western Australian public sector where they have had a propensity to use traditional lump sum as the default procurement solution despite knowing that the selection of an inappropriate procurement method may lead to cost and time overruns, claims, and disputes’ on projects. This paper presents a six step procurement method evaluation approach that requires public sector agencies to consider in detail an array of options so as to obtain value for money. Design/methodology/approach: A procurement evaluation approach is developed and is examined using a focus group of 12 participants comprising of a public sector client, project team and key stakeholders. The focus group was used to examine the developed approach in the context of a real-life capital works project. Findings: The procurement method evaluation approach was deemed to be pragmatic and enabled decision-makers to re-evaluate outcomes from previous steps in the process. All focus group participants stated the six step process enabled a recommendation that was grounded in reflection and detailed evaluation. Practical implications: The developed procurement approach has enabled the public sector client evaluate the way in which they view procurement method selection and examine how they obtain ‘value for money’. Originality/value: The six step procurement approach makes use of quantitative and qualitative techniques and is reliant on discourse and reflection in making a procurement method recommendation. Consequently, the approach enables public sector clients to account for the complexities often associated with procurement selection.

Enabling authentic collaborative education in an online environment : the QUT Virtual Law Placement

This paper explores an innovative model for work-integrated learning using a virtual paradigm – The Virtual Law Placement Unit at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Australia. It builds upon the conceptual model previously explored at WACE 2007 and provides an account of the lessons learned from the pilot offering of the unit which was conducted and evaluated in 2008. ----- The Virtual Placement Unit offers students the opportunity to complete an authentic workplace task under the guidance of a real-life workplace supervisor, where student-student communication and student-supervisor communication is all conducted virtually (and potentially asynchronously) to create an engaging but flexible learning environment using a combination of Blackboard and SharePoint technologies. This virtual experience is pioneering in the sense that it enables law students to access an unprecedented range of law graduate destination workplaces and projects, including international and social justice placements, absent the constraints traditionally associated with arranging physical placements. ----- All aspects of this unit have been designed in conjunction with community partners with a view to balancing student learning objectives with community needs through co-operative education. This paper will also explore how the implementation of the project is serving to strengthen those partnerships with the wider community, simultaneously addressing the community engagement agenda of the University and enabling students to engage meaningfully with local, national and international community partners in the real world of work.