Yerworth, RJ;
Vanhoestenberghe, A;
Gibson, A;
(2018)
Co-ordinated Development Strengthens the Throughline in Connected Modules.
In:
(Proceedings) ISEE 2018: The 7th International Symposium of Engineering Education, 17-18 July 2018, London, UK.
(In press).
Preview |
Text
ISEE_2018_Full_Paper_RY-final.pdf - Accepted Version Download (138kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Many degree programs teach core topics over several modules spanning 2 or 3 years (e.g. “Introduction” and “Advanced”). Even if “Introduction” is a pre-requisite for “Advanced”, students and staff may not fully recognise the connections between them. In addition, students often compartmentalise material and don’t apply it elsewhere. Student feedback can therefore lead staff to develop new resources and re-teach material. UCL’s Biomedical Engineering programmes include a theme of Medical Electronics that spans five modules across four years. Some modules are explicitly focused on medical instrumentation, others only partially. The teaching team has created a through-line of enquiry by explicitly discussing the links between the modules and collaboratively designing content (lectures and practicals), to emphasise connections. This reinforces the relevance of skills developed in the other modules. Re-teaching is replaced by referencing, specifically referring to previously taught material and shared resources. An additional level of complexity arises because some modules contribute to other degree programmes. By applying the same collaborative principles with staff on those programmes, we have been able to unify the experience across programmes and capitalise on the mixed cohorts to encourage student interactions across subjects and perspectives. Staff and students have commented positively on the benefits of the explicit connections between modules and we have seen an improved performance in a practical instrumentation project, relative to previous years. We will discuss the challenges, lessons learnt and examples of how student performance has improved as we iteratively develop the interconnected modules.
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
