Woodrow, M; Gillen, AL; Woodrow, R; Torero, J; (2020) Investigating Varied Pedagogical Approaches for Problem-Based Learning in a Fire Safety Engineering Course. International Journal of Engineering Education , 36 (5) pp. 1605-1614.

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Abstract

Fire safety engineering is a critical component of a well-rounded engineering undergraduate curriculum but is understudied in the context of engineering education literature. Guided by previous work in problem-based learning, we conducted a multiple case study structured around three sections of a fire safety engineering course for students across engineering programmes. Our goal was to develop a better understanding of the impact of different pedagogical approaches on students. These approaches were chosen for study because they align with predominating approaches to industry practice in fire safety engineering. Classroom observations and student coursework from each of the three sections were used to evaluate the different approaches: (A) controlling (the specialist approach), (B) student autonomy (the generalist approach), and (C) combination strategy (autonomous/generalist and controlling/specialist). Findings confirm more autonomous/generalist approaches foster positive student experiences and outcomes, but a balance of instructional techniques is still needed. It is clear that more work needs to be done to explore engineering education in the context of fire safety engineering, and this study provides preliminary results that suggest areas for future scholarship.

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