Engineers who can engineer

Engineering Education Development:
”Engineers who can engineer...”
Jakob Kuttenkeuler, jakob@kth.se
Kristina Edström, kristina@kth.se
Tartu
24 January 2011
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Stakeholder analysis
Present focus
 Context: Engineering science
Desired focus
 Context: Engineering
(Development of products,
systems and processes)
 “Pure” problems
(with right and wrong
answers)
 Systems view, problems go
across disciplines, are
complex and ill-defined, and
contain societal and
business aspects
 Teamwork, communication
 Understand the whole cycle:
Conceive, design,
implement, operate
 Individual effort
 Design phase
”Engineers who can engineer...”
The CDIO vision is to educate students who understand how to
conceive-design-implement-operate complex engineering
systems in a modern team-based engineering environment.
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How can we ensure
that our students
reach these learning
outcomes in the
programme
?
CDIO Collaborators
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Arizona State University, US
Aston University, UK
Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Australia
Beijing Jiaotong University, China
California State University, US
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Daniel Webster College, US
Duke University, US
École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada
Embry-Riddle University
Engineering College of Aarhus, Denmark
Group T - International University College Leuven, Belgium
Hochschule Wismar, Germany
Hogeschool Gent, Belgium
Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Portugal
Jönköping University, Sweden
Placeholder: Kemi/Tornio UAS
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Lancaster University, UK
Lahti AMK
LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas,
US
Linköping University, Sweden
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
Metropolia AMK
Pennsylvania State University, US
Polytecnico di Milano, Italy
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
Purdue University, US
Queen's University, Canada
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Queen's University, Belfast, UK
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
School of Engineering at Taylor's University College, Malaysia
Seinäjoen AMK
Shantou University, China
Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore
Taylor's University College, Malaysia
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Telecom Bretagne, France
Tsinghua University, China
Turun AMK
Umeå University, Sweden
UNITEC Laureate International Universities, Honduras
United States Naval Academy, US
Universidad de Chile, Chile
Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
University of Auckland, New Zealand
University of Bristol, UK
University of Calgary, Canada
University of Colorado, US
University of Leeds, UK
University of Leicester, UK
University of Liverpool, UK
University of Manitoba, Canada
University of Michigan, US
University of Pretoria, South Africa
University of Strathclyde, UK
University of Sydney, Australia
Vietnam National University, Vietnam
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3
CDIO IS OPEN ARCHITECTURE
CDIO is a reference model
Everything has to be translatedtransformed to fit the context
and conditions of each
university / program
CDIO provides a toolbox for
working through the process
Take what you want to use,
transform it as you wish, give
it a new name
QUALITY OF STUDENT LEARNING
”didn’t
get it”
”got it”
—
passed
exam
failed
exam
[Steve Hall, MIT]
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Integrated learning
of knowledge and
skills
Civilingenjörsexamen
Kunskap och förståelse
För civilingenjörsexamen skall studenten
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visa kunskap om det valda teknikområdets vetenskapliga grund och beprövade erfarenhet samt insikt i
aktuellt forsknings- och utvecklingsarbete, och
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visa såväl brett kunnande inom det valda teknikområdet, inbegripet kunskaper i matematik och
naturvetenskap, som väsentligt fördjupade kunskaper inom vissa delar av området.
CDIO is about ensuring that the
students fulfill the intended learning
outcomes for the degree, including
engineering skills.
Färdighet och förmåga
För civilingenjörsexamen skall studenten
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visa förmåga att med helhetssyn kritiskt, självständigt och kreativt identifiera, formulera och hantera komplexa
frågeställningar samt att delta i forsknings- och utvecklingsarbete och därigenom bidra till
kunskapsutvecklingen,
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visa förmåga att skapa, analysera och kritiskt utvärdera olika tekniska lösningar,
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visa förmåga att planera och med adekvata metoder genomföra kvalificerade uppgifter inom givna ramar,
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visa förmåga att kritiskt och systematiskt integrera kunskap samt visa förmåga att modellera, simulera,
förutsäga och utvärdera skeenden även med begränsad information,
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visa förmåga att utveckla och utforma produkter, processer och system med hänsyn till människors
förutsättningar och behov och samhällets mål för ekonomiskt, socialt och ekologiskt hållbar utveckling,
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visa förmåga till lagarbete och samverkan i grupper med olika sammansättning, och
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visa förmåga att i såväl nationella som internationella sammanhang muntligt och skriftligt i dialog med olika
grupper klart redogöra för och diskutera sina slutsatser och den kunskap och de argument som ligger till
grund för dessa.
The principle is to explicitly agree
the contribution of each course
towards the program goals - and
thereby enable systematic
progression.
Värderingsförmåga och förhållningssätt
För civilingenjörsexamen skall studenten
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visa förmåga att göra bedömningar med hänsyn till relevanta vetenskapliga, samhälleliga och etiska aspekter
samt visa medvetenhet om etiska aspekter på forsknings- och utvecklingsarbete,
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visa insikt i teknikens möjligheter och begränsningar, dess roll i samhället och människors ansvar för hur den
används, inbegripet sociala och ekonomiska aspekter samt miljö- och arbetsmiljöaspekter, och
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visa förmåga att identifiera sitt behov av ytterligare kunskap och att fortlöpande utveckla sin kompetens.
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Systematic integration of engineering
competences in the programme
Development routes (schematic)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Introductory
course
Physics
Mathematics I
Mechanics I
Mathematics II
Numerical
Methods
Mechanics II
Solid
Mechanics
Product
development
Thermodynamics Mathematics III Fluid
mechanics
Sound and
Vibrations
Control Theory
Signal
analysis
Oral
presentation
Electrical Eng.
Report
writing
Statistics
Project
Teamwork
management
WHY?

Integrating competencies doesn’t make sense
unless we see them as engineering competencies
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Why integrate competences?
Competences are context-dependent and should
be learned and assessed in the technical context.
...communication as a generic skill...
... communication as contextualized
competences
They are engineering competences
Communication in engineering means being able to
► use the technical concepts comfortably,
► discuss a problem at different levels,
► determine what is relevant to the situation,
► argue for or against conceptual ideas and solutions,
► develop ideas through discussion and collaborative sketching,
► explain the technical matters for different audiences,
► show confidence in expressing yourself within the field...
Communication skills as contextualized competences are
embedded in, and inseparable from, students’ application of
technical knowledge.
The same kind of reasoning can be made for teamwork, ethics
(etc...) as well.
This is about students becoming engineers!
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Contextualized:
What does ”ability to communicate” mean
for this specific professional role, subject
area, or context?
[Barrie 2004]
Engineering
Soft/generic skills
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Not a zero-sum game

Practicing CDIO competences in the disciplinary
context means that students will have opportunities to
express and apply technical knowledge.

Training for the competences will therefore at the
same time reinforce students’ understanding of
disciplinary content – they will acquire a deeper
working knowledge of engineering fundamentals.
”I can’t see that a credit of writing reports
in my course is a wasted credit. Writing
reports is an appropriate learning activity
in my subject.” (Claes Tisell, KTH Machine design)

Engineering faculty are engineering role models and
we must show commitment by integrating engineering
skills in our courses and involving ourselves.
Place in
curriculum
Perception of generic graduate skills and attributes
Integral
They are integral to disciplinary knowledge, infusing and
ENABLING scholarly learning and knowledge.
Application
They let students make use of or apply disciplinary
knowledge, thus potentially changing and
TRANSFORMING disciplinary knowledge through its
application. Skills are closely related to, and parallel,
discipline learning outcomes.
Associated
They are useful additional skills that COMPLEMENT or
round out discipline knowledge.They are part of the
university syllabus but separate and secondary to discipline
knowledge.
Not part of
curriculum
They are necessary basic PRECURSOR skills and abilities.
We may need remedial teaching of such skills at university.
[Simon Barrie 2002, 2004]
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Different levels of commitment
• Introduce (I):
– the topic is treated in some way in the course, but
– it is not assessed, and
– probably not mentioned in the course objectives.
Taking responsibility means this!
• Teach (T):
– it is part of a compulsory activity,
– and there is an explicit course objective,
– students get to apply the skill and get feedback on
their performance (usually in assessment).
• Use (U):
– it is applied in a compulsory activity, but
– mainly to achieve or assess other objectives in the
course.
Objectives
are the basis
for course
design
Objectives
What should the
students be able to do
as a result of the
course?
Constructive
alignment
[Biggs]
Activities Assessment
What work is appropriate for
the students to reach the
objectives?
What should the students
perform to show that they fulfil
the objectives?
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Integration of
competences
in objectives,
activities and
assessment
Objectives
What should the
student be able to
do as a result of the
course?
- and as a result of
the programme?
Activities Assessment
What work is appropriate for
the students do to reach the
objectives?
What should the students
do to demonstrate that they
reached the objectives?
Change management
Creating new courses / retasking existing ones
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build on existing strengths
consolidate & develop existing learning activities
work with faculty who are willing & able
invite proposals rather than give orders
Supporting the development
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allocate resources for course development,
give individual support
allocate resources for faculty development:
individual support, workshops etc
Remember that we are developing the people as much as we are
developing the programme
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WHY and HOW

Integrating competencies doesn’t make sense
unless we see them as engineering competencies

Integrating competencies still doesn’t work
unless we know how it can be done
!
“Deep learning is associated with doing.
Doing is not sufficient for learning, however.
Learning activity must be planned, reflected
upon and processed, and related to abstract
conceptions.”
[Biggs, cited in Gibbs (1992)]
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Integrating several
engineering
competencies in a
project course...
Integrated Learning in a Project Course
Jakob Kuttenkeuler, Naval Architecture
Stefan Hallström, Lightweight structures
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4 challenges
Teaching & learning
Give students what they came for
I will now teach!
Analysis & Synthesis
Applications & skills
Engineering is fun!
Authentic
problem
Analysis
Decisions
Synthesis
Models
(solving techniques)
One part of the solution
Capstone Design course
Thesis
Semester A
Semester B
 2 semester course, 20 ECTS (one third of their time)
 Standard funding (low material budget, normal teaching effort)
 One course – several projects in groups of 8-15 students
 A dedicated ”standard” classroom (open 24/7)
 Individual grading A-F
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First day
Conceive, design, build and operate –
a vehicle that can transport one person both in planing
speed on the water surface as well as at low speed
submerged
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How much should the success of the product
influence the grades?
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Students create new things
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Teachers
advice & coach,
but avoid to
impose
solutions
Allow students
to grow into the
role of
engineers
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Conceive
• Open
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Design
• New
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Implement
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Operate
ended
year - New
group - new task
• Neither
students
nor teachers
know the
answers
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Applied use of
theoretical skills
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Whatever is
designed has to
be realised
Ahh, the course where you teach the students to build cool stuff?
No, the course where we turn students into engineers!
New projects every year...
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...but always the same learning objectives
After the course the participant is expected to be able to:
 analyse technical problems in a systems view
 handle technical problems which are incompletely stated and
subject to multiple constraints
 develop strategies for systematic choice and use of available
engineering methods and tools
 make estimations and appreciate their value and limitations
 make decisions based on acquired knowledge
 pursue own ideas and realise them practically
 assess quality of own work and work by others
 work in a true project setting that effectively utilises available resources
 explain mechanisms behind progress and difficulties in such a
setting
 communicate engineering – orally, in writing and graphically
What is the purpose of project work
in education anyway?
Project goals
Project
Learning
objectives
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Several layers –
keep focus
Project
Product
”according to plan”
Performance
Course
Learning
There is a tension between
product focus and learning
Interaction with other courses
Design course
X-jobb
Semester A
Semester B
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Assessment challenges
• Individual grades (A-F)
• Assessing individual performance
in a group setting
• Students work on many different
tasks
• Teachers see only fragments of the
actual performance (2 hours
scheduled/week)
• Legal security / fairness
Assessment – the Introduction
Faculty
• communicate course goals
• instruct students to collect evidence in “portfolios”
Students
• express personal individual goals
• plan own activities
Start
end
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Mid Course & Course End
Faculty
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repeat course goals
•
discussion on giving/receiving feedback
Students
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write summary
•
read summaries, write feedback, suggest peer grades
•
read feedback & reflect
•
revisit/revise personal goals
follow-up on the process
formative
summative
Start
end
Summary: Sample (mid course)


L7. Effectively choose and use available engineering methods.
Status: Approaching. Ref: [4][5][6] ,
- I am trying but find it hard to find the balance between rough estimates and
sophisticated computerized methods. Further, the word “effectively” does not
apply on me.
L10. Present technical work.
Status: Satisfied. Ref: [2] [4] [5] [6] [7],
- I am author of 7 reports of which [2][5][6] as main author.
- Prepared and given the presentation on the preliminary design
[3]
together with Jocke.
References (links to project web site):
1. Meeting minutes from …
2. Presentation, Preliminary design at design review #1
3. Experiment 4, Planning, execution and results
4. Report A 12, Hydrostatic stability - analysis
5. Report A107, Engine, design and mounting
…
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Grades
The grades are set in relation to the intended learning outcomes
based on a holistic assessment of:
• portfolios (reports, protocols, presentations, sketches, hardware,
…)
• given feedback
• received feedback
• recommended grades from peers
• Participation, logged time and continuous observations
by two teachers, independently
Grading criteria
•
•
•
•
•
For grade A you should also
• Distinguish yourself in several of the above task areas and learning outcomes
• Show special personal engagement, responsibility and initiative for the project
and group work
For grade B you should also
• Work actively with analysis, practical implementation, administration and
communication
• Clearly show that you reached the learning outcomes
For grade C you should also
• Work in most of the fields analysis, practical implementation, administration
and communication
• Clearly show personal initiative and engagement in the course
For grade D you should also
• Work with several types of tasks in the project
• To some extent take on responsibilities in the course
• Clearly show that you approach most of the intended learning outcomes
For grade E you should
• Actively participate in the course seminars and project meetings
• Actively participate in the course activities, read and answered emails from
course leaders and delivered the course assignments
• Spend time on task corresponding to 20 credits
• Show that you approach the intended learning outcomes to a significant extent
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Why project setting?
•
Fun to build cool stuff…
- not main reason
•
Stimulating for teachers…
- not main reason
•
Stimulating for students…
- not main reason
•
Less written exams…
- not main reason
•
Less reports to read…
- not main reason
Constructive alignment!
Goals
Activities
It is the best way to reach the goals 
Assessment
What do you think, should the success of
the product influence the grades?
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Powerful principle 1:
the purpose is student learning
”It is a pain to have students build anything. It takes
them 3 months to do what the technicians can do in
3 days.”
No. It takes them 3 months to learn. The purpose is
not to build, but to learn (from building).
”We have them build a rubber band-driven car and
compete. If the car runs 15 meters they get the
highest grade, 12 meters the next grade and so on...”
No. Students should be graded on how well they reach
the learning outcomes, not the product performance.
Powerful principle 2:
process for feedback and reflection on experience
 The process is rich with peer
feedback and self-reflection
activities
because experience results in
learning only if reflected upon
faculty role is to create and
run a process for feedback note the cost-effectiveness
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Powerful principle 3:
reversing the ’burden of proof’
 Each individual student is
responsible for collecting and
presenting evidence related to
the learning outcomes
(portfolio)
this enhances reflection and
directs students attention to
the intended learning
outcomes (->learning)
makes the course format
sustainable
Powerful principle 4:
’for the good of the project’
 The project and the group
drives the specifications, the
needs, the deadlines... not the
teachers!
makes everything students do
in the course meaningful,
reporting comes natural for
the first time
makes the course format
sustainable
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Let’s hear some student voices
Interviews with students in the 2004 & 2005 cohorts
(not the students in the picture...)
Interviewer:
What did you learn about working in teams?
You knew theories before, empty phrases. But
now I have seen them in reality. These things are
so easy to say. Like *...+. I mean, you don’t have to
be a rocket scientist to realise that, everyone
knows it. But it’s one thing to know and another
thing to apply, and we really got first-hand
experience from applying it. It is so obvious, you
can stop anyone on the street and they would say
‘of course, everyone knows that’. But it is a
completely different thing to experience it in
reality.
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Interviewer:
So you chose not to switch project leader?
“*Changing the project leader+ wouldn’t have furthered the
project. It could only have suffered. But if you completely drop
[considerations for] the product - and maybe you should,
actually – it might have furthered the course. It's hard to
tell...you simply tend to put your focus on the product you are
making.”
Tension between project and learning...
Interviewer: How do you think this course could be improved?
In the beginning I think there should have been some technical seminars to
give a faster start of the project. Technical specialists who could have
given a few lectures.
To help you see possible designs for instance?
Yes, technical solutions. And whom we could have contacted later with
questions.
Hmm. I wonder if you may risk the main idea of the course?
Yes... that is a risk... If they say ‘this is what you should do’... Yes, you are
right.
But you think it would have been better with a more efficient start.
Yes, but that is perhaps because it had led to a better end result, I mean
the boat. But maybe the learning wouldn't...
Tension between project and learning...
Conceptions of teacher’s and student’s roles are challenged...
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Interviewer: What was it like to apply knowledge from
previous courses?
I think some *of my fellow students+ feel that we haven’t used much of our
previous knowledge. Because it’s not like exam tasks, it’s not extremely
difficult, but you have to think more widely. We are building this thing in
parts that have to work together and as I see it that is pretty advanced
[engineering]. And it is [application of knowledge from several other
courses]. [2 minutes]
Here we use mostly the fundamentals, but it is advanced to apply them, the
situations are difficult because it’s real problems. In the previous courses I
had to learn a lot of advanced stuff, but never how to use them.
Previous course experiences (especially assessment) create a narrow
view on knowledge...
Interviewer: How do you think this course could be improved?
They should have been more like teachers. We had to do
all the hard work ourselves and we don’t feel that we got
as much help from the teachers as we could have had. [...]
When we went and asked them ‘does this look alright’,
they tried to answer as vaguely as they could. Just because
they tried to make us solve things ourselves I think.
Student’s views on knowledge are challenged...
Conceptions of teacher’s and student’s roles are challenged...
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Quote from a mid-course evaluation
Not that these were the only calculations needed, but the only
ones that could be made. All the calculations assuming
kinematic equilibrium seem to give various degrees of
unreasonable results. This is not just a pity and shame, but it
is also terribly bad pedagogy now towards the end of an
education. I would really have liked to see that the theory we
have learnt was possible to use. We cannot even calculate the
strength since everything is so tiny.
Students with a black-and-white view on
knowledge are seriously challenged...
Student views must always be interpreted
• We notice that the teacher will often be blamed, as students
think they should have been saved from the inconvenience.
• But these relevant challenges are not ”flaws” that should be
eliminated. They are key learning opportunities and we have
no intention to protect the students from them.
• It is then not appropriate to behave in conformity with
student expectations. But knowing they existed was valuable
for course development.
• Conclusion: Don’t give the students what they want – give
them something better!
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Powerful principle 1:
the purpose is student learning
 NOT reaching project goals
(BUT the project still drives learning
and creates a motivational context)
 NOT teacher popularity
(BUT the students must still have
trust in the process and the teachers)
The beautiful sound of students
growing into engineers... (I)
The greatest thing I have learned from this course
is humility. I'll approach similar tasks more humbly
in the future. We thought we were better than we
were. No, not better, but we have taken courses
with well-defined problems, where there is an
answer, the key. And that went well. But now you
realised that as soon as you are confronted with
reality, it’s quite another story.
30
The beautiful sound of students
growing into engineers... (II)
”It took some time (maybe even a month)
before it felt like we really got started. We were
fumbling around, doing tasks without really
completing them or seeing what was the
conclusion, the next step from it. We wrote
reports and said ‘we do this for our own sake’
but it took some time before that was actually
the case. At least that’s how it was for me. But
when that coin dropped, everything became
very much easier.”
...and more of the same...
“At the beginning of the course I was somewhat worried about
finishing the education and starting to work as an engineer. Those
worries are gone now. My confidence in approaching technical
problems and solving them has grown a lot.”
“Feedback was exchanged on everything between napkin scribbles
at lunch to things you had built. This was valuable since it both gave
me, and trained me to give, critique. It also helped me to see how
other people are thinking and how they solve problems.”
“One of the best things during the project was that written
documentation was called for and that we in much lived up to those
demands. It allows you to cross check things and check the work of
yourself and others, and things are always available.”
31
Powerful principles:
 The purpose is student
learning
 Feedback and reflection on
experience
 Reversing the ’burden of
proof’
 ’For the good of the
project’
CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT
Formulating
objectives
What should the student
be able to do as a result of
the course?
Designing Designing
activities assessment
What work should the
student do, to reach the
objectives?
What should the student do, to
demonstrate that they reached the
objectives?
32
Last slide conclusions
• Dualistic attitudes to knowledge and engineering are challenged
• Decision making (the very reason for modelling!!!) in all forms is new to
students
• Nice informal interaction with other courses
• Everything students do in the course has a meaning, even reporting and
deadlines
• Student reactions must be interpreted. We must give students what they
need, not always what they want.
• This is incredibly stimulating safety-net-less teaching 
REFERENCES
- Edström, El Gaidi, Hallström and Kuttenkeuler (2005). Integrated
assessment of disciplinary, personal and interpersonal skills - student
perceptions of a novel learning experience, Proceedings of the 13th
Improving Student Learning, OCSLD, Oxford, UK.
- Hallström, Kuttenkeuler and Edström (2007). The route towards a
sustainable design-implement course, Proceedings of the 3rd CDIO
Conference, Cambridge, MA.
33
CDIO in a nutshell:
Systematic integration of engineering
competences in the programme
Development routes (schematic)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Introductory
course
Physics
Mathematics I
Mechanics I
Mathematics II
Numerical
Methods
Mechanics II
Solid
Mechanics
Product
development
Thermodynamics Mathematics III Fluid
mechanics
Sound and
Vibrations
Control Theory
Signal
analysis
Oral
presentation
Electrical Eng.
Report
writing
Statistics
Project
Teamwork
management
Black box coordination exercise
INPUT:
Previous
knowledge
and skills
OUTPUT:
Input to later course
Course
Input to later course
(black box)
Input to later course
Input to final degree
 All courses in the program are presented through input-output only:
INPUT - When the students come to my course I want them to already
be able to...
OUTPUT - Students who passed my course are able to [learning
outcomes] and that is input to [course A, course B...].
 The black box approach enables efficient discussions
 Makes connections visible (and lack thereof !)
34
More about CDIO
• 7th International CDIO Conference
June 20-23, 2011, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU)
Copenhagen/Lyngby
www.cdio2011.dtu.dk
• www.cdio.org
• Crawley et al. (2007) Rethinking Engineering Education:
The CDIO Approach, Springer Verlag. ISBN 0387382879
QA in HEI –project 2009-2011
• funded by Nordplus
• Promote the quality assurance strategies and methods in higher
education institutions by developing innovative models of quality
assessment
– develop and implement a self-evaluation model
– develop and implement a cross-evaluation model
Step1. Create
the program
description
Step 2. Make
the selfevaluation
Step 3. Time for
improvement
and
development
Step 4.
Preparing for
cross-wise
evaluations
Step 5. Crosswise
evaluations
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QA in HEI 2 –project 2011-2013
• We are enlarging the network with Baltic universities!
• Funded by Nordplus
• Goals
– Learn how CDIO initiative supports QA in HEI
– Use self-evaluation model to identify development areas
– Support QA work in new partners with cross-evaluation
Step1. CDIO
and QA –
seminars
Step 2. Make
the selfevaluation
Step 3. Time for
improvement
and
development
Step 4.
Preparing for
cross-wise
evaluations
Step 5. Support
QA work with
crossevaluations
Sustainability of educational change
 Today we must constantly apply
force in the system (leadership,
resources) to keep it from
reverting to its natural state.
 Thus we are operating under the
principle:
“With enough thrust,
anything can fly.”
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 We must change the system
itself so it is aligned, not only
with research, but also with the
educational experience
we want to create.
Where the rubber meets the road
The way the system works
 how the university is organized,
 how recruitment & promotion processes
are designed,
 how power is assigned,
 how resources are allocated,
 and how status is earned,
 (what matters to people, the real, hard,
end-of-the-day, bottom-line stuff)
has more to do with disciplinary and
research considerations, than with
education or student need.
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