Erol INELMEN, Bogazici University, Civil Engineering Department, Bebek, Istanbul, TURKEY,

e-mail: inelmen at boun.edu.tr, fax: 90 212 2658488

ENCOURAGING FRESHMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO PREPARE

ORAL AND WRITTEN REPORTS: A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT

Sweeping changes in our economical and social life is making a strong impact on education. To cope with these changes, this paper suggests a new educational strategy that requires classrooms to be turned into a workplace where students can act as in the real life. Experience gained in three local universities with students of different academic background, show promising results for the future. Person-to person contact is the main ingredient for the success of this new educational strategy.

1. INTRODUCTION

The main motivation in preparing these work 'was to share the experience gained in three local universities between the years 1992 and 1998, during which period the author was involved in implementing the new requirements on including design imposed by the accreditation agency. Introducing a 25% design content in the undergraduate engineering curriculum was a challenging task. The practice of design cannot be "transmitted" to students using the conventional educational methods that we have been used since many decades now. A more liberal and project-based approach has to be implemented in order to assure that students gain the experience of design by a hands-on approach. The following sections summarise the literature that encouraged the author to make on educational reform the modern work life require and the experience gained during the above mentioned years while progressively implementing less conventional techniques. The early results are very promising and there is plenty of room for improvements.

2. NEEDS FOR REFORM IN EDUCATION

As the world is facing rapid transformations due to economical, social and technological developments, companies are urged to make sweeping changes in order to survive [1]. Educational methods applying the traditional disciplinary boundaries are not adequate any more to solve the industrial expectations of today. Pressure from existing budget regulations established professional chambers, perceptions and expectations from the community prevents overturning "the pseudo barriers" that exist between departments. As the economical conditions in the world change, the graduates find themselves coping with altogether foreign problems. Since future developments are unpredictable, continuous learning is the solution to the adaptability need when new situations arise. While promoting the teaching the art of applying scientific tools to problems that require the use of natural resources for the convenience of men, an education system should develop the ability of self learning in the suggested "common fields of activities" [2].

Trying to make changes in education to cope with current developments by simply revising "here and there" old methods of teaching is dangerous. Professionals are expected to have the ability of communicating with others, are expected to find economical, practical, durable, innovative, aesthetic, 'Safe, clean solutions to human needs. Students must have experience in applying the basic principles to real problems, whatever this problems may be in the next decades [3]. The evaluation system in programs theft introduce in the learning process the concept of innovative thinking, should include a) real life projects selected by the students that will help assuring the continuity of study and b) comprehensive examinations on the combination of several topics covered during the education process. [4].

Although specialisation and research can help students develop needed abilities; excessive costs are incurred when research is used as a tool for teaching. While providing the basic knowledge good teachers should stimulate the minds of their students in the direction of critical thinking and creativity. Research activities, vital for raising funds and building public image that will attract better students, should not hinder the efficiency of the teaching activity [5]. The ideas here summarised were implemented in three universities and findings are reported in the following section

3. EXPERIENCE GAINED IN TURKISH UNIVERSITIES

The author has been engaged recently in teaching freshmen engineering courses in three universities under the pressure from administrators, to make changes in the curriculum as required by the accreditation authorities. An introductory course in engineering is offered to all freshmen students in parallel with the one semester technical drawing course. In the technical drawing course students were required to practice in the assembly of the basic mechanical components that are common to all engineering branches. Students faced difficulties in combining the components with the main parts of the assembly - i.e. a mechanical lifting device-. Helping students individually in solving their unique project proved to be the best of all possible strategies.

The personal relation continued during the "Introduction to Engineering" where students were requested to do library work on special topics, mobile robots being a typical example. The idea of adding oral presentations to the original requirement of a written report came after a study carried among 29 top managers working in local companies. In this study -prepared by the Engineering Faculty of the Marmara University- suggests that leadership is now at the top of a list of skills required from new candidates for technical jobs [6]. With this new requirement, students were challenged to express themselves clearly in public and revise the contents of their work on weekly basis. Making simple models for their assignments raised the level of enthusiasm considerably (See Figure 1.). Following the suggestions of a leading executive, peer- evaluation was implemented on some of the assignments. An atmosphere of cooperation and partnership developed. Short examinations assured. Full understanding of basic concepts.

4. CONCLUSION

Organisations all over the world today are prompted today to make changes in the way they operate: universities must also move along the same lines, if the graduates are expected to cope with the uncertainties of the future [7]. The classroom conditions should be relevant to the requirements of leadership, group work, creativity imposed in modem workplaces. The experience gained while implementing new strategies in local universities, show encouraging results. While a more integrated approach to education is envisaged, all other courses in the curriculum should follow the same pattern.

ACKNOWLEGMENT

The support of Dr.Vedat Yertici and Dr.Ozer Arnas is acknowledged.

LITERATURE

1. Kaynak M.O. and Sabonovic, A. "Diffusion of New Technologies Through Appropriate Education and Training" presented at the Diffusion of New Technologies Conference, St. Petersburg, June 13-1.7, 1994.

2. Yerlici, V. "The same degree for all' engineeering students", Proceeding of SEFI Conference 1987, European Society for Engineering Education, Helsinki, pp 365-370.

3. Yerlici, V. "A different approach to formal engineering education", Proceedings of the 18th International Symposium, International Society for Engineering Education (IGIP), Leuchtturm-Verlag, 1989, pp. 130-133.

4. Yerlici, V. "New approaches in engineering education", Proceedings of the East-West Congress on Engineering Education, The Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Cracow, 1991, pp 300-303.

5. Yerlici, V. "The place of teaching and research in engineering education", Ingenieur Pedagogik Briicke Zwischen Lehre and Forshung, A.Melezinek, G. Kurz (eds.), Leuchtturm-Verlag, 1993, pp.297-300.

6. Yetis, N. and Inelmen, E. "Enhancing Engineering Education to Meet the Needs of the Next Century", Portland International Conference on Management Engineering and Technology '97, Portland, Oregon, 1997, pp.286.

7. Inelmen, E. "Teaching Automatic Control in a Junior College: A Case Study", ACE'97, The 4h Symposium on Advances in Control Education, IFAC, 1997, pp. 185-188, Istanbul.

Figure 1. Model of a water turbine and pump made by freshmen student in 1997