Impact Study: Introducing Activity-Led Learning in Postgraduate Engineering Programmes

Impact Study: Introducing Activity-led Learning in postgraduate Engineering programmes

School of Engineering Management, Coventry University

Overview

With over 400 students (2012/11), the School of Engineering Management has the largest number (54%) of postgraduate students in Coventry University’s Engineering and Computing Faculty. Since 2007, the University has successfully introduced Activity-led Learning (ALL) into all its undergraduate Engineering courses. ALL is an innovative approach that involves students in solving real problems, against real deadlines using practical skills and teamwork. The university would like postgraduate Engineering students to benefit from ALL in the same way undergraduate students have.

Aims

The school has applied for a Teaching Development Grant of £30,000 to help it develop a strategy and framework for delivering and assessing programmes incorporating ALL at postgraduate level. While ALL has benefitted students at undergraduate level, it cannot be assumed that it will translate well to postgraduate programmes. Seventy-five percent of students are international. Many study part-time while in full-time employment, studying in the evenings or on day-release. Because courses must be completed in a year, there is an assumption traditional teaching methods may be preferred. Consequently, any framework must be based on evidence and the views of the main stakeholders. The profile of students in the school is similar to that in other subjects and universities meaning research can be of direct influence and relevance to others.

Irene Glendinning, Academic Manager for Student Experience and Principal Lecturer says, “We’ve been piloting the ALL approach successfully for four years on undergraduate programmes. Postgraduate programmes are the last to be tackled and there is some resistance because of the type of students involved. There are challenging timeframes with students expecting to come and absorb as much as they can and so it will mean changing attitudes to embrace a more interactive style of learning. That’s why it is so crucial to gather evidence.”

Approach

The university has employed trained student advocates to carry out external fact-finding. This includes review of literature and interviews with contacts in institutions in the UK and abroad that have already introduced ALL on postgraduate courses. The evidence will be combined with an internal survey of current full-time and part-time students, course tutors and teaching staff on postgraduate courses and a survey of local companies including employers and sponsors of current students and recent graduates. The advocates will also gather data from programmes in the Faculty that use ALL. Together, this information will be used to guide decisions about policy and structures and to develop the delivery and assessment framework. Industry contacts will be invited to critique the framework and suggest ways ALL can be used to increase employability. A pilot in the spring and summer will be followed by evaluation and the programme implemented in September.

Impact

It is hoped the introduction of ALL will benefit postgraduate students in the same ways as undergraduates.These include: higher retention; lower failure and early withdrawal rates; earlier and more effective engagement between students; retention and application of learning and development of interpersonal skills. As the demographic profile of the postgraduate students in the School of Engineering Management is similar to other subjects and universities, it is expected findings will be transferable to postgraduate provision in institutions in the UK and abroad.

Dissemination

Outputs from the project will include a methodology for assessing pedagogies for postgraduate delivery; evidence from the consultations; a strategy and framework for curriculum development; an interim report on the pilot study and conference paper or report. During the project, the website and faculty Facebook pages will disseminate evidence to stakeholders (students, industrial and educational partners, parents and other universities) with details abouthow the project is developed. The project team is part of a faculty-based research group focusing on ALL, with many journal and conference papers already published. Through the established network of contacts, conference and peer-reviewed journal publications the team will disseminate the findings.

Student engagement

Students are active partners in all aspects of the project. Student advocates have been recruited to undertake the underpinning research informing the framework’s initial design. Programmes’ development will be informed by students’ expectations and experiences and evidence of impact of such approaches on students in other modules and universities. Students are expected to play an important role in dissemination, reporting their experiences first-hand through web-casts and webinars.

Pull-out quote: “By the end of the project, we should have a good idea of what works, what is problematic and whether modules will work with a style that is integrative. The long-term aim is to have ALL between levels starting next year with first and second year students working together and ultimately working its way through to undergraduate and Masters’ students.”