Engineering and Education: Leadership,

Practice and Research Module Guide 2024-25

EDPS0254

Contents

2 INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Engineering and Education: Leadership, Practice and Research module. This blended learning module is designed to give you the opportunity to explore and investigate salient challenges and issues within engineering and education within your own professional context. This is to be done through an engagement with theoretical perspectives and critical reflection on practice.

The module explores four different themes. To explain the content of the module these four different themes are outlined separately below. Throughout the teaching and learning of the module, these themes will be integrated.

The four themes are:

•    Professionalism in the context of engineering and education

•   Approaches to undertaking research in the social sciences

•    Leadership roles in engineering and education, and

•    Evaluating small scale research.

Firstly, the module examines the notion of Professionalism. It does this within the context of engineering and education. There are opportunities for you to consider what professionalism requires of you in your institution and in society and to critically consider the professional standards and policies you are asked to adhere to.

Secondly, the module introduces you to approaches involved in undertaking a small  scale enquiry founded in the social sciences. You will be guided through some of the tools and techniques that can be utilised in small scale research. You will be asked to critically consider these as well as choose a technique that will enable you to explore your own issue in your professional context. You will consider the ethics surrounding professional enquiry.

Thirdly, the module will enable you to consider leadership roles in engineering and education and the application of relevant theory to the leadership of or improvement of practice in engineering education. You may wish to examine a professional issue through a community of practice or apply the strategies of critical friends and mentors.

Finally, the fourth theme of the module is to evaluate the worth undertaking an enquiry. You will review the implications of your own small scale research as well as that of published researchers.

3 MODULE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aims

This module aims to ensure that participants:

•   Critically examine the concept and use of professional enquiry in enhancing individual and organisational practice in the field of engineering education.

•   Contribute to the improvement of practice in engineering education through engaging in professional enquiry.

•    Develop knowledge and skills in professional enquiry pertinent to engineering education.

•   Critically evaluate a range of approaches to professional enquiry as relevant to engineering education.

•    Develop  a  relevant  conceptual  framework  for  professional  enquiry  in  the context of engineering education.

•    Develop and broaden their own professional practice through analysis, critical reflection  and  enquiry  focusing  on  processes,  contexts,  dilemmas  and outcomes.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will have knowledge and skills in:

•   Critical interrogation of literature and empirical evidence around a chosen area of engineering education.

•   Application of relevant theory to the leadership of or improvement of practice in engineering education.

•    Design of a small-scale enquiry with the intention of understanding and/improving engineering education.

•   Critical awareness of ethical issues in social sciences research.

•    Implementation of an enquiry in an engineering education setting.

•   Critical analysis, independent study skills, report writing and presentation.

•    Independent critical reflection and enquiry.

4 MODULE TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

The module will maintain a dialogic approach to teaching and learning, with opportunities for deep, critical engagement with materials, and interaction between students and tutors. The aim is to develop interaction and sustained debate, so the group may learn from the wide range of professional experience represented by staff and students on the module; and to build a learning community that is committed to and convinced of the value of inter-disciplinary and multi-cultural collaboration.

A range of face to face and online learning activities and resources will be used:

•   Whole group lectures

•   Small group sessions

•   Whole group synchronous sessions

•   Synchronous breakout groups and discussion

•    Plenary discussions/ question and answer sessions

•   Online group, pair and individual activities

•   Critical friend activities

•    Reflection on prepared readings

•    Individual tutorials to focus on the development of the professional enquiry

•    Participants’ self-study.

Each session is individually structured to ensure variety of pedagogic approaches and make the most of the opportunities provided by blended learning. Students will also be asked to upload a short presentation on their ideas for their final assignment. All these learning activities are designed to encourage critical engagement with the materials and ideas offered to students, develop expertise , and strengthen generic academic skills. Formative and summative assessment will form. an important part of students’ work within the module (see Assessment Information below). Details are given in the session overviews below and in Moodle.

Attendance

UCL expects students to attend all the scheduled learning events which appear on their timetable as this gives students the best chance of academic success. A central student attendance system RegistryUCL, is used to record attendance at teaching events. For the online sessions attendance is measured by participation. This includes engagement with key readings, activities, group contributions, completion of required tasks and attendance for synchronous sessions. Please consult the module  leader in good time if you have problems with attendance.

Weekly online activities and readings

Weekly online activities

On each week there will be activities for you to engage in online - these are set out within each session. Four of these relate to the specific assignment tasks (see section 4.3).

Readings

Undertaking reading in advance means that you can take part fully in each session and is a crucial part of your engagement with and learning within the module.

Reading for the module is separated into three types:

1.  Essential reading for each session: this is titled pre-session reading

2.  Further readings for each session selected from a range of recommendations available in the Library or on-line, or further sources that you may identify yourself.

3.  General background readings

Additional readings are identified in the module handbook. While this offers a good indication of relevant work, you are welcome to bring to the discussion alternative sources that you have found yourself. Remember that the IOE library is a superb resource for education publications and that the wider UCL library contains excellent wider resources and electronic journals.

Reading Expectations

Before each session you should read the pre-sessional reading. Alongside this try to plan to read more widely from the further reading and general reading lists. Please try and read widely but also later in the module you will want to focus particularly on readings relevant for your coursework.

5 ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

5.1 The Assignment

The enquiry that you undertake will be a small-scale empirical piece of research in the field of engineering and education. You might for instance, explore different approaches to online learning and the use of simulations and experiments; interview three or four practising engineers to explore leadership and professional learning; undertake a focus group with engineering students or practising engineers, or design and implement an online questionnaire to explore perceptions or attitudes about problem-based learning in engineering education using quantitative data.

Developmental tasks throughout the module

There are five tasks that are completed during the module - three short written tasks, the successful approval of your ethics application and a presentation.

Formative feedback will be provided on this tasks.

Formally assessed work - summative assessment

There are two graded components that together contribute to the final grade awarded: 1. A 3,000 word report of the Professional Enquiry that you have undertaken: this is weighted at 75%. 2. A 1,000 word critical reflection that draws on the tasks completed during the module.

The Report has a word length of 3,000 words.

The Critical Reflection has a word length of 1,000 words.

Work that exceeds the maximum stated length of assessment (eg word count or media equivalent) by more than 10% will be reduced by one grade or 10 percentage points. This must not take the mark below the Pass Mark. Any material in addition to the 10% excess may not be taken into account in grading.

There will be no penalties for any submissions which are under the stated length.

For both the Report and The Critical Reflection, the word count does NOT include abstract, appendices, bibliography, references, table of contents or title page. The word count does include footnotes, all references to authors and dates in the text, diagrams, and figures.

5.2 The Presentation

The presentation is an integral part of the assessment. It must be completed. In the presentation, you will outline your enquiry ideas. You will explain why the enquiry is salient to the challenges and issues in engineering and education. You will be able to outline your strategy or strategies of investigation. The presentation will be formatively assessed by a combination of tutor, peer and self-assessment.

The presentation is formative assessment. After presenting, you will be given feedback from a tutor and peers. This feedback will provide a basis with which to move forward to the summative assessment.

5.3 The Tasks

The four tasks will be uploaded to Moodle as the module is in progress.

Each task will include critical reflection on the enquiry process, and evidence of engagement with critical friends.

Task 1

In task 1 you will set out your general issue for enquiry: what is it you are exploring and why? You will frame. this with background reading and literature. Read and provide a critical commentary on at least three other posts from your peers.

Task 2

In Task 2 you will set out the approach that you are taking to your enquiry. For instance, how will you gather data, how will this enable you to answer your questions? Read and provide a critical commentary on at least three other posts from your peers.

Task 3

For Task 3 draft interview or focus group schedules or questionnaires for your intended enquiry. Read and provide a critical commentary of at least three other post from your peers. For example, think carefully about whether the interview/focus group questions make sense and are they sufficiently open to engage your respondents in a dialogue? For a questionnaire think carefully about whether the   questions make sense, the mix of question types and whether there are any there leading questions, for example. In each case, imagine you are an interviewee or a respondent to a questionnaire.

By engaging in the online activities, you will be able to reflect on the process of formulating an approach to professional enquiry. Do respond to the comments that you receive from your peers as part of the dialogic approach to developing your enquiry.

Tasks 1 and 2 should be between 300 and 450 words.

Task 4

Complete your ethical approval form. This must be signed off before you can collect any data.