CDIO: Overview, Standards, and Processes (Part 2) Doris R. Brodeur, November 2005

OUTLINE Part One CDIO as Context CDIO Syllabus Outcomes Integrated Curriculum Introduction to Engineering Design-Build Experiences CDIO Workspaces ___________________________ Part Two Integrated Learning Experiences Active and Experiential Learning CDIO Skills Assessment Enhancement of Faculty Skills CDIO Program Evaluation

TEACHING AND LEARNING How can we: Provide integrated experiences that support deep and conceptual learning of technical knowledge, as well as personal, interpersonal and product/system building skills? Encourage students to take a more active role in their own learning? Provide experiences for students that simulate their future roles as engineers?

INTEGRATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES Construct learning exercises that integrate both technical learning and learning of CDIO Syllabus skills, e.g., problem solving, system thinking, experimentation It is important for students to see their role models --- the engineering faculty -- involved with issues such as ethics, communication, enterprise and societal issues The CDIO Initiative provides Instructor Resource Modules (IRM) to facilitate this integration

SAMPLE INTEGRATION OF CDIO

STANDARD 7 - INTEGRATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES Integrated learning experiences that lead to the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge, as well as personal, interpersonal, and product and system building skills  Disciplinary knowledge is learned simultaneously with personal, interpersonal, and product and system building skills  Professional engineering issues are incorporated in contexts where they coexist with disciplinary issues

LEARNING PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING CDIO CONSTRUCTIVISM METACOGNITION SOCIAL NEGOTIATION

CONSTRUCTIVISM  Students make connections of new information with knowledge and experiences they have already assimilated  Individuals learn by  actively constructing their own knowledge  testing concepts on prior experience  applying these concepts to new situations  Integrating the new concepts into prior knowledge

METACOGNITION  The process of knowing how one knows or learns  Good students  can detect when they understand - or do not understand  know when to use different learning strategies to learn  Can judge the difficulty of problems and assess their progress in resolving them  Students reflect on what they know and how they know it

SOCIAL NEGOTIATION  The social environment is critical to  individual understanding  development of bodies of knowledge  Collaborative groups are important to  test the viability of one’s understanding  examine the understanding of others

ACTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVE LEARNING Engages students directly in manipulating, applying, analyzing, and evaluating ideas Examples: Pair-and-Share Group discussions Debates Concept questions EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Active learning in which students take on roles that simulate professional engineering practice Examples: Design-build projects Problem-based learning Simulations Case studies

CONCRETE EXPERIENCE REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION ABSTRACT GENERALIZATION ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (Kolb, 1984 ) Concepts, Models, Laws, Theories Exercises, Labs CDIO Inquiry, Analysis Internships, Work Experience

FEATURES OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Self-directed Faculty as facilitators Collaborative Authentic problems

STANDARD 8 - ACTIVE LEARNING Teaching and learning based on active experiential learning methods  Active learning engages students directly in thinking and problem solving activities.  Students take on roles that simulate professional engineering practice, for example, with simulations and case studies

CONCEPT QUESTION #1 Constructivism can best be described as 1 A belief in the value of building products for a better society 2 An extension of the behaviorist approach to teaching and learning 3 A principle that argues that students build their own frameworks of knowledge 4 I have no idea

CONCEPT QUESTION #2 If you believe that metacognition is important, you would provide 1 Lecture notes to students before class 2 Opportunities for students to reflect on their learning 3 Learning environments that promote collaboration 4 I have no idea

CONCEPT QUESTION #3 Social negotiation promotes learning because students 1 Have opportunities to evaluate their own understandings 2 Are placed in situations with students they wouldn’t otherwise meet 3 Learn the principles of workplace negotiations 4 I have no idea

CONCEPT QUESTION #4 Experiential learning is best applied in engineering classes with 1 A focus on a single disciplinary topic 2 Limited resources 3 Students of diverse backgrounds and abilities 4 Opportunities for individualized instruction

LEARNING ASSESSMENT How can we assess student knowledge and skills in personal, interpersonal, and product and system building, as well as disciplinary knowledge?

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING Specify CDIO skills as course learning outcomes Match assessment methods to course learning outcomes Create tools to assess personal, interpersonal, and product and system-building skills, e.g., oral presentations and team collaboration Provide timely feedback to students so they can improve their learning

LEARNING ASSESSMENT METHODS Peer Assessment Performance and Process Assessment Self- Assessment Journals and Portfolios Product Reviews Oral Questions and Interviews Intended Learning Outcomes

STANDARD 11 - CDIO SKILLS ASSESSMENT Assessment of student learning in personal, interpersonal, and product and system building skills, as well as in disciplinary knowledge  Measure of the extent to which a student has achieved specified learning outcomes  Faculty usually conduct this assessment within their respective courses  Uses a variety of methods matched appropriately to learning outcomes

CONCEPT QUESTION #5 Assessment in CDIO contexts begins with 1 clarifying the specific learning outcomes of the learning experience 2 identifying the internal and external examiners of the course 3 assigning students to study groups and providing them with study guides 4 identifying exam questions that have been useful in the past

ENHANCING FACULTY COMPETENCE How can we: Enhance faculty competence in personal, interpersonal and product/system building skills? Encourage faculty to enhance their competence in active and experiential teaching and learning, and in assessment?

Examples: Hire faculty with industrial experience Give new hires a year to gain experience before beginning program responsibilities Create educational programs for current faculty Give faculty leave to work in industry Encourage outside professional activities that give faculty appropriate experiences Recruit senior faculty with significant professional engineering experience FACULTY COMPETENCE IN CDIO SKILLS

STANDARD 9 - ENHANCEMENT OF FACULTY CDIO SKILLS Actions that enhance faculty competence in personal, interpersonal, and product and system building skills  Faculty develop these skills best in contexts of professional engineering practice  Nature and scope of faculty development vary with the resources and intentions of different programs and institutions

Examples: Hire faculty with interest in education and ask them to discuss teaching during their interviews Encourage faculty to take part in CDIO workshops Connect with the teaching and learning centers at your universities Invite guest speakers on teaching topics Organize coaching by educational professionals or distinguished peers Participate in teaching mentorship programs FACULTY COMPETENCE IN TEACHING

STANDARD 10 - ENHANCEMENT OF FACULTY TEACHING SKILLS Actions that enhance faculty competence in providing integrated learning experiences, in using active experiential learning methods, and in assessing student learning  CDIO programs provide support for faculty to improve their teaching and assessment methods  The nature and scope of faculty development practices vary with programs and institutions

PROGRAM EVALUATION How can we evaluate programs against the rigorous goals of the CDIO Initiative? How can we incorporate continuous improvement processes in our programs?

PROGRAM EVALUATION (STD 12) AND THE CDIO STANDARDS Program Objectives and Outcomes (Std 2) Learning Environment (Std 6) Learning Assessment (Std 11) Faculty Development (Std 9, 10) Curriculum (Std 3. 4) Institutional Mission Program Goals (Std 1) Teaching and Learning (Std 5, 7, 8)

KEY EVALUATION QUESTIONS

STANDARD 12 - CDIO PROGRAM EVALUATION A system that evaluates against these twelve standards, and provides feedback to students, faculty, and other stakeholders for the purposes of continuous improvement  Judgment of the overall value of a program based on evidence of a program’s progress toward attaining its goals  Feedback of the results form the basis of decisions about plans for continuous improvement

CONCEPT QUESTION #6 The main purpose of program evaluation in a CDIO program is to 1 verify that the program is meeting all twelve CDIO standards 2 determine if the program is meeting the standards of accreditation and professional groups 3 gather reliable and valid data about the program 4 determine if the program is meeting its intended outcomes

SUMMARY How would you answer the two central questions for engineering education?  What knowledge, skills, and attitudes should students possess as they graduate from university?  How can we do better at ensuring that students learn these skills? How can CDIO be adapted to your own programs? What opportunities are you finding for networking and sharing your ideas?