PBL - a Learning Methodology for Sustainability and Global

Innovation in Engineering Education

Professor Anette Kolmos, Aalborg UniversityPresident SEFI

New Centre: PBL and Sustainability2010: 25 PhD students

Sustainability Global innovation in EEEmployability and collaboration with industry

Sustainability - Hot issue for many years – delicate maybe?

Engineers have been partof the problem -Engineers have to become part of the solutions

Green engineers – green engineering

Joint communication from SEFI, ASEE, IFEES on sustainability issues in engineering education:

•EE as a responsible partner •Sustainable competences and global innovation•Developing countries and developed countries

• New requirements

• PBL and research on PBL

• Examples of sustainability

9

Economy

Environment

Eco-marketsResource management

Working environmentTrade regulations

Public environmentalregulation

Society

Citizenship

Economic growth

Pollution prevention

Sustainability

10

Economical considerations

Environmental considerations

Eco-marketsResource management

Working environmentTrade regulations

Public environmentalregulation Social considerations

Citizenship

Economic growth

Pollution prevention

Sustainability, global innovation and complexity

Qualification framework

‘competence’ means the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, competence is described in terms of responsibility and autonomy.

You can not learn this by visit - this is an internalized process – you need to collaborate – you need to experience ….

PBL in engineering - US concepts

12

Service LearningProject Based Service LearningInquiry Based Learning

Project Based LearningProblem Based Learning

A well-defined outcome and ill-defined task.PBL for the purposes here is the use of a project that often results in the emergenceof various learning outcomes in addition to the ones anticipated.(Capraro and Slough, 2009)

Project-based learning begins with an assignment to carry out one or more tasks that lead to the production of a final product—a design, a model, a device or a computer simulation. The culmination of the project is normally a written and/or oral report summarizing the procedure used to produce the product and presentingthe outcome. (Prince and Felder, 2006)

Danish models/engineering model 1: Project organised/based

• formulation of objectives • Identification of problems• unique and complex tasks• active searching and writing process

which may lead to deeper understanding• teamwork• deadlines

13

Danish models/engineering models Problem oriented/based

Problem based – innovation projects

• methodical objectives• problem based themes• experience based• learner directed• interdisciplinary• Exemplarity

• Learning new knowledge

• Construction of knowledge

Discipline based – Study projects

• subject objectives• methodological/discipline

themes• subject understanding• learner and teacher controlled• disciplines• Exemplarity

• Applying taught knowledge

• Acquisition of knowledge

14

15

Acquisition of knowledge?

16

Constructing knowledge

• Knowledge and learning created by students – not given

• Learning and knowledge construction is facilitated by collaboration – dialogue, critical reviews, coordinating efforts.

• Knowledge and learning should be about construction, and not re-construction of knowledge

• Learning is about producing new knowledge, solutions, theories and methods.

problem based and project basedPBL- learning principles

LearningProblem basedProject based / organisedContextual learningActivity based

Social Participant directedTeam based learning

ContentTheory-practice relationInterdisciplinary learning Exemplary learning

17

18

One project per semester

System level

19

Self organised groups/Project management

How to establish a PBL culture - students

20

Facilitation and group dynamics

How to establish a PBL culture - facilitation

21

1200 rooms for teams

Project phases

• Problem identification and definition

• Pre phase study• Design• Detailed design• Implementation –

prototype• Implementation – real

system

22

PBL

Next step in PBL

23

24

25

UNESCO Chair in Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education, Aalborg

University26

Austria network

Denmark

Hardware control linux

Denmark

Mission control

UK hardwareUSA review and verification

France

Space legislation

Denmark

Ground station server

Japanwindows

Research on PBL LearningMotivation and engagement Self-satisfaction and meaningfulness

Graff and Cowdroy 1997, Thomas 2000, Kolmos and Du, 2006

Savin-Baden 2000, Du 2006a

Skills/competencesProfessional Skills improvementHigher confidence for work life and project

management skills/process skills

Dochy et al 2001, Frenay et al 2007

Kolmos 1996, 1999, Du 2006, Kolmos and Du 2006, Croshwaite, 2006,

ManagementHigher retention rate/lower drop outCompletion rate is higher

Kolmos 2009

EmployabilityCompanies rank PBL universities higher and regard PBL

universities as more innovative

Kolmos 2009

28

29

Contextual Knowledge not always Knowledge About, For or As Sustainability!

Simple deep-searching on selected key words in a database of 1st year Basic Year projects over a 5-year period (1917 reports) yields the following:

• Sustainability: 122 Hits• Sustainable: 313 Hits• Climate: 429 Hits• Climate Change: 109 Hits

Holgaard, 2009

30

“The Raspberry Solar Cell” - Nanotechnology

2nd Semester Project, Spring Semester 2007, 7 Group Members

Technical Content: Solar cell technology and experiments with Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs)

Contextual Content: Climate change and its consequences – the scientific basis, effects, economics , adaptation & mitigation strategies and low carbon technologies

Initiating Problem Statement:How does the DSSC work, what are the future

complications of global warming and how can solar cells help avoid these?

Examples I

Holgaard, 2009

31

Examples III

“GreenEats” – Architecture & Design2nd Semester Project, Spring Semester 2009, 7

Group MembersTechnical Content: Design parameters & product

development of sustainable food packaging & eating utensil form

Contextual Content: History of food packaging, marketing & marketing analysis, sustainability and the Cradle 2 Cradle concept

Initiating Problem Statement: Create a food packaging design concept which considers future society and its’ new technologies

Holgaard, 2009

Message

• We need to address global innovation and sustainability in all engineering education programs,

• It has to be formulated explicitly and not “only” as contextual knowledge in accreditation criteria/curriculum objectives

• In Europe learning outcomes are now formulated as knowledge, skills and competences and PBL is one way of leading to more complex learning

• Evidence that PBL makes a difference