Benn Thomsen
description
Transcript of Benn Thomsen
Introducing Scenario Based Learning
Experiences from an Undergraduate Electronic and Electrical Engineering course.
Benn Thomsen
Third Year Fourth YearSecond YearFirst Year
An integrated part of the course structure
Electronic Circuits
Digital Systems & Comms
Physical Electronics
Maths & Computing
Engineering Professional Practice
Pro
ject
bas
ed s
cena
rio
Systems, Communications
and Software
Devices, Materials and
Nanotechnology
Wider Context
Individual Project
Systems, Communications
and Software
Devices, Materials and
Nanotechnology
Wider Context
Group Project
Fundamentals Specialisation
Pro
ject
bas
ed s
cena
rio
Pro
ject
bas
ed s
cena
rio
Pro
ject
bas
ed s
cena
rio
Pro
ject
bas
ed s
cena
rio
ScenariosFirst YearScenario A: Electromagnetic lifting
Redesign an electromagnet to maximise the lifting force using only a single battery.
Scenario B: Java based image coding for airport security.
Develop a piece of software in java to scramble and descramble passenger images using a secret key.
Scenario C: The Transistor Radio Kit
Design and build an radio that could be assembled by hand in a third world country and powered off the grid.
Second YearScenario X: Call Detection System
Design, build and test a system that is able to non-intrusively acquire the signal from a phone line and determine the number that has been dialled.
Scenario Y: Due Diligence Report on Broadband Access Solutions
Research, assess and compare the performance, practicality and economic implications of three potential next generation broadband access technologies.
E.g. Scenario A: Electromagnetic weight liftingA company hired a mechanical engineering design firm to produce battery powered electromagnetic for lifting, however, the magnet produced did not provide sufficient lifting force. At this stage in the design process of the robot it is too late to change the mechanical design or the battery type (either a 1.5V C or 9V. You have been contracted to redesign the coil of the electromagnet to maximise the lifting force.
Constraints• Mechanical design• Two battery types
Goal• To lift the most
weight
Validation• Weight lifting
competition
Essentially an optimisation problem
• Need to determine and apply theory to produce a mathematical model
• Some parameters need to be determined experimentally
• The optimum solution determined by the model is then constructed and tested
E.g. Scenario A: Electromagnetic weight lifting
Checkpoints
Scenario Project Model: CIDO model
Planning• Problem
definition• Research• Innovate• Design concept• Assign Roles• Resource
Requirements
Design• Develop design
concept into deployable design specification
• Refinement through several iterations
Realisation• Build and test
subsections• Problem
shooting• Refinement
Validation• Test and
debug• Verify
performance against project specifications
Reporting• Presentation
of results• Production of
project documentation
• Reflection
Con
cept
&
orga
nisa
tiona
l ap
prov
al?
Des
ign
appr
oval
?
Spe
cific
atio
n M
et?
Feedback and Assessment
Feedback• Regular facilitation sessions• Reports are submitted and
marked online in moodle, feedback and comments provided by using Turnitin and GradeMark
• Post scenario debrief session
Assessment• Formative
• Checkpoints• Competitions
• Summative• Group Presentations• Individual technical reports
• Traditional reports• Critical Assessments of
other teams solutions• Group technical report
• User manual• Due diligence document
• Individual Narratives
Evaluation Questions?
• Do scenarios excite and motivate students?
• Is it feasible to carryout a practical engineering design project – ‘from concept to product in a week’?
• Does the scenario reinforce what is taught in lectures?
Student Comments
“I liked getting to apply theory to a real problem and building something to demonstrate and test the designed solution”“I was surprised a single battery
could lift so much, even though our theory indicated it could”It was great to beat the lecturer
“Once the Scenario B teams were announced, I instantly felt relieved. I was never good in programming to begin with and there in my group is ‘student A’, a good programmer. I now have a new insight into programming as I did not realise simple codes are enough to program something I presume as difficult.”
“As I do have previous programming experience I did my best to explain algorithms, object oriented programming, Java and general programming basics to the team members. It was a rewarding teaching experience, as most team members did understand my explanations and learnt from them.”
“I learnt more about biasing transistor more in a week than I ever did in lectures although I attend every single lectures”
“I liked the combination of almost all our modules to produce a very commonly used device”
“I really like the lab and scenario experience. I believe a better explanation during the year of the scientific and/or engineering approach to solve a problem will be very useful for the scenario and lab. Otherwise we fall into the ‘de-engineering process’: 1. Go to internet; 2. Find a similar design; 3. Try to understand how it works; 4. Modify it for our task.I really believe that the ‘engineering way’ is: 1. Study what we have (measuring); 2. Understand what we want in the output; 3. Design the "black box". Now I have clear in my mind these fundamental steps.Probably it was your way to give us a task and see how the students discover the ‘engineering process’.”
Summary
• Students particularly liked– the practical aspects of the scenario– Group work and the increased social interaction– Competitive testing
• Areas to improve– More facilitation staff– More guidance on team working and report writing– It is extremely important to have a timely debrief
session after the reports are marked