Complete Report - University of New South Wales
Complete Report - University of New South Wales
Complete Report - University of New South Wales
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The main round <strong>of</strong> interviews for this admissions scheme was held during the week<br />
<strong>of</strong> the 26th to the 30th September. Five <strong>of</strong> the Centre’s academic staff members<br />
were involved with interviews during this week. In addition to this, one academic<br />
conducted tours <strong>of</strong> our school for prospective photovoltaic and renewable energy<br />
engineering students, and one general staff member coordinated the regional<br />
interviews in Canberra on behalf <strong>of</strong> the Faculty. This program was deemed to be<br />
very successful and will be further refi ned and administered again in 2006.<br />
5.5.5 Semi-distance Delivery Mode Trial<br />
The Centre has recognised that by being a small School, it is limited in the number<br />
<strong>of</strong> courses that it can teach each year. In an attempt at increasing the number <strong>of</strong><br />
yearly course <strong>of</strong>ferings, a second year core course, Sustainable and Renewable<br />
Energy Technologies, was delivered in a semi-distance mode in 2005. This course<br />
was available to students who had previously failed the course, missed taking the<br />
course in the previous year, or were on the Co-Op Scholarship. Lecture material<br />
was delivered via the web, and students attended a one hour tutorial one night a<br />
week, submitted assignments, and sat an examination at the end <strong>of</strong> the session.<br />
Students appreciated the evening classes, and having the opportunity to take the<br />
course in a year when it wasn’t typically <strong>of</strong>fered. The Centre is investigating this<br />
mode <strong>of</strong> delivery with more courses in 2006.<br />
5.6 Educational Resources<br />
5.6.1 <strong>New</strong> Edition <strong>of</strong> Applied Photovoltaics<br />
In 2005, revisions to the Centre’s book titled Applied Photovoltaics were fi nalised<br />
and it was re-printed ready for distribution in 2006. This book was originally<br />
published by Stuart Wenham, Martin Green, and Muriel Watt in 1995, and the<br />
revisions were the result <strong>of</strong> experience teaching a course on applied photovoltaics<br />
as part <strong>of</strong> the Centre’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The book<br />
examines the characteristics <strong>of</strong> sunlight, how photovoltaic devices work, and<br />
various applications for the devices including stand-alone photovoltaic systems,<br />
grid-connected photovoltaic systems, remote area power supply, and water<br />
pumping.<br />
5.6.2 Virtual Survivor game<br />
The online Virtual World Solar Challenge game,<br />
developed Jeff Cotter in 1999, is a highly successful<br />
game-based learning tool (http://wsc.pv.unsw.edu.<br />
au/) that has been played over 50,000 times by highschool<br />
students and solar racing car enthusiasts<br />
across Australia and around the world. It has been<br />
used numerous times by the School for Photovoltaic<br />
Engineering and the Faculty <strong>of</strong> Engineering for<br />
promotion and education purposes since 1999. This<br />
successful game-based learning tool grew out <strong>of</strong> a<br />
simple on-paper exercise developed for the general<br />
education course Solar Racing Cars.<br />
136<br />
The Virtual Survivor game-based learning tool comes from similar origins – an on-paper<br />
exercise developed for SOLA2053 - Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering. The<br />
on-paper exercise was very popular and engaging with students, and it is presently under<br />
development as a web-based tool.
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