Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 259 de 957
Topic: Teaching Practice – Chair: Anne Gardner
Want to Change Learning Culture: Provide the Opportunity.
Keith Willey
Keith.Willey@uts.edu.au
University of Technology, Sydney,
Australia
Anne Gardner
Anne.Gardner@uts.edu.au
University of Technology, Sydney,
Australia
Abstract: Many students resist having to take responsibility for their own
learning rather expecting this to be the responsibility of their teaching
academics. This resistance is often associated with Asian cultures where there is
a perception of a reliance on rote learning and passively being taught.
Furthermore, undertaking collaborative activities may be more difficult when
students are not being taught in their primary language.
While teaching an undergraduate engineering science program in Hong Kong
the authors had initially found it difficult to motivate students to actively
participate in their learning. In response, learning activities were redesigned to
promote a culture of learning rather than a focus on passing a series of
assessments.
We found that despite some initial apprehension students enthusiastically
engaged in collaborative learning when given the opportunity. Furthermore,
formative activities freed students from the burden of strategically collecting
marks, allowing them to focus on learning, enjoy the activities and take
responsibility for their own progress.
Introduction
Engineers are often required to make critical judgements involving decisions that extend
beyond traditional discipline boundaries. This requires professional engineers to
undertake ongoing learning. Much of this learning is informal, learnt on the job from peers
from different disciplines (Trevelyan 2007). Hence, to prepare students for professional
practice they require opportunities to experience, practise, reflect and improve their
ability to work in collaborative learning environments.
Many students resist having to take responsibility for their own learning rather expecting
this to be the responsibility of their teaching academics. This resistance has often been
associated with Asian cultures where there is a perception of reliance on rote learning and
an expectation of being passively taught. These tendencies may be a result of students
previous educational experience that often combined didactic teaching and passive
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011