Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 907 de 957
Threshold capabilities: an emerging methodology to locate curricula thresholds
Sally A. Male
sally.male@uwa.edu.au
The University of Western Australia
Australia
Caroline Baillie
caroline.baillie@uwa.edu.au
The University of Western Australia
Australia
Abstract: Threshold concept theory is an important recent advance in
discipline-based Higher Education research. The theory proposes that within
disciplines there are critical concepts that are both transformational and
troublesome for students. By identifying and investigating these concepts it is
possible to focus curricula. This paper describes a methodology to identify and
investigate threshold concepts, which is then developed and tested in a global
study. The methodology involves two major phases: identification of potential
threshold concepts using interviews and focus groups with students, tutors, and
academics discussing thresholds in one unit or discipline; and negotiation across
unit, disciplinary, institutional, and eventually international boundaries.
Introduction
The improvement of engineering curricula to ensure understanding and encourage deep
rather than surface approaches to learning requires careful design. Threshold concept
theory is an important recent advance in higher education with potential to provide a
framework to achieve this.
Within the theoretical framework it is proposed that many courses have “threshold
concepts” that are transformative for students, critical to students’ progress, and
troublesome for many students (Meyer & Land, 2003). By identifying and investigating
these we can focus otherwise crowded curricula onto these concepts, therefore ensuring
students pass through the thresholds to future learning (Cousin, 2006).
Academics at our university have developed and tested a methodology to identify and
investigate threshold concepts, and are leading an international project to establish an
approach to enhance engineering curricula using threshold concept theory. We have
tested the methodology by identifying and investigating threshold concepts within the
first two years of any engineering course. International partners include Lund, Oxford and
Birmingham Universities.
Previously, many diverse methods have been used to identify and investigate threshold
concepts. Researchers have undertaken interviews, phenomenography, laboratory
observations, mixed methods including quantitative surveys, and analysis of distributions
of grades (Baillie & Johnson, 2008; Holloway, Alpay, & Bull, 2010; Kabo & Baillie, 2009;
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011