European engineering educators

A special episode for you to bring Season 1 of the sefi podcast to a close!We recognise that you might not have time to listen to all the episodes, and/or would appreciate a preview or recap.Join Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) and Natalie Wint (Swansea University) as they share some of their highlights parts from Season 1, and identify four themes that reflect the current areas of interest in engineering education, featuring clips from the seasons guests: Roland Tormey, Mia Stephens, Emanuela Tilley, Jan van der Veen, Nicki Sochacka, and Gary Wood.By popular demand, season 1 is also now available on the SEFI Youtube channel if you'd like to listen with subtitles in your own language: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgbdO3TmP943SOB9BDGRrffTG6tShZSXzThank you to all listeners and guests for their continued support, and please continue to like and share the show on social media channels!Timestamps:0.04 General introduction0.36 Introduction to this episode0.48 Reach of the podcast and feedback we have received2.37 Summary of what we will discuss3.43 Theme 1: Theory vs. practice7.59 Theme 2: Working with others10.46 Theme 3: Educators in the spotlight13.22 Theme 4: The whole student19.09 Summary of themes19.47 Information about Season 2Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beMusic by ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.

In this episode, our guest is Professor Gary Wood, Academic Director of NMITE where he leads delivery and development of new approaches to engineering education through challenge-led, industry-linked programmes. He is a National Teaching Fellow, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and also contributes to regional skills development, drawing on his expertise in employability, professional skills, and entrepreneurship education. Gary’s approach to education is informed by his background in linguistics, a discipline in which transferable skills are highly valued, partly because of the lack of a distinct career path for students following graduation. *must read show notes with further insights: https://www.sefi.be/2023/02/20/podcast-episode-6-european-engineering-educators-is-online/ *Gary explains the differences between passive and active forms of student engagement and suggests ways in which we can understand ways of increasing student motivation and satisfaction, instead of primarily focusing on sources of dissatisfaction. He explains how action research methodologies can be effective approaches by which to approach such work.Join Dr Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) and Dr Natalie Wint (Swansea University) for this sparkling discussion.Thanks to Gary and NMITE for making the time to explain how we may go about these newer approaches to working with our studentsTimestamps:0.00 Abstract0.27 Podcast intro0.50 Experiences of student engagement from Neil and Natalie1.56 Gary’s background3.28 NMITE 6.58 Differences in terminology: active and passive approaches8.50 Examples and benefits of the ‘student as partners’ approach12.54 Action Research Methodologies13.57 Different approaches to treating students as partners15.41 Barriers to treating students as partners17.12 Two factor theory21.28 The benefits to students22.55 Inclusive student engagement24.30 How to face challenges encountered when using such approaches27.03 Final advice from Gary29.07 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil.Resources:https://www.garycwood.uk/Gibbs, B & Wood, G. C. (2021) How can student partnerships stimulate organisational learning in higher education institutions?, Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2021.1913722.Wood, G.C. & Gibbs, B. (2019). Students as Partners in the Design and Practice of Engineering Education: Understanding and Enabling Development of Intellectual Abilities. In: Malik, M., Andrews, J., Clark, R., & Broadbent, R. (eds) Realising Ambitions: 6th Annual Symposium of the UK&I Engineering Education Research Network. Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth.For more information about two factor theory see Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B.B. (1959). Motivation to Work. New York: Wiley.For more information about single and double loop learning, see Argyris, C., and D. Schön. 1974. Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional Effectiveness. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.HEA Guides Student engagement through partnership in higher education | Advance HE (advance-he.ac.uk) Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beMusic by ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.

Happy 2023!We start the year with an incredible discussion on the very frontiers of engineering education - teaching empathy - with Dr Nicola Sochacka from the University of Georgia.Nicola spent the last decade researching this topic and has created some brilliant resources we can all use to bring the teaching of empathy into our contexts. She believes that engineers should not only understand the end users of engineering designs but should also develop an affinity with those they interact with. She presents a model of empathy in engineering as a teachable and learnable skill, a practice orientation, and a professional way of being, *detailed show notes including further reflections and tools to take back to your own contexts: https://www.sefi.be/2023/01/16/podcast-episode-5-european-engineering-educators-is-online/ *Join Dr Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) and Dr Natalie Wint (Swansea University) for this informative discussion.Thanks to Nicola for taking time during vacation to speak with us!Timestamps:0.00 Abstract0.45 Podcast intro1.18 What we will talk about1.36 Experiences of teaching empathy from Neil and Natalie2.48 Nicki’s background5.20 University of Georgia 7.08 What we mean by empathy skills and why they are important for engineers?10.48 A model of empathy in engineering: skills, being and orientation13.31 An example of using the model in the classroom15.28 The ‘being’ aspect of the model17.34 Can empathy be taught?19.17 How to operationalize the theory: research into practice21.35 Mode switching25.00 The Empathy Modules Workbook and assessment ideas27.30 Overcoming challenges31.05 Teaching neurodiverse students32.11 What’s next for Nicki: dissemination and propagation of research33. 44 Final advice from Nicki35.07 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil.Resources:Model:https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20159 Empathy Modules Workbook:https://eeti.uga.edu/project/the-empathy-project-an-interdisciplinary-research-effort-to-develop-a-transferable-theory-of-empathy-in-engineering/ google study:https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html The paper mentioned in relation to dissemination and propagation:DOI:10.1080/00091383.2017.1357098Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beMusic: Sunrise by ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint

What is interdisciplinary engineering education, how difficult is it to teach, and why is it considered an integral part of modern engineering studies? We discussed this with Professor Jan van der Veen, who chairs the Eindhoven School of Education at TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where he focuses on teaching training and projects within engineering higher education. Jan was inspired by both his time as a physics teacher and the silos formed by different disciplines within higher education. Jan believes that interdisciplinary education is becoming more important for engineers who face complex problems such as progress towards the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He describes the differences between multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary and provides examples of integrating interdisciplinary within engineering programmes.*must read show notes* https://www.sefi.be/2022/12/19/podcast-episode-4-european-engineering-educators-is-online/Join Dr Natalie Wint (Swansea University) and Dr Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) for this informative discussion.Thanks to Jan for tolerating both of us suffering from colds while recording!Timestamps:0.00 Abstract0.40 Podcast intro1.07 What we will talk about1.21 Experiences of interdisciplinary from Neil and Natalie2.45 Jan’s background4.40 TU Eindhoven5.28 What do we mean by interdisciplinary?7.07 The need for interdisciplinary8.00 Students’ perception of interdisciplinary8.43 Terminology: multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary10.22 Boundary crossing11.48 Implementation, teaching teams and support14.10 Example of interdisciplinary in action; Mechanical Engineering, Product Design and Business Studies.15.51 Problems provided by external collaborators17.31 Challenges19.09 Opportunities for new degree programmes22.40 Assessment of interdisciplinary skills25.40 Disciplinary identities28.00 The future of interdisciplinary29.30 Final advice from Jan30.28 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil.Resources:Eindhoven School of Education (tue.nl)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jee.20347Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beMusic by ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.

In this episode, our guest is Professor Emanuela Tilley, who is currently a Board Director at SEFI and Director of the Integrated Engineering Programme, a teaching framework embedded in the learning experiences of undergraduate students across Engineering at University College London. Emanuela’s approach is informed by both her own experiences of problem based, authentic learning and her time as an engineering project consultant working in interdisciplinary teams in the built environment.*must read* show notes including further reflections and talking points to take back to your own contexts: https://www.sefi.be/2022/11/14/podcast-episode-3-of-european-engineering-educators-is-online/Emanuela believes that good teamwork can take place when students understand themselves and are able to balance their individual and shared interests. She describes the need for staff to start by providing operational tools, for example, support in time management and organization skills, before moving onto psychological issues such as trust. Emanuela explains that the use of the Gallup CliftonStrengths tools has helped students to understand the role they play in teamwork, and to appreciate the benefit of working within a diverse group.Join Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) and Natalie Wint (Swansea University) for this informative discussion.Thanks to Emanuela and UCL for sharing their knowledge on team building in one of our early and therefore slightly choppy recordings!Thanks also to Dr Jennifer Griffiths from UCL for co-writing the episode show notes and creative input.Timestamps:0.00 Abstract0.45 Podcast intro1.15 Experiences of teaching teamwork from Neil and Natalie2.10 Emanuela's background3.35 UCL and the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP)4.45 What is teamwork in engineering?6.00 Attributes for teamwork6.55 Defining good teamwork as both operational skills and character qualities8.25 Identifying good teamwork through processes9:55 Tools for supporting teamwork at a large scale11:13 Support mechanisms within the IEP: teaching interventions13:55 Use of Gallup Clifton Strengths themes questionnaire16:13 Team formation19:00 Role of reflection, peer assessment and team contracts26:05 Valuing the strengths of students from a variety of backgrounds28:45 Psychological safety and trust32:20 Final advice from Emanuela33:40 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil.Resources:Gallup CliftonStrengths: What Are the 34 CliftonStrengths Themes? | EN - GallupFor more information about teamwork at UCLDireito_OA_IJGST_640-4405-1-PB.pdf (ucl.ac.uk)Microsoft Word - SEFI2017 FINAL 163.docx (ucl.ac.uk)Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beLeave us feedback/comments/suggestions: https://forms.gle/tMDHxf1JA8P9RYMY8Music: ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.

For our second episode we welcome Mia Stephens, an Advisory Product Manager with JMP (pronounced jump), a corporate partner of SEFI, and part of SAS Institute, an American multinational developer of analytics software. Mia is responsible for providing technical support for JMP academic users. Prior to joining SAS, she was an Adjunct Professor of Statistics at University of New Hampshire, a founding member of the North Haven Group and a trainer and consultant with the George Group. As well as being a co-author of four books and several papers, she has developed training materials, taught, and consulted within a variety of fields and industries.*must read* Show notes including further reflections and talking points to take back to your own contexts: https://www.sefi.be/2022/10/17/podcast-episode-2-of-european-engineering-educators-is-online/In this episode Mia explains that statistical thinking is key to understanding engineering processes and process variation, and thus process improvement. She explains that many academic programs don’t teach students to think statistically, and about the existence of a skills gap between what is taught and what industry needs. She introduces us to STIPS (Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving), a free online statistics course which introduces the statistical thinking process through 7 modules (statistical thinking and problem solving; exploratory data analysis; quality methods; decision making with data; correlation and regression; design of experiments; and predictive modelling and text mining.Join Dr Natalie Wint (Swansea University) and Dr Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) for this informative discussion.Thanks to Mia for spending the time to talk to us about this ever-important topic and to everyone at JMP for supporting SEFI in its mission! Timestamps:0.00 Abstract0.44 Podcast intro1.10 Experiences of teaching statistical thinking from Neil and Natalie2.20 Mia's background3:10 Introduction to JMP4:50 How do we define statistical thinking and why is it important to teach?7:00 JMP’s expert survey into skills gap between teaching and industry11:52 Visual Six Sigma15:10 Barriers to teaching statistics in a practical, ‘hands-on’ way17:33 Mia’s experience of teaching statistics to engineering students20:25 Design of Experiments (DOE)24:40 The STIPS (Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving) course28:00 Use of STIPS in industry29:00 Big data and what’s next for statistical thinking30:13 Final advice from Mia31:20 Accessing the STIPS course32:12 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil.Resources:https://www.jmp.com/en_no/online-statistics-course.htmlVisual Six Sigma: Making Data Analysis Lean | JMP*must read* Show notes including further reflections and talking points to take back to your own contexts: https://www.sefi.be/2022/10/17/podcast-episode-2-of-european-engineering-educators-is-online/Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.beLeave us feedback/comments/suggestions: https://forms.gle/tMDHxf1JA8P9RYMY8Music by ComaStudio https://pixabay.com/users/comastudio-26079283/Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.