European engineering educators

The rising complexity of modern societal challenges has intensified interest in interdisciplinary engineering education.In this episode we speak to Professor Anette Kolmos (Professor in Engineering Education and PBL) and Dr Henrik Worm Routhe (Postdoctoral Researcher) from Aalborg University (AAU) in Denmark, about InterPBL and the different approaches that can be taken to interdisciplinary learning and teaching.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Prof. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the many different ways in which we can integrate interdisciplinary projects into our engineering courses. Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.25 Podcast Intro0.52 Experiences with interdisciplinary from Natalie and Neil2.30 Introduction to Anette and Henrik7.20 Aalborg University (AAU)9.18 Introduction to InterPBL13.00 Examples of the challenges associated with interdisciplinary project work14.34 Aims of the InterPBL project17.04 Interdisciplinary in engineering practice21.00 Definitions 24.25 Cognitive trust and boundary objects31.00 How does interdisciplinary work impact identity?35.28 A typology of interdisciplinary projects48.32 Students' motivation50.57 Leadership 55.21 Assessment of interdisciplinary 58.41 Implications for staff and capacity building1:00:50 Measuring the effectiveness of interdisciplinary learning and teaching1:05:40 Introducting interdisciplinary in your own context1:09:56 Mega-projects (M-Project) and broad interdisciplinary1:15:25 Key Takeaways and implications from Anette and Henrik1:25:38 What is next for research in this area?1:28:48 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil ResourcesA small sample of papers which focus on the InterPBL project are linked belowThis paper focuses on student learning outcomes of interdisciplinary workhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10171180This provides insights from a narrow interdisciplinary curriculum project named “leadENGhttps://vbn.aau.dk/en/publications/interdisciplinary-problem-based-projects-for-first-year-engineeri/This paper focuses on development of leadership competencieshttps://vbn.aau.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/752930995/17_ijee4479.pdfThese papers focus on the different project typeshttps://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/2/138https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03043797.2023.2267476Join us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

 Although recognised as a priority for engineering education, implementation of Sustainable Development (SD) in curricula has been mixed and limited.  This episode features Marie Paretti from Virginia Tech and Maya Menon from the EdTech startup NextWork. We talk about a paper published in the European Journal of Engineering Education entitled “Understanding instructor decision-making in engineering education for sustainable development: a comparison of institutions in Denmark and the United States” which Maya and Marie co-authored with Jennifer Case and Andrew Katz. The study compared the external, internal (institutional) and individual influences on instructors’ decision-making, in relation to the incorporation of SD into the courses they teach within institutions in two different national contexts. This episode is the second in our series of episodes that take on a new format and are released at intervals along with our normal longer length shows.For the full paper, follow this link: https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2025.2486189Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction0.29 Introduction to the episode an publication1.25 How the work came about and the research team3.12 Summary of the work4.02 The research gap5.16 The research questions7.27 Terminology; Sustainability, Sustainable Development and the UN SDGs10.50 Theoretical underpinnings13.58 Comparative Case Study Methodology18.04 Data sources and analysis21.12 The findings29:49 Implications for engineering education practice32.31 Implications for engineering education research35.23 GoodbyesJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

Engineering is a global profession, with various efforts focusing on the globalisation of engineering practice. However, there are many differences between engineering education systems in different contexts.In this episode we discuss what we can learn by comparing engineering education across contexts with Professor Roger Gonzalez from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), author of the monograph “Adapting Engineering Education to a Rapidly Changing World” which focuses on the differences between engineering education systems, particularly those associated with the UK and the USA.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Prof. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the ways in which students are contributing their their own engineering education, and what we can learn from them.Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.25 Podcast Intro0.50 Experiences with students collaboration from Natalie and Neil2.13 Introduction to Roger and his work5.04 Introduction to UTEP6.44 Why is this work needed and why now?10.15 How was the work conducted?12.44 Differences in terms of student admissions into engineering 15.58 Implications for widening access and participation 19.10 Why are there differences between contexts? 22.42 Differences in length and structure of programmes, teaching, learning and assessment and the role of student unions29.42 Differences in content of the degree33.01 Degree variants and the role of industry36.12 The role of Quality Assurance (QA) and student feedback and the role of funding45.24 Accreditation48.35 What can we learn from the differences?53.42 How do these learnings apply to other contexts and countries?54.47 How will engineering education change in the future; AI.1:02:35 Key Takeaways from Roger1:05:02 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil Key ResourcesYou can access Roger’s monograph by following the link belowhttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-78908-3Join us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

This is our first episode which takes the new format which we will be released at intervals along with our normal longer length shows. In these episodes we will be bringing you up to date with some of the latest work within engineering education by speaking with authors of recent publications.For our first episode of this I am speaking with Madeline Polmear from Kings College London, who featured in our very first season of the podcast. And we are going to talk about a paper published in the Journal of Engineering Education entitled Exploring engagement narratives among self-identified Hispanic women's experiences in engineering counterspaces which Madeline co-authored with Elizabeth Volpe, Idalis Villanueva Alarcón and Denise Simmons.For the full paper, follow this link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jee.20630Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction0.27 Introduction to the episode an publication1.22 The research team3.08 Summary of the work4.30 The research gap5.58 The research questions6.35 Theoretical underpinnings10.15 Methodology; Data Collection and analysis12.21 The findings15.32 Implications for engineering education practice17.12 Implications for engineering education research19.10 GoodbyesJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

We can't really talk about engineering education without talking about engineering students. But in this episode we talk to them! We attempt to bridge the gap between engineering educators and students by directly asking them what they think. In so doing, we welcome Katrijn Vandenborne (current President of BEST) and Nadica Koloska (co-ordinator for the Educational Involvement Department) from the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST).Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Prof. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the ways in which students are contributing their their own engineering education, and what we can learn from them.Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.29 Podcast Intro0.46 Experiences with students collaboration from Natalie and Neil2.47 Introduction to Katrijn and Nadica6.30 The history of BEST8.04 The relationship with SEFI10.48 Managing student turnover12.11 Professional development courses14.55 Career support16.20 Symposium on Education19.02 The Education Involvement Department20.58 Stakeholders28.35 Topics of interest within BEST: professional skills, the responsible engineer, assessment and AI39.45 What should educators remove from engineering programmes?43.00 Diversifying membership and the student voice47.19 The benefits of being part of BEST53.02 What's next?56.33 How do students get involved in BEST?59.06 Key Takeaways from Katrijn and Nadica1.01.48 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil Key Resourceshttps://www.best.eu.org/index.jspJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

Welcome to the highlights episode for season 6! We have reached the end of season 6 and 3+ years of podcasting.Neil and Natalie would like to thank all listeners and guests for their continued support in making the podcast a valuable source of information regarding contemporary topics in engineering education.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Professor Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) for this episode in which they summarise the recent interviews.00.00 - Introduction00.38 - Welcome, podcast updates, the future of the podcast03.50 - Robyn Mae Paul and Kari Zacharias on the Iron Ring12.00 - Siara Isaac and Joelyn de Lima on the 3T Play Project for Transversal Skills18.58 - Kurt Coppens on feedback literacy 24.36 - Mariana Velho on public engagement and outreach29.29 - Call for guests, and ideas on topics and guestsJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineering educators: www.sefi.bemusic (c) Lizzie Cooke all rights reserved.Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.

Attracting students to study engineering, and helping society understand what engineers do, are ongoing challenges within engineering education.In this episode we spoke to Mariana Velho, Communication, Education and Outreach Manager for CERN openlab. Mariana draws upon her background in psychology, education and outreach, to manage various communication projects and campaigns, and manage stakeholder relationships.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Dr. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the use of science communication and outreach in encouraging students to study engineering.Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.23 Podcast Intro0.48 Experiences with science communication and outreach from Natalie and Neil3.20 Introduction to Mariana6.47 The importance of science communication7.28 ATLAS Experiment and CERN8.44 The role of psychology in science communication11.46 CERN14.44 CERN openlab16.47 Mariana's role within CERN19.28 Developing the scientists and engineers of tomorrow21.22 The Summer Placement27.36 Science communication skills31.32 Educational resources37.11 Microsoft Dreamspace and spatial skills43.24 Engineering in the future48.11 What's next?51.54 Key Takeaways from Mariana53.20 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil  Key Resourceshttps://marianadantasvelho.com/https://openlab.cern/about/collaborate-us https://atlas.cern/Resources/Colouring-Books https://dreamspace.microsoft.com/en-us/dreamspace/irelandJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

Feedback is a somewhat perennial topic within higher education (HE), with increasing emphasis on students as independent learners who should engage as active participants to fulfil the role of a self-regulated learner.In this episode we speak to Dr. Kurt Coppens who works within the ETHER (Engineering Technology Education Research) research group, at the Faculty of Engineering Technology, KU Leuven, Belgium and whose PhD focused on the feedback literacy of engineering students.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Dr. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the role of feedback literacy in engineering education!Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.16 Podcast Intro0.42 Experiences with feedback literacy from Natalie and Neil4.11 Introduction to Kurt7.05 ETHER at KU Leuven7.58 What do we mean by feedback literacy?9.13 What is involved in feedback literacy?11.41 What does good feedback literacy look like?13.28 Research developments in areas of feedback literacy17.52 The research gap20.07 PhD aims21.40 Study design28.22 Findings of the first study (Feedback Oreintation Scale)30.10 Findings from the reflective logs33.22 Changes in feedback literacy during first year39.28 Changes during a degree41.04 Improving feedback literacy43.10 Capacity building of educators46.15 Generalisability of findings47.27 The future of research in this area49.10 Key Takeaways from Kurt50.29 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil Further Reading Kurt’s workKurt’s Thesis can be found by following the link below: https://kuleuven.limo.libis.be/discovery/search?query=any,contains,LIRIAS4154722&tab=LIRIAS&search_scope=lirias_profile&vid=32KUL_KUL:Lirias&offset=0Coppens, K., Van den Broeck, L., Winstone, N., & Langie, G. (2023). Capturing student feedback literacy using reflective logs. European Journal of Engineering Education, 48(4), 653–666. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2023.2185501Coppens, K., Van den Broeck, L., Winstone, N., & Langie, G. (2024). A mixed method approach to exploring feedback literacy through student self-reflection. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 50(2), 173–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2373792Other Key Resourceshttps://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2002.30.8.821.https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310373145https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1667955https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-019-09905-5https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2023.2263838Join us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.be

There continues to be a growing focus on the need for engineering students to develop transversal skills. There are a number of barriers which can stifle efforts in teaching such skills and approaches increasingly focus on developing engineering educators’ ability to integrate a diverse set of skills with technical knowledge.In this episode we speak to Siara Isaac and Joelyn de Lima, part of the 3T Play project (funded by the Lego Foundation) team from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), who focused on the use of tangible objects and playfulness to support the learning process and support skills development.Join Dr. Natalie Wint (University College London) and Dr. Neil Cooke (University of Birmingham) to learn about the approaches to embedding trasversal skills within engineering education!Timestamps0.00 Welcome and introduction to episode0.22 Podcast Intro0.48 Experiences with transversal skills from Natalie and Neil3.18 Introduction to Siara and Joelyn and the wider 3T Play project team5.15 The start of the 3T Play project at EPFL7.22 What are transversal skills?9.31 The significance of transversal skills and why they should be explicitly taught11:18 The views of instructors and barriers to teaching transversal skills16:48 The Trident Model: Knowing, Experiencing and Learning from Experience22:47 The role of tangible objects24:40 Applying the model to a skill29:42 Flexibility to change interventions to suit the audience34:12 Conditions which help students to develop transversal skills through experiential learning39:16 Process level feedback41:56 Developing the handbook as a resource47:35 What types and level of students are these activities approriate for?50:50 The layout of the book and the chapters56:50 The impact of the project 59:34 Key Takeaways from Siara and Joelyn1:02:23 Key takeaways from Natalie and Neil Further Reading The link to the open access resource can be found herehttps://www.epflpress.org/produit/1542/9782832322895/teaching-transversal-skills-for-engineering-studentsJoin us! Become a member of the European Society for EngineeringEducation, SEFI, Europe's largest network of engineeringeducators: www.sefi.bemusic (c) Lizzie Cooke all rights reserved. Written and produced by Neil Cooke and Natalie Wint.