scholarly journals ENGINEERING PORTFOLIOS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR COMMUNICATION,PROFESSIONALISM AND LIFE-LONG LEARNING

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Ambidge ◽  
Alan Chong ◽  
Penny Kinnear ◽  
Deborah Tihanyi ◽  
Lydia Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Student Development ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Engineering Communication ◽  
Life Long Learning ◽  
Communication Program ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University

In 2005, the University of Toronto’s Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Department (CHE), in collaboration with the Engineering Communication Program (ECP), piloted a communications portfolio for second-year students. Over the past seven years the communication portfolio has been expanded into the third-year CHE requirements, adapted for use in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department(MIE) and next year will be used within the Civil Engineering Department. Through a discussion of the CHE and MIE portfolios we compare two different portfolio models and explain how this model has been adapted to its newest context in Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto. Through this approach we aim to show the usefulness of this portfolio model in supporting student development in communication, professionalism and life-long learning, three of the CEAB graduate attributes.

scholarly journals ENGINEERS TEACHING ENGINEERING COMMUNICATION: INTEGRATING DISCIPLINARY EXPERTISE INTO THE ENGINEERING COMMUNICATION CURRICULUM

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Denbeigh ◽  
Ali Vahit Esensoy ◽  
Penny Kinnear ◽  
Jason Li ◽  
Wilson Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Engineering Communication ◽  
Communication Program ◽  
Disciplinary Expertise ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Capstone Design Courses ◽  
Analysis Of Narratives

The Engineering Communication Program at the University of Toronto has recently begun using engineering graduate students as Communication Instructors (CIs) in the Mechanical Engineering portfolio courses and our work in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering capstone design courses. The move was an attempt to bridge the discipline chasm between communication and disciplinary expertise; this paper begins to document the impact of this interdisciplinarity. Through an analysis of narratives of CI experiences using Engeström’s model of activity theory, we narrowed our focus to an exploration of the changing rules and division of labour that occurred over the duration of the courses. We found that while students and CIs bring different understandings of rules and division of labour to the work, these elements can be changed—and that affect plays a key role in the changes.

The Use of Applets in an Engineering Chemistry Course

2010 ◽  
pp. 108-118
Author(s):  
B.M. Trigo ◽  
G.S. Olguin ◽  
P.H.L.S. Matai
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The University

This chapter deals with the use of Applets, which are examples of software applications, combined with a specific methodology of teaching, based on Paulo Freire’s education concepts. According to his methods, co-creation between its participants is fundamental for the effectiveness of learning process. In that way, to promote a cooperative learning, the Applet should have interactive features. The Chemistry course of Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, in which students take in the first semester of the first year of the engineering course, was the case study. First, a research with the teachers of the Chemical Engineering Department was carried out, to identify the main problems and difficulties teachers and students face. Then, a topic was selected to be explored with the Applet, which was developed and applied to a small group of students. To identify the success of this experiment a questionnaire was created and the results are presented in this chapter. Some conclusions were drawn and the interactive features of the Applet received a positive feedback.

scholarly journals Answering Huxley: “now” students take a “then” exam

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-400
Author(s):  
P. K. Rangachari
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Thomas Henry Huxley ◽  
History Of ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Insight Into

Twenty-eight undergraduate students in a health sciences program volunteered for an exercise in the history of examinations. They had completed a second-year course in anatomy and physiology in which they studied modern texts and took standard contemporary exams. For this historical “experiment,” students studied selected chapters from two 19th century physiology texts (by Foster M. A Textbook of Physiology, 1895; and Broussais FJV. A Treatise on Physiology Applied to Pathology, 1828). They then took a 1-h-long exam in which they answered two essay-type questions set by Thomas Henry Huxley for second-year medical students at the University of London in 1853 and 1857. These were selected from a question bank provided by Dr. P. Mazumdar (University of Toronto). A questionnaire probed their contrasting experiences. Many wrote thoughtful, reflective comments on the exercise, which not only gave them an insight into the difficulties faced by students in the past, but also proved to be a valuable learning experience (average score: 8.6 ± 1.6 SD).

scholarly journals COMPARISON OF THE CIVIL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM AMONG SEVERAL CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mehdi Ebadi ◽  
Michele Richards ◽  
Carol Brown ◽  
Samer Adeeb
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Mcgill University ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
The University ◽  
New Generation

Growing attention to environmental sustainability, modular construction, and application of new generation of materials, accompanied with advanced data collection techniques and computer modeling, has revolutionized the area of Civil Engineering within the past few years. This demonstrates the necessity of continually reviewing the curriculum to assure that graduating engineers are knowledgeable enough to deal with complex problems in their area of specialty. This is also essential to satisfy the continual improvement process (CIP) requirements mandated by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). As a first step to design a rigorous CIP, a comprehensive comparison was made between the Civil Engineering curricula of the University of Alberta (UofA) and eight other major universities across Canada, including the University of Calgary, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Windsor, University of Regina, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Waterloo, and Polytechnic of Montreal. After categorizing the courses into twelve different streams, it was observed that some universities paid less attention to a specific stream in comparison with the average, which could be identified as a gap in the curriculum. A capstone design or group design project that is multidisciplinary and covers multiple areas of specialty is the predominant approach followed by most of the universities.

Meeting the Knowledge Needs of the Academy and Industry

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mlungisi Gabriel Cele
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Strong Link ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University

This case study examines the evolution of the 21-year research partnership between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Coal Oil and Gas Corporation (SASOL). The study finds that an individual academic has played a significant role in steering transformation research activities and culture in the university's Chemical Engineering Department. The UCT-SASOL partnership has led to human resource, technology and infrastructure development. A strong link has been maintained between basic disciplinary Mode 1 teaching and research, and multidisciplinary Mode 2 applied and strategic research and training. There is also a strong link between academic, research and postgraduate activities – the department's industry-oriented research cross-subsidizes academic and postgraduate activities.

scholarly journals Experience on Implementing a Project for Educating Students on Runaway Reaction Dynamics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Stammitti-Scarpone ◽  
E. Passeport ◽  
G. Evans ◽  
R. Mahadevan
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Reaction Dynamics ◽  
Runaway Reaction ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Team Project ◽  
Project Structure ◽  
The University

Abstract – To build awareness in second-year chemical engineering undergraduate students on runaway reaction dynamics and associated safety concerns, and to help students better identify crossovers between two different courses, a combined team project between the Heat and Mass Transfer and Applied Differential Equations courses at the University of Toronto has been implemented. To evaluate the effectiveness of this combined project on students learning, a survey was conducted around four different perspectives: (A) Contribution to learning, (B) Motivation and awareness, (C) Project structure and support, and (D) Personal experience and skills development. The results of the survey demonstrated that the project was effective at bringing awareness about safety issues and the role of students as future professional engineers. It helped them better learn the concepts seen in both courses and develop their team skills. A critical analysis of these results helped to provide guidance for improvement in future years are discussed.  

scholarly journals TRANSFORMING UNDERGRADUATE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORIES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhaneshwarie Kannangara ◽  
James Sibley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Biological Engineering ◽  
Laboratory Experience ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
The Past ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University

Over the past 15 years, we have made a series of innovations and systematic improvements to the lab courses offered in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE) at The University of British Columbia (UBC). Prior to 2003, CHBE teaching laboratories used a more traditional laboratory course model where students performed "cookbook" experiments and individually wrote formal lab reports. Redevelopment began with our second-year course and improvements from the second-year course were progressively added to senior years. The integrated lab sequence now culminates in a capstone problem-based learning laboratory experience. We will present our optimized laboratory sequence model that is currently used in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year CHBE program at UBC.

scholarly journals RE-ENGINEERING SUCCESS: YEAR TWO OF A CROSS-COURSE ASSIGNMENT TO DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN A LAB SETTING

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Farmer ◽  
Lydia Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Communication Performance ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Real World Problem ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Performance ◽  
New Student

Last year we reported on a new initiative designed to help students develop their ability to communicate to a client while applying technical lab skills in a joint, end-of-term problem-based learning exercise that we incorporated into our second-year Chemical Engineering curriculum at University of Toronto. The project asked students to research and develop a lab-basedapproach to a real-world problem and to communicate their solution to a client through various deliverables. A student survey, as well as our own observations and student performance have led to revisions in year two, specifically in our feedback schedule, the composition of our grading team, and the nature of a related term two project. This paper discusses the implementation of these changes, and their success using new student survey data and performance. We conclude that these changes have improved student experience and technical performance; communication performance can be further improved by more consistent training of the instructional and grading team, and additional project support in term two.  

scholarly journals WE NEVER TALK: PEER TO PEER OBSERVATION AND FORMATIVE FEEDBACK AS STEPS TO EVOLVING ACADEMIC CULTURE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Evans ◽  
Grant Allen ◽  
Tim Bender ◽  
William Cluett
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Formative Feedback ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
Applied Chemistry ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Teaching Triad ◽  
The University

Abstract – This paper advocates for the introduction of peer-to-peer feedback between instructors as a way to promote increased discussion about teaching. A framework for peer observation is presented along with some guidelines for formative feedback. These tools are very much works in progress that are being refined, in part, through a “teaching triad” initiative being introduced in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. The hope is that increase conversations about teaching will promote a shift in culture that will encourage and support the exploration of new instructional pedagogies.

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