AAEE - Australasian Engineering Education Awards

2006 AWARDS

The results of the 2006 Excellence in Engineering Education  Awards were announced at the AAEE Annual Conference Dinner on 12 December in Auckland.The judging panel and AAEE congratulate the following winners on the high standard of their practice and contributions to Engineering Education.

Excellence in Engineering Education : Teaching and Learning
Assoc Prof Holger Maier, University of Adelaide

Excellence in Engineering Education: Curriculum Innovation
Dr Colin Kestell, University of Adelaide

Highly Commended for Excellence in Curriculum Innovation
Assoc Prof Peter O’Shea and Dr Bouchra Senadji, Queensland University of Technology

Excellence in Engineering Education: Inclusivity
Prof David Dowling,University of Southern Queensland

The commendations for the winners, which provide a clear indication of the quality of their practice and contributions are as follows:

Assoc Professor Holger Maier

Holger has impressed his peers by the sustained scholarly approach displayed in his teaching; with the manner in which he has approached improvements to the student learning experience and the very positive student feedback he has received.
He is a pioneer in the development of role-play simulations for engineering students, and it is for this approach that he has been recognised within the University of Adelaide, as well as nationally and internationally.
Holger is an inspirational example of a professional engineer, one who has a command of the literature, generates original research and uses this scholarly basis to excite students.  Holger is passionate about sharing ideas of sustainable management of natural resources and their interface with human infrastructure resources with his students.

Dr Colin Kestell

Dr Kestell supervises final year mechanical engineering students in their design and build of a high performance supercharged biodiesel motorbike. The project not only demonstrates that a well designed engineering product can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels but more importantly it demonstrates that a well designed engineering project can promote a real and genuine passion amongst undergraduate students for sustainable engineering.

This project has not only produced quality learning outcomes but it has also fostered an excellent relationship between participating industries. Colin is passionate about biodiesel research but even more so about his teaching and is always looking for novel methods to get students truly excited about what he teaches.

Assoc Prof Peter O’Shea and Dr Bouchra Senadji

Drs O’Shea and Senadhi  have developed a suite of learning schemes which draw their inspiration from both educational research and the world of the typically young engineer.  Some examples of these schemes include:
-           The “Design Idol” competition, a project based learning scheme which seeks to develop electronics design skills, high level communication, creativity, team work, and synthesis and management skills in students. It has a structure partly inspired by the popular reality TV show, “Australian Idol”.
-           The “Survivor QUT” competition, a peer group (tribe) based learning initiative presided over by “Zara, Warrior Princess” (Bouchra Senadji in an alter-ego).These contemporary youth initiatives are two to three years old and have produced  stunning outcomes.  Student evaluation scores are very high, there is independent positive feedback in Staff/Student Liaison meetings, student work is excellent and there has been an invitation to publish on these initiatives in prestigious publications

Professor David Dowling

The Master of Engineering Practice (MEP) program was developed as a unique articulation pathway for experienced Engineering Technologists to draw on their experience in the engineering workplace to attain a professional engineering degree. Half of the program’s objectives use portfolios that highlight the knowledge, skills and experience they have gained from particular career episodes.  It was recognised that whilst the graduates of such a program would have different knowledge and skill sets to the graduates from traditional Bachelor of Engineering programs, these would be at the level required for them work as Professional Engineers in their chosen industry.. The MEP program therefore enables a disenfranchised group of Engineering Technologists to reach their full potential, an important outcome at a time when Australia is experiencing a critical shortage of Professional Engineers.

The awards recognise and promote excellence and innovation in engineering education. At a time when, in many universities, teaching is under-valued relative to research, the awards provide vital recognition and reward. They are a concrete means of fostering continual improvement in the engineering education system.