AAEE Newsletter - December 2005
Newsletter of the
Australasian Association
for Engineering Education
Dec 2005
Contents
Invitation to the 2006 Conference! 2
New! Member-generated Bibliography of Engineering Education. 3
Continuing Professional Development 5
From the President …
It is a great honour to be elected President of Australasian Association of Engineering Education and to
have the opportunity to serve members in that role over the next 15 months. I
look forward to working with the other members of the Executive Committee to
enhance the educational services that are provided to engineering students in Australia and New Zealand.
On behalf of the members I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work that Professor David Radcliffe has done to enhance engineering education in Australasia over the last 12 months. During this time David served as President of the Association and also as Australian Co-Chair of the Global Colloquium on Engineering Education which was held in Sydney in September. I am sure that you would want to join with me in thanking David for his enormous contribution. You can personally thank David by sending an email to the following address: d.radcliffe@uq.edu.au
The Colloquium was a watershed for engineering education ‘down under’ and it will impact on the educational services we provide to our students for many years to come. The Colloquium also put Australia on the map in the engineering education world as the delegates included educators from more than thirty countries who are leaders in their fields. One of the outcomes was the formation of the International Federation for Engineering Education, and organisation that has the potential to make an enormous contribution in the coming years.
I am sure of the delegates were encouraged and inspired to implement change in their practice and to influence practice in their schools. There were many highlights and I am sure that they will be shared in this and other forums. I would like to mention one paper that challenged my thinking. It informed us about Purdue University’s new Department of Engineering Education and the programs it offers that lead to awards in engineering education at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level. I wonder how long it will be before an Australian university establishes similar programs.
The excellence awards are always a highlight of AaeE conferences and this year they were the high point of the magnificent banquet that was held on the last evening of the Colloquium. Congratulations to those who received awards and also to those who applied. I am told that the number and standard of entries was exceptionally high this year and that the judges had a difficult task in determining the winners.
At a time when governments, universities and industry organisations are placing an increasing emphasis on the quality of teaching and learning outcomes, it is critical that engineering schools lead the way in the provision of quality educational services. This is particularly so in the current climate, where an increasing share of funding is tied to learning outcomes at the government to university level and also at the university to school level.
I believe that the Australasian Association for Engineering Education will continue to play a vital role in enhancing the quality of engineering education by providing engineering academics with the opportunities and resources to build their knowledge and skills in the scholarship of learning and teaching. They will then be well placed to assist their schools in maximising the income they receive from learning and teaching funds.
Some examples of the activities planned for this year are:
· The Australian Journal of Engineering Education, an electronic journal, will be revitalised and repositioned so that it becomes an important vehicle for the dissemination of the outcomes from research and scholarship in the field of engineering education.
· A series of bibliographies will be developed for key areas of engineering education such as assessment, curriculum design, adult learning, PBL, etc. These will be designed to assist academic staff who are entering a particular field to obtain a grounding in the relevant literature.
· A member’s only section will be established on the website.
· An AaeE contact person will be appointed in each institution to facilitate the dissemination of information.
· To continue the recent growth in membership the Committee will continue to promote the benefits of membership in universities and other institutions.
· Links with other organisations in Australia and overseas will be established and enhanced. For example, the Environmental College has conducted workshops for academic staff at the last two AaeE conferences. Similar opportunities will be offered to other EA colleges and societies so that they also have the opportunity to engage with engineering academics in their field.
Please contact me or one of the other members of the executive committee if you would like to assist with one of these projects.
I would also like to thank Mrs Val Lee for the contribution she has made over the last three years as the Secretary of the Association. Val, we wish you a long, happy and healthy retirement!
And finally, I wish members a blessed Christmas break and a happy, healthy and stimulating 2006
David Dowling
President
Invitation to the 2006 Conference!
Creativity, Challenge,
Change:
Partnerships in Engineering Education
Creativity, challenge and change create the context in which contemporary engineering exists. This dynamic environment is evident in our partnerships with students, teachers, researchers, industry, government and society. An international forum for discussion, this conference will explore the ways these partnerships are responding and working towards successful outcomes for all stakeholders in this context. The conference seeks to identify and promote best practice in engineering education partnerships within this creative, challenging and changing environment. You are invited to submit papers for peer review with particular reference to creativity, challenge and change in partnerships between:
· Learning and teaching
· Teaching – research nexus
· Sustainability and interdisciplinary partnerships
· e-learning and engineering education
·
Engineering and society
· Maori and engineering (including Treaty of Waitangi)
· Industry and education
· Professional bodies and education
· Government funding and institutions
· Local and international engineering education providers
Deadlines:
Expressions of interest now open
Call for abstract or workshop brief 31 March 2006
Acceptance of abstract 21 April 2006
Full paper/workshop submission 19 May 2006
Final submission 28 July 2006
Further information: aaee06@aut.ac.nz
New! Member-generated Bibliography of Engineering Education
A new initiative from AaeE aims to develop a working bibliography for educators extending their practice in engineering education through engagement with 'new-to-them' concepts and ideas. At this stage, the project aims to identify key, introductory material across a range of broad domains. Ideally, these references would provide educators with exposure to key aspects of pedagogy and/or their application within engineering education.
We invite you to provide us with your best 'picks' in the following areas:
· The journey: from engineering expert to engineering education expert; scholarship in learning and teaching, education theory, reflective practice, writing 'teaching philosophy' portfolio materials
· Assessment: self, peer, group, attributes
· Learning: styles, adult learning theory
· Teaching Methodologies: pbl, groupwork, roleplay, 1st year, design, lecturing to large classes
· Diversity: gender, inclusivity, international/globalisation, culture
· Curriculum design: pbl, attributes, integrated curriculum, professional development/practice; flexible curriculum design
· Multidisciplinary: sustainability, workplace learning, ethics
Send your references and links to documents to: Holger Maier (hmaier@civeng.adelaide.edu.au)
Annual awards
Start thinking now about applying
for or nominating a colleague else for the 2006 awards.
As educators, our primary function is to produce graduates who are well prepared to take their role as engineering professionals. In doing so, our teaching staff must be innovative, effective and highly committed to optimising their students’ outcomes. As we strive to encourage our students to aim for excellence, it is appropriate to also recognise those who facilitate that excellence. The AaeE Awards, judged by a panel of their peers, recognise in a tangible way the commitment and contribution of our excellent teachers.
The value of each Award for 2006 is $2000.
The four awards for 2005 are:
· Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Engineering Education
· Excellence in Curriculum Innovation in Engineering Education
· Excellence in Inclusive Practice in Engineering Education
· Excellence in a Curriculum Team Project in Engineering Education
Closing date for Applications/ Nominations: 30 June 2006
The awards will be presented at the 2006 conference dinner in Auckland.
The criteria for these awards are listed on the AaeE website below.
Please note that these criteria are a close match to the AAUT Teaching Award criteria.
The application process has been simplified to encourage either self nomination or nomination of your colleagues. Details and application/ nomination forms are available on the AaeE website.
Any questions …?
Please contact Liz Godfrey [l.godfrey@auckland.ac.nz] or Yvonne Toft [y.toft@cqu.edu.au]
These awards are sponsored by AaeE (with the support of the Australian and NZ Councils of Deans) and Engineers Australia.
Special interest groups
Peer Support Network for New Academics in Engineering
AAEE's Best Kept Secret
For the past two years, the New
Academics' Peer Support Network has been AAEE's Best Kept Secret. It has been a
valuable resource linking new academics to each other and to resources, and the
time has come to expand its contribution to the AAEE community at large.
Rather than its current monthly newsletters, the PSN will now be carving out a corner of the quarterly AAEE newsletter. This will help us carry our message to a wider audience, to promote awareness of our existence to a wider community, and to involve everyone in helping to overcome the challenges faced by new academics.
Our Website is http://www.aaee.com.au/networks/psn/, which is full of valuable goodies - links to resources, our Gurus of the Month, and some mini-profiles of members. So check it out, and please point your colleagues there as well.
Euan Lindsay, Peer Support Network Coordinator
Journal articles
Recent articles published in the AJEE are:
Author(s) | Date published | Title |
Angus Tavner | 18 September 2005 | |
Maizam Alias and David Gray | 18 September 2005 | The Learning Hierarchy Technique: An Instructional Analysis Tool in Engineering Education |
Some useful websites
International Journals in Engineering Education
· Journal of Engineering Education (ASEE)
· European Journal of Engineering Education (SEFI)
· International Journal of Engineering Education
ASEE Connections Newsletter
· http://www.asee.org/about/publications/connections/index.cfm
Carrick Institute
· See http://www.carrickinstitute.edu.au/carrick/go for more information. The Australian Awards for University Teaching are now available.
Flinders Foundations of University Teaching
· Staff development at Flinders: http://www.flinders.edu.au/teach/nustaff/ffout.htm
SEEK Newsletters from the Environmental Engineers
· http://www.ieaust.org.au/about_us/colleges/environmental/publications.html
EA Accreditation – new guidelines
· See the new guidelines at: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/./membership/accreditation.html
Journal of Learning Design
· Visit the JLD at: http://www.jld.qut.edu.au/
Other EE and HE organisations
· See the AAEE Links page.
Books to read
A bit of a sustainability theme this time.
· A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright, 2004. This is a quick, easy read that tells of previous ecological disasters (Iraq, Easter Island) when humans completely stripped the environment. Wright’s message is that now we’re doing it to the whole planet, not just one river valley. And time is running out.
· Becoming Part of the Solution: The Engineer’s Guide to Sustainable Development by Bill Wallace. This is a great overview. The Natural Edge Project is planning an Australianised edition.
· The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery – The History and Future Impact of Climate Change.
Read an interesting book lately? Send me the details and I’ll put it in the next newsletter.
Continuing Professional Development
This is a space for program coordinators to advertise their programs to AAEE members.
RMIT – Master of Sustainable Practice
This is a project-based Masters by coursework that provides opportunities for participants to immerse themselves in their own issues of sustainability. Elective studies are also included. Details are at: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/89yqnuw7x3u1.pdf
Aalborg University, Denmark – Master of Problem Based Learning in Eng and Sci
Details may be found at: http://www.mpbl.aau.dk/
Job opportunities
Coming to the website will be an area for jobs to be posted and browsed. So, if you are advertising an academic position post it here: www.aaee.com.au/members-only/jobs
Future AAEE Conferences
2007 and beyond
Expressions of interest are invited for hosting the 2007 (and beyond) conferences, preferably by June. A copy of the guidelines for prospective hosts may be obtained from Wageeh Boles at QUT, w.boles@qut.edu.au.
Newsletter contributions
Share your good ideas, conference announcements, book titles, great websites, etc with other members. Send them to Roger.Hadgraft@RMIT.edu.au for inclusion in the next Newsletter.