Abstract
For more than 40 years, Aalborg University (AAU) has used Problem Based Learning
as the educational model. Each semester the students work in groups using half of
the study time to solve and document a real-world engineering problem.
Working with problems in project groups gives the students a very deep learning of
the subjects they study and also very good problem solving skills and team work
competencies both highly appreciated by the Danish companies [1].
In autumn 2014 a new International Bachelor education in Robotics started. It is an
interdisciplinary education involving mainly automation, production, electronics and
IT. The teachers for the first-year students come from five different departments and
have experiences with international students on master level but lack experience with
international freshmen. The first cohort consisted of 31 students; 9 foreign and 22
Danes. Most of the students had no experience with English as the primary language
when studying.
During the first semester, the supervisors noticed that not all students were fluent in
English and 3 out of 5 groups struggled with problems concerning members of the
group not participating in group meetings and supervisor meetings.
We therefore decided to investigate the students’ performance focusing on
- The influence of having English as the official language on the education
- The student’s differentiated educational background
- The students understanding of PBL and how they manage PBL
The objective for the investigation is to identify and analyses the influence of these
parameters on the individual student’s performance.
as the educational model. Each semester the students work in groups using half of
the study time to solve and document a real-world engineering problem.
Working with problems in project groups gives the students a very deep learning of
the subjects they study and also very good problem solving skills and team work
competencies both highly appreciated by the Danish companies [1].
In autumn 2014 a new International Bachelor education in Robotics started. It is an
interdisciplinary education involving mainly automation, production, electronics and
IT. The teachers for the first-year students come from five different departments and
have experiences with international students on master level but lack experience with
international freshmen. The first cohort consisted of 31 students; 9 foreign and 22
Danes. Most of the students had no experience with English as the primary language
when studying.
During the first semester, the supervisors noticed that not all students were fluent in
English and 3 out of 5 groups struggled with problems concerning members of the
group not participating in group meetings and supervisor meetings.
We therefore decided to investigate the students’ performance focusing on
- The influence of having English as the official language on the education
- The student’s differentiated educational background
- The students understanding of PBL and how they manage PBL
The objective for the investigation is to identify and analyses the influence of these
parameters on the individual student’s performance.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 43rd SEFI Annual Conference 2015 : Diversity in engineering education: an opportunity to face the new trends of engineering |
Editors | Kamel Hawwash, Christophe Léger |
Number of pages | 8 |
Place of Publication | SEFI, Brussels,Belgium |
Publisher | SEFI: European Association for Engineering Education |
Publication date | Jun 2015 |
Edition | 43rd |
Article number | 55522 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-2-87352-012-0 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-2-87352-004-5 |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2015 |
Event | SEFI Annual Conference 2015 - Orleans, France Duration: 29 Jun 2015 → 2 Jul 2015 |
Conference
Conference | SEFI Annual Conference 2015 |
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Country/Territory | France |
City | Orleans |
Period | 29/06/2015 → 02/07/2015 |