An innovative collaboration between the Teaching for Learning Network (TfLN), and the University’s Department of Engineering is celebrating the successful completion of a one-year project to update ’‘practical’ teaching in the department.

The new ‘Integrated Coursework’ gives students the chance to work on open-ended assignments in a variety of engineering disciplines, testing the theory taught in lectures and developing the hands-on skills needed by professional engineers.

Practical sessions, known as coursework, already form a vital part of their training, but with fast-moving developments in the discipline, the content of lectures had been updated at a faster pace than the coursework sessions. The department accordingly worked with the Teaching for Learning Network to conduct a review of its coursework provision, bringing it in line with the rest of its teaching.

Its fresh approach involves practical sessions looking at the design and analysis of structures in earthquakes. Students take part in a series of two-hour, guided experiments looking at soil mechanics, structural mechanics, engineering buildings to withstand vibration and signal processing. They then get a taste of open-ended research by conducting a longer project in an area of their choice, followed by a short presentation to their peers on their results.

Dr Hugh Shercliff, Director of Undergraduate Education, said “The coursework reflects the ethos of the whole Engineering Tripos in miniature: a broad foundation in all Engineering disciplines brought together to solve inter-disciplinary problems in small groups, combined with opportunities for specialisation in particular disciplines, and good communication skills. This exactly mirrors the needs of modern professional Engineering practice in industry.”

The Engineering course already provides students with exposure to a wide range of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, aeronautical, electrical, information and civil engineering, and aims to develop their skills in design and management, before students specialise in their final two years.

Prof. Keith Glover, head of the Engineering Department, said: “This integrated set of diverse exercises is very successfully illustrating a bigger picture of engineering practise at the same time as giving experience of the required technical skills and importantly maintaining student enthusiasm. It is an excellent innovation in our programme.”

Inspiration for the scheme came from Dr Hugh Hunt of the Engineering Department, prompted by visits to MIT’s Projects Laboratory course, which gives students the opportunity to design their own experiments, usually of a cross-disciplinary nature.

TfLN, which is funded by the Cambridge MIT Partnership, develops evidence-based innovations in teaching and has also conducted work with the University’s Faculty of Classics, Department of Plant Sciences and the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies to this end.

It is directed by Dr Keith Johnstone and Dr Patrick Carmichael, and the research work in Engineering was carried out by Aidan Reilly (CUED) and Helen Burchmore (TfLN).

The Network has shared its methods and findings with staff across the University through liaison with the Learning and Teaching Support (LTS) initiative, contributions to LTS Lunches and its database of ‘Ideas and Examples’.

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