“IT’S PART-TIME - BUT STILL NOT AS WE KNOW IT!” - ANOTHER EVALUATION OF A FLEXIBLE LEARNING MENG

DS 83: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE16), Design Education: Collaboration and Cross-Disciplinarity, Aalborg, Denmark, 8th-9th September 2016

Year: 2016
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Christian Tollestrup, Kaare Eriksen, Nis Ovesen
Author: Humphries-Smith, Tania; Benjamin, Christopher; White, Matthew
Series: E&PDE
Institution: 1&2Bournemouth University, 3Bournemouth & Poole College
Section: Programmes
Page(s): 650-655
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9

Abstract

This paper reports on the evaluation of the effectiveness of delivery of a flexible learning MEng(Hons)
Engineering course at Bournemouth University (BU) and its integration with level 3, 4 & 5 courses
delivered at a local Further Education College. The research aims to improve the delivery of the MEng
programme by better understanding the effectiveness of operation over the 3 academic cycles now
operated for this programme. The course was developed as part of an HESTEM National Programme
project and provides an opportunity for engineers to take higher education qualifications while remaining
in full time employment. The evaluation takes the perspective of both academics and students. The
underlying pedagogy of the programme has been based on the Constructivist approach to learning
delivered via blended learning. The paper evaluates how the use of both staff/student and student/student
online forums, were modified and how the face to face tutorials on campus became the important mode of
delivery. The paper discusses the challenges students’ and academics found in moving from a ‘dayrelease’
mode of learning to a virtual environment and from Further to Higher Education and explores the
now integrated nature of the programme.

Keywords: Flexible learning, engineering, MEng, virtual learning environment, online learning.

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