Change to Competence-Based Education in Structural Engineering
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 141, Issue 3
Abstract
The launching of the European higher education area (EHEA) in 2010 has imposed new challenges on European universities. Traditional teaching methods, based on lectures and examinations, are no longer suited for the new EHEA educational approach, now focused on competences development. Instead, active learning methods as problem-based learning are far more appropriate. This paper examines the effect of a change to competence-based education through problem-based learning (PBL) in the field of structural engineering, carried out in a first year structures course. The structures program design is described with details of the PBL implementation. A program evaluation based on students’ and faculty surveys is carried out. The evaluation results show that the program has been effective in the achievement of the proposed objectives. The benefits of the new approach include an increase in students’ motivation and a better integration with other architecture disciplines. The main challenges encountered are the increase in faculty time commitment and the academic resistance to change. Extrapolation to other disciplines is possible, although it requires restructuring of subject knowledge and methods.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ABET. (1997). “Engineering criteria 2000.” Criteria for accrediting programs in engineering in the United States, 3rd Ed., The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Baltimore, MD.
Albanese, M. A., and Mitchell, S. (1993). “Problem-based learning: A review of literature on its outcomes and implementation issues.” Acad. Med., 68(1), 52–81.
Aleamoni, L. M. (1999). “Student rating myths versus research facts from 1924 to 1998.” J. Person. Eval. Edu., 13(2), 153–166.
ANECA. (2005). “White book of the bachelor degree in architecture.” Madrid, Spain (in Spanish).
Barrows, H. S. (1986). “A taxonomy of problem-based learning methods.” Med. Edu., 20(6), 481–486.
Barrows, H. S., and Tamblyn, R. M. (1980). Problem-based learning: An approach to medical education, Springer, New York.
Beddoes, K. D., Jesiek, B. K., and Borrego, M. (2010). “Identifying opportunities for collaborations in international engineering education research on problem and project-based learning.” Interdiscip. J. Prob.-Based Learn., 4(2), 7–34.
Biggs, J., and Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does, 3rd Ed., Open University Press, Buckingham, U.K.
Black, R. G., and Duff, S. (1994). “A model for teaching structures: Finite element analysis in architectural education.” J. Archit. Edu., 48(1), 38–55.
De Graaff, E., and Kolmos, A. (2003). “Characteristics of problem-based learning.” Int. J. Eng. Educ., 19(5), 657–662.
Dolmans, D. H., De Grave, W., Wolfhagen, I. H., and Van Der Vleuten, C. P. M. (2005). “Problem-based learning: Future challenges for educational practice and research.” Med. Edu., 39(7), 732–741.
European Commission. (2009). “ECTS user’s guide.” 〈http://ec.europa.eu/education/tools/docs/ects-guide_en.pdf〉 (Feb. 9, 2014).
Felder, R. M., and Brent, R. (2003). “Designing and teaching courses to satisfy the ABET engineering criteria.” J. Eng. Edu., 92(1), 7–25.
Felder, R. M., Woods, D. R., Stice, J. E., and Rugarcia, A. (2000). “The future of engineering education II. Teaching methods that work.” Chem. Eng. Edu., 34(1), 26–39.
Fernández-Sánchez, G., and Millan, M. A. (2013). “Structural analysis education: Learning by ‘hands-on’ projects and calculating structures.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Edu. Pract., 244–247.
Goldfinch, T. L., Carew, A. L., and McCarthy, T. J. (2008). “Improving learning in engineering mechanics: The significance of understanding.” L. Mann, A. Thompson, and P. Howard, eds., Annual Conf. of Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia, 1–6.
Gonzalez, J., and Wagenaar, R., eds. (2003). “Tuning educational structures in Europe.” Final Rep. Phase One, Univ. of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.
Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. A. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom, 8th Ed., Interaction Book Company, Edina, MN.
Justo, E., and Delgado, A. (2010). “Structures 1 course syllabus, undergraduate degree of architecture of the University of Seville.” 〈http://gdus.us.es/proyectos20132014/2330007_9343_37838.pdf〉 (in Spanish).
Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., and Clark, R. E. (2006). “Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching.” Educ. Psychol., 41(2), 75–86.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. (2007). “Royal decree 1393/2007 of 29 October, regulating compulsory university education.” Official State Bulletin, 260, 44037–44048 (in Spanish).
Mosalam, K. M., Hube, M. A., Takhirov, S. M., and Günay, S. (2013). “Teaching innovation through hands-on-experience case studies combined with hybrid simulation.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Edu. Pract., 177–186.
Pedron, C. (2006). “An innovative tool for teaching structural analysis and design.”, Institute of Structural Engineering, Suisse Federal Institute of Technology (IBK), Zurich, Switzerland.
Prados, J. W., Peterson, G. D., and Lattuca, L. R. (2005). “Quality assurance of engineering education through accreditation: The impact of engineering criteria 2000 and its global influence.” J. Eng. Edu., 94(1), 165–184.
Prince, M. (2004). “Does active learning work? A review of the research.” J. Eng. Edu., 93(3), 223–231.
Quinn, K. A., and Albano, L. D. (2008). “Problem-based learning in structural engineering education.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 329–334.
Savery, J. R., and Duffy, T. M. (1995). “Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework.” Edu. Technol., 35(5), 31–38.
Savin-Baden, M. (2000). Problem-based learning in higher education: Untold stories, Society for Research into Higher Education, London, U.K.
Schmidt, H. G., Rotgans, J. I., and Yew, E. H. (2011). “The process of problem-based learning: What works and why.” Med. Edu., 45(8), 792–806.
Solís, M., Romero, A., and Galvín, P. (2012). “Teaching structural analysis through design, building, and testing.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 246–253.
Svinicki, M. D. (2007). “Moving beyond ‘it worked’: The ongoing evolution of research on problem-based learning in medical education.” Edu. Psychol. Rev., 19(1), 49–61.
Uden, L., and Beaumont, C. (2006). Technology and problem-based learning, Information Science Publishing, London, U.K.
Van Barneveld, A., and Strobel, J. (2009). “Problem-based learning: Effectiveness, drivers, and implementation challenges.” Research on PBL practice in engineering education, X. Du, E. De Graaff, and A. Kolmos, eds., Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 35–44.
Walker, A., and Leary, H. (2009). “A problem-based learning meta-analysis: Differences across problem types, implementation types, disciplines, and assessment levels.” Interdiscip. J. Prob.-Based Learn., 3(1), 12–43.
Westera, W. (2001). “Competences in education: A confusion of tongues.” J. Curriculum Stud., 33(1), 75–88.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 141 • Issue 3 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 12, 2014
Accepted: Apr 24, 2014
Published online: Jun 19, 2014
Discussion open until: Nov 19, 2014
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.