INTERNET BASED PROJECT LEARNING FOR ELECTRONICS

TAEE 2004Valencia, July 2004

INTERNET BASED PROJECT LEARNING FOR ELECTRONICS

Domenico Ponta & Giuliano Donzellini

DIBE – Department of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering

University of Genoa, Italy

[email protected] [email protected]


Content

• What is Network Based Project Learning (NBPL)

• NBPL advantages

• The NetPro project: models and tools for NBPL

• NetPro pilot courses

• Results and evaluation


What is NBPL?

PBL (Project Based Learning) is an established pedagogical approach in engineering education:

• learning “happens” through the development of a project• It implements the constructionist & constructivist approaches• the emphasis is on team work

NBPL (Network Based Project Learning) is PBL supported by network services

• to facilitate communication, collaboration and management of project artefacts


NBPL advantages

• a closer alignment of vocational training to working life

• to learn team working, management skills, self-direction and

personal initiative

• to connect different studies and disciplines together in a way that

mirrors real world tasks

• to introduce the work practices used in the engineering

departments

• project teams may be geographically distributed


A specific implementation of NBPL

The NetPro project:

Design, develop, test and disseminate network based project learning approaches in engineering education

NetPro I: 12/97 - 12/00NetPro II: 12/00 - 12/03


Objectives of NetPro Project

• Models and methods for NBPL

• Materials and tools to support the implementation of NBPL

• Pilot courses to test methods and tools

• Evaluation

• Dissemination of results

• Establisment of a NetPro User Community


Project learning in NetPro

• Part of the learning is organized as a project developed by a

team

• Students’ teams work on a common project forming a community

• A project is structured into tasks and related deliverables

• Content-specific learning resources may be provided locally

• Teams share their results with the learning community by

publishing them on the web

• Teams cooperate and review their work through network services


Project learning in NetPro

A NetPro experience involves students and teachers.

Teachers:• create a project, • define and plan project work, • guide students and control student progress, • monitor project development and store the results.

Students:• develop the project,• take advantage of the cooperative learning tools,• engage in discussions and reviews,• publish their deliverables.


NetPro Tools

Specific tools support:

• Set-up, control and delivery of projects (Project Deliverables Center - PDC)

• Individual team’s cooperative project development activities (Student Project Side)

• Peer review activities among and within teams


NetPro Tools - PDC

Each project has its own Project Deliverables Center (PDC).

The PDC is the core tool and allows:

• sharing all the public project documentation within the learning community,

• facilitating the teachers’ task in organising and monitoring project activities,

• supporting knowledge sharing among students.


NetPro Tools – PDC - Student View


NetPro Tools – PDC - Admin View

A demo PDC


NetPro Tools – Student Project Site

Each team takes advantage of a Project Site, a shared group workspace that helps project development with:

• managing project tasks and deliverables,

• collaborative and distributed authoring and annotation of group documents (version control of documents),

• a repository for resources and assets needed in the project.

The set-up of a Project Site does not require web authoring skills.


NetPro Tools – Student Project Site

interactive project log for recording decisions made, actions taken or milestones reached

interactive meeting memo

summary information about the status of the project

contact info

team’s members info

communication tools to support virtual teamwork


NetPro Tools – Peer review

Review activities enhance the learning of key concepts:

• Peer review is the process where a team studies and evaluates

other teams’ deliverables.

• Peer assesment is the evaluation within a team to assess each

other's contribution by awarding grades against a given set of criteria

• Peer coaching is the assistance of a supportive peer who helps the

learner. Senior students act as coaches of the junior students.


Pilot courses for testing and validation

•Four rounds of pilots, within the standard curricula of participating institutions, in three fields of engineering :

– Electronics Engineering

– Software Engineering

– Media technology

•Several forms of inter-institutional and international cooperation

– 1200 learners have partecipated in NetPro 1pilots

– 1800 learners in NetPro 2 pilots


Case study: Pilot courses in Electronics

Its purpose is the management of the ”active learning” activities of an introductory course of digital design (ESD1).

The projects apply or, more often, anticipate, the subjects of the lectures.

In addition to NetPro tools, the local site provides subject-specific resources:

– tools for Digital System Simulation– remote lab (controlling instruments over Internet– http://www.esng.dibe.unige.it/netpro/– http://esng.dibe.unige.it/DEEDS/


Case study: Pilot courses in Electronics

•12 small “projects”, one deliverable due each week (strict deadline)

•All assignenments and deliverables in English

•Students can come to the lab or work remotely

•Extensive tutoring available in the lab

•Deliverable are graded and grades published in the PDC, but grades do not contribute to the final score

•Discussion forum available


Users Evaluation

Questionnaires prepared in cooperation with the NetPro Partner in charge of quality support have been used to evaluate students satisfaction

The following slides report the evaluation data obtained from the analysis of the “Questionnaire for Learners” filled by the “Electronic System Design 1” (ESD1) course participants.

ESD1 is an introductory course on Digital Design, delivered in Genoa to all students of Electronic, Information Technologies, Telecommunications and Biomedic Engineering.

Large number of students


ESD1: Users Evaluation (1)

Students in general expressed their appreciation for the pilot course, stressing in particular:

- usefulness of network-based project learning approach as:- a stimulating and exciting way to approach new subjects- an interesting experiment to find new ways of learning- an experience that develops knowledge and creativity

- working in group and practising on the personal computers - project learning stimulates the capacity to organise one's own time.



Comparing NBPL against traditional lectures» it gives the possibility to test personal skills and to learn by doing

» it improve team working and co-operation skills

» it improve skills to adapt to new situations and to take initiative and responsibility

» project learning is useful for learning the theory better and prepare more thoroughly for the exam

» some referred to project-based learning as time consuming, sometimes even detrimental for theoretical learning

» a few difficulties with NetPro and local tools, that needed to be enhanced

» logistical problems with labs



Students were reluctant in using the discussion forums, for the following reasons

• time-consuming • sometimes they were not able to get reliable answers • not easy as communicate directly, face to face, with tutors and

peers

Peer Review• it was a good experience for half of students• it stimulates teamwork and enhances collaboration• risk of unclear and non-homogeneous peer reviews • teachers should have the instruments to monitor Peer Reviews

functioning and should play a greater role as co-ordinators


Inter-institutional Projects

Inter-institutional projects are difficult to set-up• Differences in

- curricula and course programs- Lecture scheduling

• Staff and institutional motivation• But we found out that language was not a major problem….

Other lesser forms of inter-institutional co-operation have proved quite effective.

– Sharing projects assignments– Reviewing projects from other institutions– Re-using of assignements and results


Applying NetPro: the student’s point of view

The projects should be integrated carefully with the curriculum• Projects should be based on knowledge and skills within the reach

of students• project work must be credited • avoid overloading of students

Tutor support to project teams should be available

Students should be assisted to learn the new method


Applying NetPro: the teachers

The organisation of a NetPro course is demanding in terms of teachers’

time and energies, but the pedagogical results are more than proportionate to the resources spent.

It would be impossible to organise project activity with the same results with a traditional approach.

Teachers’ role must be recognised and supported by institutions

In the current institutional climate, only a dedicated teacher runs NetPro courses


NetPro dissemination

NetPro user community• Web based collaboration environment to support teachers, trainers

and course designers in using NetPro models, materials and tools.

NBPL Guide• a database application with Web user interface, collecting data,

results and experiences from previous pilots.


References

NetPro Project site: netpro.evtek.fi

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1a/2c/62.pdf


Thank you for your attention!

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INTERNET BASED PROJECT LEARNING FOR ELECTRONICS