Interdisciplinary Learning for Managing Wicked Problems in Global Sustainability

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Interdisciplinary Learning for Managing Wicked
Problems in Global Sustainability
Monday 10th September, University of Bournemouth
Design of a New Undergraduate Elective
Sustainable Development for Engineers and
Scientists

• Mr Bland Tomkinson, University Advisor on
  Pedagogic Development
• Mrs Helen Dobson, Teaching Support and
  Development EPS Faculty
• Mrs Rosemary Tomkinson, Head of Teaching Support
  and Development EPS Faculty
• Ms Adele Aubrey, Teaching Support and Development
  EPS Faculty
• Prof Charles Engel, RAEng Visiting Professor
• THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, MANCHESTER, UK

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Contents

• Introduction Description of unit and curriculum
  design process
• Example of a Case Study Exercise
• Project Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation
  based on staff and student feedback

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1. Introduction

• Description of unit and curriculum design process

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Sustainable Development For Engineers and
Scientists

• Learning that is
• Inter-disciplinary
• Enquiry-based
• Student-centred

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New Undergraduate Elective

• Optional 10 credit course unit (delivered over 12
  weeks)
• Offered to third years in four disciplines
• Mech Eng, Civil Eng, Earth Science, Elec Eng
• 48 places awarded by competitive application
  process
• Problem Based Learning Format
• Education through completing a series of
  challenges (tasks based on topical case studies)
• Small mixed teams working independently
• Facilitator dedicated to each group
• Post Doctoral Research Associates trained and
  employed as Facilitators

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Why is a PBL, interactive, interdisciplinary
approach suited to learning about Sustainable
Development?

• Multi-disciplinary subject
• Interdisciplinary co-operation needed to tackle
  sustainability problems
• Fast pace of change makes skills vitally
  important (rather than just knowledge)
• Professional effectiveness key to driving change

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Course Development Four Advisory Groups

• (i) Projects working definition of Education
  for sustainable development
• (ii) Relevant key aspects of sustainable
  development
• (iii) Activities which graduates might be asked
  to undertake in early career in relation to
  sustainable development.
• (i) Skills and competencies that need to be
  developed for the activities identified by Group
  1
• (ii) Procedure for selecting case studies and
  study material to correspond with these skills
  and the tasks.
• Innovative methods of student assessment
  (formative and summative) and reward for
  successful completion
• Monitoring of the implementation of the pilot
  module and assessment, recognition and reward of
  staff involved.

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PBL Process
Week Two (2 hrs)
Week Three (1st hr)
Week One (2nd hr)
Individual Research Follow-up meetings/emails
Follow-up meetings/emails Produce and Submit
Report
Student activities outside timetabled sessions
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Case Study Exercise DevelopmentDesigning Wicked
Problems

• PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
• Verbal written Communication
• Collaborative team working
• Interdisciplinary Working
• Researching
• Handling large quantities of information (
  misinformation)
• Filtering and analysing data
• Handling uncertainty and incomplete information
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Justifying and Defending Recommendations

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Five Exercises Chosen

• WHEELS
• Change within a company
• Developed by Mrs Helen Dobson (Chemical Engineer)
• SHELTER
• Change across national and cultural boundaries
• Developed by Prof Grahame MacDougall (Architect)
• RULES
• Change driven by legislation
• Developed with Dr Carolyn Abbot (School of Law)
• ENERGY
• Change driven by technical innovation
• Developed with Dr Tony Sung (Mechanical Engineer)
• SHOPS
• Change driven by investor pressure (CSR / risk /
  benchmarking)
• Developed with Mr John Butlin (economics and CSR
  specialist)

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Formative Assessment

• Detailed feedback on each group report from the
  four formative exercises
• Practice exam papers completed at the end of each
  exercise (modified essay questions)
• Group discussion reviewing process of exploring
  each exercise and producing required deliverable.
  

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Summative Assessment
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2. Example of a Case Study Exercise

• Energy

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• Daisaku Ikeda (2002), the president of the
  Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist
  association believes
• No matter how complex global issues may seem, we
  must remember that it is we ourselves who have
  given rise to them. It is therefore impossible
  that they are beyond our power as human beings to
  resolve.

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Educational Objectives

• Students can
• State the factors influencing the drive towards
  house builders incorporating renewable energy in
  housing
• Describe several methods for improving the energy
  efficiency of housing
• Construct proposals of increasing sustainability
  housing
• Analyse the comparative costs and benefits of
  various eco solutions including renewable energy
  technologies
• Develop criteria for analysing the costs and
  benefits of renewable energy technology
• Recommend strategies for incorporating
  eco-solutions based on sustainable development
  criteria and cost benefit analysis

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Summary EnergyChange driven by technological
innovation
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Example of Student Slides
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3. Project Evaluation

• Monitoring and Evaluation based on staff and
  student feedback

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Evaluation

• University Standard Questionnaire
• Very positive results compared with typical
  course units
• 100 students agree or mostly agree that
• Skills developed will be valuable
• Exercises were helpful for learning topics
• 96 students agree or mostly agree that
• Material studied was intellectually stimulating
• Teaching and support staff were readily
  approachable
• Teaching staff were helpful and willing to answer
  questions

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• Student Questionnaires
• (i) Readiness for inter-professional learning,
• (ii) Learning styles,
• (iii) Self-perception
• Scores for inter-professional learningand for a
  deep approach to learning rose but not
  statistically significant.
• Self-perception scores improved
• Nominal Group process review
• Half way through unit (facilitators students)
  and at end of unit (facilitators students)

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Nominal Group Process Results Key points from
students

• Positive Feedback
• Inter-disciplinary
• Teamwork (working in groups, independent
  learning)
• Mode of assessment
• Content (relevant real-life problems)
• Negative Feedback
• Timetable (9am start!)
• Workload (quantity and variability)
• Volume of work not summatively assessed
• Timing of assessments

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Conclusions

• Positive feedback this years pilot, from staff
  and students
• Course unit to be repeated January 2008, with 96
  places for students drawn from seven disciplines
• Fourteen PDRA facilitators to be employed for the
  next cohort
• Full review of unit to be carried out and
  development of new case study exercises
• Despite challenges faced, the results of the
  pilot study have justified confidence in pursuing
  a student-centred, problem-based,
  interdisciplinary approach to education for
  sustainable development.

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Next Year

• Using Web 2.0 software to facilitate
  collaborative group reports.
• Equal access to all students
• Students contributions transparent
• Increased understanding on how students can
  collaborate in final output
• the students contribution to the team can be
  monitored and semantics analysed

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Any Questions.?
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Over to you -

• What inspires students to become global citizens?
  
• Is it
• what they learn?
• knowledge
• skills
• changing values
• or how they learn?

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Thank you

• Mrs Helen Dobson
• Project Officer
• The University of Manchester
• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Email helen.dobson_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Ms Adele Aubrey
• Curriculum Development Officer
• The University of Manchester
• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Email adele.aubrey_at_manchester.ac.uk