LTERC SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS

Improving student engagement and learner autonomy are issues that many of us are currently trying to address. Making learning challenging and more inspirational for students is therefore highly topical and many are seeking new ways to do this. The seminar will introduce a novel method of injecting additional motivation into a conventional degree programme by including enquiry-based group projects where teams of students are encouraged to learn while creating their own audio-visual media; they are required to prepare and edit a short video documentary as a replacement for the more conventional written or oral report. Using survey data, collected over several years at two separate UK universities, the presenter will provide evidence that this medium generates much needed engagement, helps teams to bond and promotes a deeper understanding of the subject matter. An additional benefit is that the assessment process is considerably less tiresome for the academics. There appears to be vast potential for transferability of this method to many different applications, disciplines and age groups, but while the idea may sound initially attractive to lecturers; for most, it marks a significant departure from the norm. Hence, the originators have created an easily accessible ‘toolkit’ resource that focuses on the issues faced by a new adopter based on their own experience and on feedback from staff and students who participated in the pilot projects. The ‘toolkit’ incorporates appropriate resources, including teaching and assessment materials, with example projects taken from the science and engineering subject areas. The seminar will provide ample opportunity for discussion and feedback.

Dr Peter Willmot, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, UK

Prior to his 30 years’ experience at Loughborough University, Peter completed a mechanical engineering apprenticeship and worked in industry for several years. He is a Chartered Design Engineer who is always keen to develop links between academia and industry to enhance the employability of his students. He completed his PhD in Renewable Energy systems in 1990 while acting as a part-time consultant for a major British plc. and teaching at the university. Unsurprisingly, then, the employability of his graduates is central to his mission. 

Peter was Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Wolfson School for more than ten years, responsible for six highly regarded degree programmes and a population of about 800 students. He gained considerable experience in curriculum design and academic administration in this role and led the development of two Master of Engineering extended programmes, a new BSc degree and two successful bids for professional accreditation. For the last five years he has also been the mechanical engineering subject advisor to Loughborough’s partner university in Cairo, the British University in Egypt (BUE). He has also been external validator at several British and Canadian Universities and is an accreditation panel member for the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED).