As a new approach in the Integral Engineering Class (IEC) at Tsuruoka KOSEN (National Institute of Technology Japan), a joint PBL class of the second- and the fourth-year students was conducted, and the fourth-year students acted as facilitators in their group discussions. Fourth-year students are intended to support the second years’ discussions by supplementing their knowledge and experience, leading to deeper second-year student discussions. Furthermore, experience in teambuilding and leadership are expected to lead to the development of initiative in fourth-year students. The effects of the joint class were investigated using a questionnaire survey on self- and mutual evaluation. A preliminary analysis of the questionnaire results suggests certain positive effects from the group discussion process, such as active discussion, diversity of opinions, and summarized group opinions. We intend to continue improving the IEC based on the questionnaire results.
A NEW APPROACH TO ENGINEERING EDUCATION AT TSURUOKA KOSEN
Share this content.
Conceive
Defining customer needs; considering technology, enterprise strategy, and regulations; developing concepts, techniques and business plans.
Design
Creating the design; the plans, drawings, and algorithms that describe what will be implemented.
Implement
The transformation of the design into the product, including manufacturing, coding, testing and validation.
Operate
Using the implemented product to deliver the intended value, including maintaining, evolving and retiring the system.
