Problem based learning for on-campus and distance education students in engineering and surveying

Abstract

USQ has one of the most diverse student intakes of any Australian university. It offers a suit of integrated programs to both On-Campus and Distance Education students in Engineering and Surveying. The programs cover 2, 3 and 4 year courses in 9 majors. The student profile includes a large intake of mature age students, particularly studying via distance education, international students as well as traditional school leavers. In 2000, the Faculty embarked on a major review and restructure of its programs leading up to its reaccreditation cycle. The review process established that some major changes were required to develop new graduate attributes relating to teamwork, problem solving and life-long learning patterns as required by Engineers Australia. Proposed changes to the programs included the removal of some traditionally taught, content based courses such as physics and statistics. Their place was to betaken by a newly developed strand of 4 integrated courses which used a Problem Based Learning (PBL) methodology. The first offer of the new foundational course took place in Semester 1 2002. It has since been recognised through a number of national and international awards. As far as is known, the offering of this type of course to engineering students at a distance from the campus, working in virtual teams, has never been done before in the world. This course is now delivered to about 400 students annually. Student feedback indicates that the course successfully inculcates new attributes in an engineering graduate such as the ability to work in a team, to communicate, to self-learn, and to solve technical problems. All these attributes have been identified as desirable by professional and industry bodies around the world. This paper gives an overview of the implementation strategy as well as results from a longitudinal study of students progressing through the strand.