Assessment of how engaging in teaching may enhance the learning journey of engineering students

Abstract

This paper examined the initial stages of a research project which seeks to evaluate the teaching potential of engineering students in the higher education setting. The analysis was conducted independently by three academics from engineering and education based on an initial neophyte teaching performance of engineering students. The academics utilised both discipline specific and pedagogical expertise in order to compare and contrast their findings and in the process were able to identify areas in which they perceived the student demonstrated lack of discipline knowledge and presentation skills during their teaching episode. The results of this pilot study provided important information in relation to enhancing the teaching and presentation skills of future engineers; determining how to provide opportunities for engineering students to learn these skills within an already crowded curriculum; and devising ways to integrate pedagogical skills within authentic assessment tasks, including the possibility of peer review.