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Students Views on Engineering Mechanics Education and Implications for Educators
conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 04:41 authored by Goldfinch, T, Anna CarewAnna Carew, Giles ThomasThis paper presents findings of a qualitative study conducted as part of a larger project to address the issue of high failure rates in first year engineering mechanics. Engineering student focus groups were held at two institutions, and were asked about the subject area, curriculum, and their approaches to study. Eight academics were also interviewed individually on the same topics to provide some context for the focus group outcomes. Documented responses revealed a tendency for both groups to focus on the most negative or extreme examples as cases which were representative of a wider situation. Although the focus group and interview protocols were designed to elicit posittve and negative views, the negative appeared to dominate. We propose that the predominantly negative perception and interpretation of the situation, and an apparent 'us and them' mentality potentially contribute to high failure rates in engineering mechanics. These issues may be creating stumbling blocks, or leading to de-motivation in educators' attempts to teach the topic successfully, and students' efforts to learn the material effectively.
History
Publication title
Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference for the Australasian Association for Engineering EducationEditors
Kester, Garinger and CheungPagination
624-629ISBN
1876346590Department/School
Australian Maritime CollegePublisher
University of AdelaidePlace of publication
AdelaideEvent title
AAEEEvent Venue
AdelaideDate of Event (Start Date)
2009-12-06Date of Event (End Date)
2009-12-09Rights statement
Copyright © 2009 Remains the property of the author(s). The author(s) assign to AaeE and educational non-profit institutions a non-exclusive licence to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced.Repository Status
- Open