Art in Monadelphous Integrated Learning Centre

The University of Western Australia
Art in Monadelphous Integrated Learning
Centre
A partnership between UWA and Industry
in the training of professional Engineers
Recap of what we said last year
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An Integrated Learning Centre is
A professional work place for students that mimics the industrial work
space ….
A place with facilities that integrate project management from design
through development of prototype to presentation to client
A place where projects in different disciplines interact
A place where students in different years interact
A place where students and industry interact
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Blurring boundaries between UWA &
Graduate Professional Development
Currently:
University - 4 years
Technical fundamentals and applications
Introduction to professional practice
-teamwork
-ethics
-leadership
-systems approach
Professional Practice Continuing Professional Development
Project management
Business practice
Interaction with clients
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After Introduction
Integrated Learning Centre
University-Industry Partnership: Professionals in Training
Enhancing project based learning to
• Increase depth of learning - placing the theory into context
• Improve project management skills
Leadership
Teamwork
Coordination and planning
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Integrated
Learning
Centre: The
Concept
World Class
Engineering
Education
Average
Retention
Rate
∆ Immediate
∆ Practice/Do
∆ Discussion
∆ Demonstration
∆ Audio-Visual
∆ Reading
∆ Lecture
Use/Teach
Group
90%
75%
50%
30%
ILC
20%
10%
5%
Source: Natl Training Laboratories Institute for Applied Behavioural Science Http;//www.iblio.org/kuphaldt/socratic
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Existing engineering project work at
UWA
• The FSAE motorsport team
• 3rd year projects but not all Schools have
these
• Final year project of course
• CEED – like an extended final year project
with industrial support and money
• Masters & PhD
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Most of the teaching is still very dull
• Endless lectures, tutorials, tests
• Teaching in one unit usually has no
explicit link to teaching in another. Maths,
for example, is taught with minimal
engineering context.
• Professional skills such as design and
project management are sort of “add ons”
rather than the core of the teaching.
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Engineering Students
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UWA has made
available a superb
building, a former
library, centrally
located at UWA, in the
heart of the
Engineering and
Maths precinct of
campus.
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Planned teaching in the MILC
• Project work in units across the Faculty
will be supported.
• Supervised workshop facilities nearly
always available to students.
• A mix of year levels and disciplines.
• A cool place to be so students will work
rather than just going home.
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Other activities of the MILC
• Setting for industry-university activities
such as
– Conferences
– Seminars
– workshops
• Staff, student and industry projects as
resources allow e.g. during summer
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ILC Ground Floor concept
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First Floor ILC concept
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Questions posed last year
•Can PBL work for us – or will our graduates
be academic dummies?
•Can students have keys to good workshops
or will they trash them, wound themselves
and steal everything?
•New engineering buildings are now being
planned – but will they be just a bigger
version of what we have now?
•If you could teach any way you wanted and
had endless resources, how would you do
it?
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Since last year
• We have sent our first student team to
Monadelphous to do a project (and they are mad
keen and doing well).
• The financial structure of the MILC has become
clearer (we will have to charge Schools when
their students use our facilities…)
• However several major changes to Faculty
structure are expected: new Dean in 2009,
possible change to 3+2 model.
• Art in Engineering
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Art and Engineering
• Students get nothing but analysis and modelling, as
though that were all Engineering can do.
• But our profession is much more than that and we must
interest students and challenge them to also explore:
• Art, creativity, design, engineering and science in
harmony
• Contemporary engineering Industry needs:
– leaders with skills that extend beyond technical expertise, and
knowledge in materials and technology,
– who have creativity, teamwork, management, marketing and
entrepreneurial and other skills necessary for creative
multidisciplinary projects.
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Expected outcomes
– To develop the ability to manage and
communicate effectively with other disciplines:
• art,
• industrial design,
• architecture,
– To develop creativity and sense of beauty
– Personal development
– Avoid death by boredom
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The benefit
• Enrich our lives with art! Life is not just about
money and calculations!
• Better looking built environment around us,
• Improvement of our quality of life
• Facilitation of wealth creation.
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Art to increase collaboration among
• Students
• Teaching staff
• Industry
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Polymath → team
• Before the Industrial Revolution it was common
for an “engineer” to also be an “architect”,
“painter”, “sculptor”, “poet”… for example the
famous Da Vinci.
• With increasing technical emphasis and
specialisation, this idea of the Renaissance
Person has been lost.
• These days the most exciting design is done by
TEAMS who bring many skills and points of
view. (When do students get to experience this?)
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Actors
• Global activity, international projects in
partnership with another countries
• The cultural diversity and good
male/female balance
• Multinational student groups
• Commercial collaborations
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Activities
•
•
•
•
•
Workshops
Seminars & discussions
Formal courses
Guest speakers
Conferences
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You are also invited for
collaboration!
☺
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MILC issues for 2009
• Students are so overloaded with
coursework, and value only assessment,
so it is hard to get them to be active in
administrative roles.
• Creation of MILC project units.
• Renovation of building will start in Sept.
• Getting more staff in the Faculty to plan
project work (given that our physical
facilities don’t exist yet).
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