Tltp Phase 3: Requirements for Project Annual Reporting

Engaging Students in an engineering community Kath Clay

Executive Summary.

This project was designed to investigate, define and evaluate a model for developing an engineering community within the Open University.

Engineering is a recognised and growing professional subject area within the Open University (OU) within the large and diverse faculty of Maths Computing and Technology (MCT). The subject area has named degrees profiles and a defined programme of study pathways options (OU, 2009). Many students enrolled on the programme aim to attain professional recognition via a range of Institutes after completion of their studies. (These Institutes all use common criteria defined by the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom (ECUK, 2008). Students currently registered on the Engineering Programme do not have any other formalised identity or continuity of contact within the OU other than occasionally ‘meeting’ the same students on some common courses throughout their student experience.

Engineering student surveys characterised their e-communication behaviour as infrequent and probable circumspect users of social communication software who are pragmatic and require identified aims before electing to participate. However, the students acknowledge derived benefit from e-collaboration but they also appear to have low tolerance of social chatter. This direct data also revealed the engineering students’ awareness of their learning needs and their attitudes to peer interactions have links with their identified OU collaboration behaviour. Students also noted professional development support as a strong motivator for engagement with a larger programme rather than a course sepicific community.

The above, along with research data from academic and Associate Lecturer staff and other indirect information were used to develop the aims, content and structure (usability and sociability issues) required within a potential engineering e-community. A model for the said community was proposed which had two generic aims. The first, to provide different elements of student support within 4 defined fields (professional development - acquiring professional Institute recognition, careers and employability, academic transition and the OU Engineering Project) and the second, to develop a sense of identity and belonging within it main stakeholder group, the student. An audit of the model indicated its potential of fulfilling these aims.

The development of this model was deliberately separated from the ongoing Engineering subject pathway Student Support Review Pilot Project (launched during the second half of this COLMSCT project). The challenge ahead for the Engineering unit and faculty will centre on investigating its adaption, integration and implementation within mandatory student support changes within the next two years.

The results relating to the model development have been (or are planned to be) shared more widely, both within and beyond the Open University.

Related Engineering programme Associate Lecturer staff development work was completed as part the project activity.

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