Interdisciplinary Learning for Managing Wicked Problems in Global Sustainability

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Interdisciplinary Learning for Managing Wicked
Problems in Global Sustainability
Monday 10th September, University of Bournemouth
Design of a New Undergraduate Elective
Sustainable Development for Engineers and
Scientists

• Mr Bland Tomkinson, University Advisor on
  Pedagogic Development
• Mrs Helen Dobson, Teaching Support and
  Development EPS Faculty
• Mrs Rosemary Tomkinson, Head of Teaching Support
  and Development EPS Faculty
• Miss Adele Aubrey, Teaching Support and
  Development EPS Faculty
• Prof Charles Engel, RAEng Visiting Professor
• THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, MANCHESTER, UK

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Contents

• Introduction Description of unit and curriculum
  design process
• Example of a Case Study Exercise
• Project Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation
  based on staff and student feedback

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1. Introduction

• Description of unit and curriculum design process

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Sustainable Development For Engineers and
Scientists

• Learning that is
• Inter-disciplinary
• Enquiry-based
• Student-centred

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New Undergraduate Elective

• Optional 10 credit course unit (delivered over 12
  weeks)
• Offered to third years in four disciplines
• Mech Eng, Civil Eng, Earth Science, Elec Eng
• 48 places awarded by competitive application
  process
• Problem Based Learning Format
• Education through completing a series of
  challenges (tasks based on topical case studies)
• Small mixed teams working independently
• Facilitator dedicated to each group
• Post Doctoral Research Associates trained and
  employed as Facilitators

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Why is a PBL, interactive, interdisciplinary
approach suited to learning about Sustainable
Development?

• Multi-disciplinary subject
• Interdisciplinary co-operation needed to tackle
  sustainability problems
• Fast pace of change makes skills vitally
  important (rather than just knowledge)
• Professional effectiveness key to driving change

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Course Development Four Advisory Groups

• (i) Projects working definition of Education
  for sustainable development
• (ii) Relevant key aspects of sustainable
  development
• (iii) Activities which graduates might be asked
  to undertake in early career in relation to
  sustainable development.
• (i) Skills and competencies that need to be
  developed for the activities identified by Group
  1
• (ii) Procedure for selecting case studies and
  study material to correspond with these skills
  and the tasks.
• Innovative methods of student assessment
  (formative and summative) and reward for
  successful completion
• Monitoring of the implementation of the pilot
  module and assessment, recognition and reward of
  staff involved.

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PBL Process
Week Two (2 hrs)
Week Three (1st hr)
Week One (2nd hr)
Individual Research Follow-up meetings/emails
Follow-up meetings/emails Produce and Submit
Report
Student activities outside timetabled sessions
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Case Study Exercise DevelopmentDesigning Wicked
Problems

• PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
• Verbal written Communication
• Collaborative team working
• Interdisciplinary Working
• Researching
• Handling large quantities of information (
  misinformation)
• Filtering and analysing data
• Handling uncertainty and incomplete information
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Justifying and Defending Recommendations

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Five Exercises Chosen

• WHEELS
• Change within a company
• Developed by Mrs Helen Dobson (Chemical Engineer)
• SHELTER
• Change across national and cultural boundaries
• Developed by Prof Grahame MacDougall (Architect)
• RULES
• Change driven by legislation
• Developed with Dr Carolyn Abbot (School of Law)
• ENERGY
• Change driven by technical innovation
• Developed with Dr Tony Sung (Mechanical Engineer)
• SHOPS
• Change driven by investor pressure (CSR / risk /
  benchmarking)
• Developed with Mr John Butlin (economics and CSR
  specialist)

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Formative Assessment

• Detailed feedback on each group report from the
  four formative exercises
• Practice exam papers completed at the end of each
  exercise (modified essay questions)
• Group discussion reviewing process of exploring
  each exercise and producing required deliverable.
  

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Summative Assessment
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2. Example of a Case Study Exercise

• Energy

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3. Project Evaluation

• Monitoring and Evaluation based on staff and
  student feedback

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Evaluation (1)

• University Standard Questionnaire
• Very positive results compared with typical
  course units
• 100 students agree or mostly agree that
• Skills developed will be valuable
• Exercises were helpful for learning topics
• 96 students agree or mostly agree that
• Material studied was intellectually stimulating
• Teaching and support staff were readily
  approachable
• Teaching staff were helpful and willing to answer
  questions

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Evaluation (2)

• Student Questionnaires
• (i) Readiness for inter-professional learning,
  (ii) Learning styles, (iii) Self-perception
• Scores for inter-professional learningand for a
  deep approach to learning rose but not
  statistically significant.
• Self-perception scores improved
• Nominal Group process review
• Half way through unit (facilitators students)
  and at end of unit (facilitators students)

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Nominal Group Process Results Key points from
students

• Positive Feedback
• Inter-disciplinary
• Teamwork (working in groups, independent
  learning)
• Mode of assessment
• Content (relevant real-life problems)
• Negative Feedback
• Timetable (9am start!)
• Workload (quantity and variability)
• Volume of work not summatively assessed
• Timing of assessments

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Nominal Group Process Results Key points from
staff

• Positive Feedback
• Imaginative, varied tasks Problem based
  learning Communication skills group
  learning Multidisciplinary participants
  Encouraging team work Teaching experience for
  research staff
• Negative Feedback
• - Lack of different disciplines- Unclear role
  for assistant facilitators- Lack of specialist
  knowledge- Moving goalposts

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Conclusions

• Positive feedback this years pilot, from staff
  and students
• Course unit to be repeated January 2008, with 96
  places for students drawn from seven disciplines
• Fourteen PDRA facilitators to be employed for the
  next cohort
• Full review of unit to be carried out and
  development of new case study exercises
• Despite challenges faced, the results of the
  pilot study have justified confidence in pursuing
  a student-centred, problem-based,
  interdisciplinary approach to education for
  sustainable development.

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Thank you

• Mrs Helen Dobson
• The University of Manchester
• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Teaching Support and Development
• Email helen.dobson_at_manchester.ac.uk
• Miss Adele Aubrey
• The University of Manchester
• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Teaching Support and Development
• Email adele.aubrey_at_manchester.ac.uk

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Facilitator Team
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Questions.?
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X.
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Additional Notes
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University Questionnaire Results
A Agree, B Mostly Agree, C Neither Agree nor
Disagree, D Disagree, E N/A
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Case Study Exercise Development

• Mechanisms for Driving/Implementing Change
• Predicting Consequences of Change
• Barriers to Change (Social, Env, Tech,
  Financial)
• Corporate change (within large organisations)
• Change across national and cultural boundaries
• Change via new legislation
• Change driven by technical innovation
• Change driven by investor pressure

• Verbal written Communication
• Collaborative team working
• Interdisciplinary Working
• Researching
• Handling large quantities of information (and
  misinformation)
• Filtering and analysing data
• Handling uncertainty and incomplete information
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Justifying and Defending Recommendations

• Balancing environmental, social and economic
  consequences
• Considering impacts of change on
  different stakeholders
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Life Cycle Approach
• Benchmarking / Assessing sustainability
• Cost/Benefit Analysis

• Team of industry consultants
• Environment Agency Team
• Overseas Aid Organisation
• Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Dept of a
  large organisation

• Not simply showcasing successful technical
  solutions to sustainability or environmental
  problems
• Not simply designing technical solutions to a
  problem without considering the wider economic
  (commercial) and social barriers to
  implementation

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Summary of Case Study Exercises
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Course Unit Development Team

• Project Team
• Rosemary Tomkinson, Helen Dobson, Charles Engel,
  Adele Aubrey, Bland Tomkinson, Charlotte Woods,
  Martin Snelling, Tim Jones
• Project Steering Group (Led by Pat Bailey)
• Pat Bailey, Peter Hicks, Simon Steiner, Richard
  Dodds, Charles Engel, Bland Tomkinson, Paul
  Sharratt, Colin Hughes, Rosemary Tomkinson, Helen
  Dobson, Tim Jones