Tim Davis Coventry University

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Tim DavisCoventry University

• Short-listed LTSN Engineering
• Teaching Award 2003-4
• T.Davis_at_coventry.ac.uk

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Field and Enterprise Skills

• 1st year core Civil Engineering module
• Surveying Field Course
• Aims to develop personal and professional skills

• PDP using RAPID
• Supporting workshops
• Real-world project
• Student-centred
• Industry support

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PDP using RAPID

• Self-assessed skills audit using RAPID

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PDP using RAPID

• Self-assessed skills audit using RAPID
• Team working self-perception test
• Group critique
• Update skills and personal reflection

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Supporting workshops

• Careers in Civil Engineering
• CVs and Interviews
• Using RAPID
• Working in Teams (several)
• benefits, team roles, behaviour contracts
• Principles of Project Management
• practised on a group design project
• Prize Presentation

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Real-world project

• Road building scheme

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Real-world project

• Road building scheme
• Client specification
• Project management using limited resources
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Checking reporting on progress

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Student-centred

• Students take ownership and responsibility
• Staff act as Client/Advisor hands off
• Group contract
• Peer assessment

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Industry support

• Sponsors presentation
• Prize giving
• Student presentation and QA session
• Employers interviews for vacation jobs and
  placements

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Student feedback

• Students felt they had improved
• Confidence
• Group cohesiveness
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Negotiation
• Awareness of self and others

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Student feedback

• Students commented
• Knowledge of the overall project allowed
  leadership
• Group-decision making took longer but you often
  achieved better quality solutions since they
  thought about other options rather than just
  implementing their first idea
• The module was particularly challenging because
  it was the first project where team-work and
  spirit had a major impact and affected the outcome

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Staff feedback

• Observations
• Majority of leadership was only done by a few
  team members who benefited the most from the
  module
• Lack of subject knowledge created a negative
  experience and prevented leadership
• Group contracts/peer assessment was effective

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Improvements

• Groups of 6 formed earlier in year. Surveying
  practicals and team-working workshops done in
  these groups.
• Resources from UMIST/Manchesters Team-work
  Induction Programme (TIP) on team behaviour
  (anna.hiley_at_umist.ac.uk)
• Attendance and performance in surveying module
  now a pre-requisite to attending the field course.

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Does it work?

• not for everyone
• The teaching has been a good style, if you have
  a problem ask, but come with an idea of how to
  solve it.
• This encourages people to think more about what
  they are doing, so encourages personal growth,
  which is the aim of the module.