This paper reports on the first phase of an Australian inter-disciplinary partnership study conce... more This paper reports on the first phase of an Australian inter-disciplinary partnership study concerned with professional learning of experienced engineers. It is a theoretically motivated, qualitative paper that aims to produce detailed descriptions of professional learning that arise within professional engineering work. The paper uses practice theory to conceptualise professional learning. By using 'practices' as the units of analysis, professional learning is understood as an integral part of everyday work practices that is embodied, relational and material rather than an individual attribute. The paper concludes by suggesting that practice theory may provide organisations with an alternative perspective of workplace learning, inviting them to reconsider how professional learning is acknowledged, rewarded and fostered in organisations
Project context
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain und... more Project context
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain under-represented among engineering students, and even more so among engineers. Engineering workplaces have features that are gender non-inclusive (Gill, Sharp, Mills, & Franzway, 2008; Kaspura, 2013). There are efforts to improve engineering education by increasing industry engagement, and all but one of the Australian universities that offer formative engineering degree programs have compulsory workplace learning. However, it was hypothesised that experiences of workplace learning might further discourage female engineering students.
Aim of the project
This project sought to contribute to ensuring that workplace learning in engineering programs is gender inclusive. The project was designed to investigate gender inclusivity in engineering students’ vacation employment and internships, and to develop, test, and model a workshop to help prepare students for successful student and graduate experiences in engineering workplaces. The project provided preliminary investigation into the extent and nature of the need for a full proposal.
Main findings of the project
The majority of students’ workplace experiences were encouraging. However, despite the positive experiences, as many as 53 (33.1%) of 160 engineering students were not aware of any female professional engineers in the workplace, and experiences consistent with gendered workplaces were reported. These included female students experiencing interactions that Hatmaker (2013, p387) identified as marginalising female engineers—namely ‘amplifying’ gender, ‘imposing gendered expectations’, ‘tuning out’ when women speak, and ‘doubting technical abilities’ of women.
It was found that students were vulnerable due to difficulty finding placements and the need to complete their placements to graduate. Students were discouraged by placements where they were not given engineering work, received insufficient supervision or support, and had little or no interaction with professional engineers.
Student interviews revealed transformative, encouraging workplace experiences, and disheartening experiences. Descriptions of interactions and responses consistent with gendered cultures, and also bullying, were identified.
Project outputs, deliverables, and resources
This project has described the extent and nature of non-inclusivity of workplace experiences of engineering students at three Australian universities. Manuscripts describing the survey results and interview findings are being prepared.
Resources for educators wishing to hold a workshop to help students prepare for gendered workplaces are available from the project lead. These include workshop slides and facilitator notes, and a handout for students, which contains narrative descriptions and role-play parts for scenarios based on the student interviews.
Impact of the project
Workshops to help students prepare for interactions in gendered workplaces were held at four Australian universities and attended by 110 students and six academics.
A masterclass was attended by 11 participants at the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) Conference. The workshop evaluation indicated that five participant academics plan to implement or adapt the workshop.
Project approach
The project was framed within the theory of ‘possible selves’, in which perceptions of achievable appealing possible future selves are motivating, and feared possible selves are demotivating (Bennett, 2013; Markus & Nurius, 1986). It also focused on personal interactions that marginalise professional engineers, as identified by Hatmaker (2013). Engineering students at the three partner universities were surveyed and interviewed.
Valid and complete survey responses were received from 160 engineering students (25.0% female) who had engineering workplace learning experience. Thirteen engineering students at the three partner universities, including four male students, were interviewed.
Recommendations
Engineering faculties must ensure that engineering students reflect on their workplace experiences to think critically about the cultures they experience and their responses. Engineering faculties should work with employers to improve the quality of placements.
Further research is recommended to describe the prevalence of gender non-inclusivity nationally. Research with employers is recommended to understand how gendered workplace cultures can be improved, and how students can be prepared for working in workplaces where women continue to be in minority.
International Conference on Information Society, 2012
ABSTRACT Skills and knowledge that can be gained by groups of individuals will be affected by the... more ABSTRACT Skills and knowledge that can be gained by groups of individuals will be affected by the characteristics of those groups. Systematic formation of the groups could therefore potentially lead to significantly improved learning outcomes. This research explores a framework for group formation that continuously adapts rules used for the grouping process in order to optimize the selected performance criteria of the group. We demonstrate an implementation of this approach within the context of groups of students undertaking remote laboratory experiments. The implementation uses multiple linear regression analysis to adaptively update the rules used for creating the groups. In order to address specific learning outcomes, certain behaviors of the group might be desired to achieve this learning outcome. We can show that by using a set of individual/group characteristics and group behavior we can dynamically create rules and hence optimize the selected performance criteria. The selected performance is in reality the group behaviour, which might lead to improved learning outcomes.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03043797 2014 967181, Oct 20, 2014
ABSTRACT With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, gl... more ABSTRACT With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices - site walks and design review meetings - in which learning takes place.
... Development: Moving from Ad-Hoc to Planned Integration Keith Willey The University of Technol... more ... Development: Moving from Ad-Hoc to Planned Integration Keith Willey The University of Technology, Sydney, Australia keith.willey@uts.edu.au Betty Jacobs The University of Technology, Sydney, Australia betty.jacobs@uts.edu.au ...
Junior structural engineers rarely work alone. Their design calculations are usually peer reviewe... more Junior structural engineers rarely work alone. Their design calculations are usually peer reviewed, and they may be involved in reviewing other engineers' designs. They are also likely to have to articulate their design decisions to their supervisor or the project team, if not the client. At the University of Technology, Sydney the authors redesigned the asssessment tasks in the subject Concrete Design to be collaborative learning-oriented tasks that provide an opportunity for students to develop and practice the skills they will need to interact with other professionals in the workplace and continue learning during their career. We theorised that allowing students to collaborate during quizzes and a project would make these activities more learning-oriented, in that students would actively learn from each other while completing their assessment. Data from various sources were collected to examine the impact of this collaborative assessment on student learning. These sources inc...
Engineers today are often required to make critical judgements involving decisions that extend be... more Engineers today are often required to make critical judgements involving decisions that extend beyond traditional discipline boundaries requiring ongoing learning, much of which is informal, learnt on the job from peers who are often from different disciplines. To prepare students for professional practice, they need opportunities to experience, practise, reflect and improve their ability to work in a collaborative environment. The University of Technology, Sydney teaches an undergraduate engineering science programme in Hong Kong. The authors have found it initially difficult to get students to participate in collaborative learning activities and in particular those that involved students in using their own judgement or critical analysis. In response, the authors redesigned their course to integrate collaborative peer learning activities into all areas of the curriculum including collaborative problem solving exercises that are subsequently assessed through a series of first indivi...
For several years the authors have coordinated a large engineering design subject, having a typic... more For several years the authors have coordinated a large engineering design subject, having a typical cohort of more than 300 students per semester. Lectures are supported by tutorials of approximately 32 students that incorporate a combination of collaborative team and project-based learning activities. Each tutor is responsible for grading the assessment tasks for students in their tutorial. A common issue is how to achieve a consistent standard of marking and student feedback between different tutors. To address this issue the authors have used a number of methods including double-blind marking and/or random re-marking to support consistent grading. However, even when only small variations between the overall grading of different tutors were found, students still complained about a perceived lack of consistency. In this paper we report on an investigation into the use of a collaborative peer learning process among tutors to improve mark standardisation, and marker consistency, and ...
In large engineering subjects, it is common to have multiple tutors where each tutor is responsib... more In large engineering subjects, it is common to have multiple tutors where each tutor is responsible for grading the assessment tasks for students in their tutorial. An issue regularly faced by subject coordinators is how to achieve a consistent standard of marking and feedback quality amongst different tutors. To address this issue the authors initially used a number of methods including double blind marking to support consistent grading. However, with increasing demands on academics these time-consuming activities became an unrealistic option. This process was improved by using a software tool to compare both the marking and feedback provided by different tutors for a number of randomly selected project tasks. In this paper, we report using new software features developed as a result of this previous research to quickly establish and build a community of assessment practice amongst subject tutors. The reported process promotes inclusiveness by using a software tool to anonymously r...
This paper reports on the first phase of an Australian inter-disciplinary partnership study conce... more This paper reports on the first phase of an Australian inter-disciplinary partnership study concerned with professional learning of experienced engineers. It is a theoretically motivated, qualitative paper that aims to produce detailed descriptions of professional learning that arise within professional engineering work. The paper uses practice theory to conceptualise professional learning. By using 'practices' as the units of analysis, professional learning is understood as an integral part of everyday work practices that is embodied, relational and material rather than an individual attribute. The paper concludes by suggesting that practice theory may provide organisations with an alternative perspective of workplace learning, inviting them to reconsider how professional learning is acknowledged, rewarded and fostered in organisations
Project context
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain und... more Project context
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain under-represented among engineering students, and even more so among engineers. Engineering workplaces have features that are gender non-inclusive (Gill, Sharp, Mills, & Franzway, 2008; Kaspura, 2013). There are efforts to improve engineering education by increasing industry engagement, and all but one of the Australian universities that offer formative engineering degree programs have compulsory workplace learning. However, it was hypothesised that experiences of workplace learning might further discourage female engineering students.
Aim of the project
This project sought to contribute to ensuring that workplace learning in engineering programs is gender inclusive. The project was designed to investigate gender inclusivity in engineering students’ vacation employment and internships, and to develop, test, and model a workshop to help prepare students for successful student and graduate experiences in engineering workplaces. The project provided preliminary investigation into the extent and nature of the need for a full proposal.
Main findings of the project
The majority of students’ workplace experiences were encouraging. However, despite the positive experiences, as many as 53 (33.1%) of 160 engineering students were not aware of any female professional engineers in the workplace, and experiences consistent with gendered workplaces were reported. These included female students experiencing interactions that Hatmaker (2013, p387) identified as marginalising female engineers—namely ‘amplifying’ gender, ‘imposing gendered expectations’, ‘tuning out’ when women speak, and ‘doubting technical abilities’ of women.
It was found that students were vulnerable due to difficulty finding placements and the need to complete their placements to graduate. Students were discouraged by placements where they were not given engineering work, received insufficient supervision or support, and had little or no interaction with professional engineers.
Student interviews revealed transformative, encouraging workplace experiences, and disheartening experiences. Descriptions of interactions and responses consistent with gendered cultures, and also bullying, were identified.
Project outputs, deliverables, and resources
This project has described the extent and nature of non-inclusivity of workplace experiences of engineering students at three Australian universities. Manuscripts describing the survey results and interview findings are being prepared.
Resources for educators wishing to hold a workshop to help students prepare for gendered workplaces are available from the project lead. These include workshop slides and facilitator notes, and a handout for students, which contains narrative descriptions and role-play parts for scenarios based on the student interviews.
Impact of the project
Workshops to help students prepare for interactions in gendered workplaces were held at four Australian universities and attended by 110 students and six academics.
A masterclass was attended by 11 participants at the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) Conference. The workshop evaluation indicated that five participant academics plan to implement or adapt the workshop.
Project approach
The project was framed within the theory of ‘possible selves’, in which perceptions of achievable appealing possible future selves are motivating, and feared possible selves are demotivating (Bennett, 2013; Markus & Nurius, 1986). It also focused on personal interactions that marginalise professional engineers, as identified by Hatmaker (2013). Engineering students at the three partner universities were surveyed and interviewed.
Valid and complete survey responses were received from 160 engineering students (25.0% female) who had engineering workplace learning experience. Thirteen engineering students at the three partner universities, including four male students, were interviewed.
Recommendations
Engineering faculties must ensure that engineering students reflect on their workplace experiences to think critically about the cultures they experience and their responses. Engineering faculties should work with employers to improve the quality of placements.
Further research is recommended to describe the prevalence of gender non-inclusivity nationally. Research with employers is recommended to understand how gendered workplace cultures can be improved, and how students can be prepared for working in workplaces where women continue to be in minority.
International Conference on Information Society, 2012
ABSTRACT Skills and knowledge that can be gained by groups of individuals will be affected by the... more ABSTRACT Skills and knowledge that can be gained by groups of individuals will be affected by the characteristics of those groups. Systematic formation of the groups could therefore potentially lead to significantly improved learning outcomes. This research explores a framework for group formation that continuously adapts rules used for the grouping process in order to optimize the selected performance criteria of the group. We demonstrate an implementation of this approach within the context of groups of students undertaking remote laboratory experiments. The implementation uses multiple linear regression analysis to adaptively update the rules used for creating the groups. In order to address specific learning outcomes, certain behaviors of the group might be desired to achieve this learning outcome. We can show that by using a set of individual/group characteristics and group behavior we can dynamically create rules and hence optimize the selected performance criteria. The selected performance is in reality the group behaviour, which might lead to improved learning outcomes.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03043797 2014 967181, Oct 20, 2014
ABSTRACT With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, gl... more ABSTRACT With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices - site walks and design review meetings - in which learning takes place.
... Development: Moving from Ad-Hoc to Planned Integration Keith Willey The University of Technol... more ... Development: Moving from Ad-Hoc to Planned Integration Keith Willey The University of Technology, Sydney, Australia keith.willey@uts.edu.au Betty Jacobs The University of Technology, Sydney, Australia betty.jacobs@uts.edu.au ...
Junior structural engineers rarely work alone. Their design calculations are usually peer reviewe... more Junior structural engineers rarely work alone. Their design calculations are usually peer reviewed, and they may be involved in reviewing other engineers' designs. They are also likely to have to articulate their design decisions to their supervisor or the project team, if not the client. At the University of Technology, Sydney the authors redesigned the asssessment tasks in the subject Concrete Design to be collaborative learning-oriented tasks that provide an opportunity for students to develop and practice the skills they will need to interact with other professionals in the workplace and continue learning during their career. We theorised that allowing students to collaborate during quizzes and a project would make these activities more learning-oriented, in that students would actively learn from each other while completing their assessment. Data from various sources were collected to examine the impact of this collaborative assessment on student learning. These sources inc...
Engineers today are often required to make critical judgements involving decisions that extend be... more Engineers today are often required to make critical judgements involving decisions that extend beyond traditional discipline boundaries requiring ongoing learning, much of which is informal, learnt on the job from peers who are often from different disciplines. To prepare students for professional practice, they need opportunities to experience, practise, reflect and improve their ability to work in a collaborative environment. The University of Technology, Sydney teaches an undergraduate engineering science programme in Hong Kong. The authors have found it initially difficult to get students to participate in collaborative learning activities and in particular those that involved students in using their own judgement or critical analysis. In response, the authors redesigned their course to integrate collaborative peer learning activities into all areas of the curriculum including collaborative problem solving exercises that are subsequently assessed through a series of first indivi...
For several years the authors have coordinated a large engineering design subject, having a typic... more For several years the authors have coordinated a large engineering design subject, having a typical cohort of more than 300 students per semester. Lectures are supported by tutorials of approximately 32 students that incorporate a combination of collaborative team and project-based learning activities. Each tutor is responsible for grading the assessment tasks for students in their tutorial. A common issue is how to achieve a consistent standard of marking and student feedback between different tutors. To address this issue the authors have used a number of methods including double-blind marking and/or random re-marking to support consistent grading. However, even when only small variations between the overall grading of different tutors were found, students still complained about a perceived lack of consistency. In this paper we report on an investigation into the use of a collaborative peer learning process among tutors to improve mark standardisation, and marker consistency, and ...
In large engineering subjects, it is common to have multiple tutors where each tutor is responsib... more In large engineering subjects, it is common to have multiple tutors where each tutor is responsible for grading the assessment tasks for students in their tutorial. An issue regularly faced by subject coordinators is how to achieve a consistent standard of marking and feedback quality amongst different tutors. To address this issue the authors initially used a number of methods including double blind marking to support consistent grading. However, with increasing demands on academics these time-consuming activities became an unrealistic option. This process was improved by using a software tool to compare both the marking and feedback provided by different tutors for a number of randomly selected project tasks. In this paper, we report using new software features developed as a result of this previous research to quickly establish and build a community of assessment practice amongst subject tutors. The reported process promotes inclusiveness by using a software tool to anonymously r...
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Papers by Keith Willey
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain under-represented among engineering students, and even more so among engineers. Engineering workplaces have features that are gender non-inclusive (Gill, Sharp, Mills, & Franzway, 2008; Kaspura, 2013). There are efforts to improve engineering education by increasing industry engagement, and all but one of the Australian universities that offer formative engineering degree programs have compulsory workplace learning. However, it was hypothesised that experiences of workplace learning might further discourage female engineering students.
Aim of the project
This project sought to contribute to ensuring that workplace learning in engineering programs is gender inclusive. The project was designed to investigate gender inclusivity in engineering students’ vacation employment and internships, and to develop, test, and model a workshop to help prepare students for successful student and graduate experiences in engineering workplaces. The project provided preliminary investigation into the extent and nature of the need for a full proposal.
Main findings of the project
The majority of students’ workplace experiences were encouraging. However, despite the positive experiences, as many as 53 (33.1%) of 160 engineering students were not aware of any female professional engineers in the workplace, and experiences consistent with gendered workplaces were reported. These included female students experiencing interactions that Hatmaker (2013, p387) identified as marginalising female engineers—namely ‘amplifying’ gender, ‘imposing gendered expectations’, ‘tuning out’ when women speak, and ‘doubting technical abilities’ of women.
It was found that students were vulnerable due to difficulty finding placements and the need to complete their placements to graduate. Students were discouraged by placements where they were not given engineering work, received insufficient supervision or support, and had little or no interaction with professional engineers.
Student interviews revealed transformative, encouraging workplace experiences, and disheartening experiences. Descriptions of interactions and responses consistent with gendered cultures, and also bullying, were identified.
Project outputs, deliverables, and resources
This project has described the extent and nature of non-inclusivity of workplace experiences of engineering students at three Australian universities. Manuscripts describing the survey results and interview findings are being prepared.
Resources for educators wishing to hold a workshop to help students prepare for gendered workplaces are available from the project lead. These include workshop slides and facilitator notes, and a handout for students, which contains narrative descriptions and role-play parts for scenarios based on the student interviews.
Impact of the project
Workshops to help students prepare for interactions in gendered workplaces were held at four Australian universities and attended by 110 students and six academics.
A masterclass was attended by 11 participants at the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) Conference. The workshop evaluation indicated that five participant academics plan to implement or adapt the workshop.
Project approach
The project was framed within the theory of ‘possible selves’, in which perceptions of achievable appealing possible future selves are motivating, and feared possible selves are demotivating (Bennett, 2013; Markus & Nurius, 1986). It also focused on personal interactions that marginalise professional engineers, as identified by Hatmaker (2013). Engineering students at the three partner universities were surveyed and interviewed.
Valid and complete survey responses were received from 160 engineering students (25.0% female) who had engineering workplace learning experience. Thirteen engineering students at the three partner universities, including four male students, were interviewed.
Recommendations
Engineering faculties must ensure that engineering students reflect on their workplace experiences to think critically about the cultures they experience and their responses. Engineering faculties should work with employers to improve the quality of placements.
Further research is recommended to describe the prevalence of gender non-inclusivity nationally. Research with employers is recommended to understand how gendered workplace cultures can be improved, and how students can be prepared for working in workplaces where women continue to be in minority.
To the detriment of Australian society and people, women in Australia remain under-represented among engineering students, and even more so among engineers. Engineering workplaces have features that are gender non-inclusive (Gill, Sharp, Mills, & Franzway, 2008; Kaspura, 2013). There are efforts to improve engineering education by increasing industry engagement, and all but one of the Australian universities that offer formative engineering degree programs have compulsory workplace learning. However, it was hypothesised that experiences of workplace learning might further discourage female engineering students.
Aim of the project
This project sought to contribute to ensuring that workplace learning in engineering programs is gender inclusive. The project was designed to investigate gender inclusivity in engineering students’ vacation employment and internships, and to develop, test, and model a workshop to help prepare students for successful student and graduate experiences in engineering workplaces. The project provided preliminary investigation into the extent and nature of the need for a full proposal.
Main findings of the project
The majority of students’ workplace experiences were encouraging. However, despite the positive experiences, as many as 53 (33.1%) of 160 engineering students were not aware of any female professional engineers in the workplace, and experiences consistent with gendered workplaces were reported. These included female students experiencing interactions that Hatmaker (2013, p387) identified as marginalising female engineers—namely ‘amplifying’ gender, ‘imposing gendered expectations’, ‘tuning out’ when women speak, and ‘doubting technical abilities’ of women.
It was found that students were vulnerable due to difficulty finding placements and the need to complete their placements to graduate. Students were discouraged by placements where they were not given engineering work, received insufficient supervision or support, and had little or no interaction with professional engineers.
Student interviews revealed transformative, encouraging workplace experiences, and disheartening experiences. Descriptions of interactions and responses consistent with gendered cultures, and also bullying, were identified.
Project outputs, deliverables, and resources
This project has described the extent and nature of non-inclusivity of workplace experiences of engineering students at three Australian universities. Manuscripts describing the survey results and interview findings are being prepared.
Resources for educators wishing to hold a workshop to help students prepare for gendered workplaces are available from the project lead. These include workshop slides and facilitator notes, and a handout for students, which contains narrative descriptions and role-play parts for scenarios based on the student interviews.
Impact of the project
Workshops to help students prepare for interactions in gendered workplaces were held at four Australian universities and attended by 110 students and six academics.
A masterclass was attended by 11 participants at the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) Conference. The workshop evaluation indicated that five participant academics plan to implement or adapt the workshop.
Project approach
The project was framed within the theory of ‘possible selves’, in which perceptions of achievable appealing possible future selves are motivating, and feared possible selves are demotivating (Bennett, 2013; Markus & Nurius, 1986). It also focused on personal interactions that marginalise professional engineers, as identified by Hatmaker (2013). Engineering students at the three partner universities were surveyed and interviewed.
Valid and complete survey responses were received from 160 engineering students (25.0% female) who had engineering workplace learning experience. Thirteen engineering students at the three partner universities, including four male students, were interviewed.
Recommendations
Engineering faculties must ensure that engineering students reflect on their workplace experiences to think critically about the cultures they experience and their responses. Engineering faculties should work with employers to improve the quality of placements.
Further research is recommended to describe the prevalence of gender non-inclusivity nationally. Research with employers is recommended to understand how gendered workplace cultures can be improved, and how students can be prepared for working in workplaces where women continue to be in minority.