(466b) Developing Professional Skills in Engineering Graduates through the Use of Scenario-Based Elearning

Recently, there has been a growing demand for Australian Engineering Graduates with better employability attributes. From this, there has been a movement towards implementing learning tasks based on a process of enquiry in order to develop these attributes at an undergraduate level.  Scenario-Based learning (SBL) is a learning method based on the same principles as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) but also incorporates eLearning with realistic work-based challenges and is therefore a useful tool in developing employability skills, such as practical knowledge, communication and teamwork, in engineering students.

This gives students the opportunity to develop their problem solving skills and knowledge whilst bridging the gap between a discipline and its practical applications in industry. Scenario based e-learning can also address the challenge of motivating students as interactive scenarios are far more involving than tutorial problems and can show the practical applications of knowledge.  

A tool for implementing SBL is the software, SBLi that allows students to interact within an online scenario. This work looks to implement SBLi in to a third level Process Design unit at Monash University. This will be achieved by creating a series of realistic industrial scenarios, which are then designed and developed using SBLi, before being delivered to the students (a cohort of approximately 130 students).  A preliminary evaluation of the use of the scenarios will be carried out through a focus group.  This will provide feedback to refine the scenarios before they are formally incorporated in the delivery of the unit Process Design.  Results indicating the level of student engagement through monitoring the use of the scenarios and the students' perception of their effectiveness for skill developmen by using SBLi will be presented.