(153c) Advanced Participatory Design – a Tool for Enquiry Based Module Design

Advanced Participatory
Design – A Tool for Enquiry Based Module Design

Pavan
Inguva¹, Wenqian Chen¹, James Campbell¹, Umang
V. Shah^1*, Clemens Brechtelsbauer¹

¹Department of Chemical
Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ,
United Kingdom

*Presenting
Author: u.shah09@imperial.ac.uk; Phone:
+44-(0)207-594-6604. Fax: +44-(0)207-594-5700 Web: www.imperial.ac.uk/ce

Abstract

Introduction

To
successfully meet contemporary engineering challenges, students need to be
equipped with creative problem solving skills and a desire for lifelong
learning. This  is
best achieved by them taking control of their own learning while solving real-life
engineering problems. Various student centric, enquiry based learning
approaches are reported in the literature which empower students to shape
course content, delivery and assessment structure. These efforts are targeted
on delivery and operation, with limited discussion on the role of student
participation in actual module design. Participatory design (PD), which is mainly used
in industrial process development has only seen limited application in
education. It combines the expertise of multiple stakeholders to develop a
product in a process of co-creation where the various stakeholders are treated
as partners so that the final outcome best meets the requirements of all
involved.

This
study focuses on advancing participatory design as an enquiry based module
development tool, where all the stakeholders (students, graduate teaching
assistants, technical team, module leader, and subject area expert) work together
to effectively design an experiential learning module. One of the main
advantages of PD is that both students and educators are stimulated to reflect
on teaching and learning methods, thereby including their points of view into
the design process.

Research
method

In this
case study a project for a second year core chemical engineering module
(‘Knowledge Lab’), focused on applying theoretical knowledge to solve real-life
engineering problems was designed, commissioned, tested, and rolled out using an
advanced PD approach. Results from stakeholder interviews and surveys were used
to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.

The advanced
PD approach

In any
traditional PD approach all stake holders are brought together in a collaborative
environment to work towards the design and delivery of the task.  It uses a single feedback loop, where the learning
experience is shaped by the different features of the designed module.

The
advanced PD framework developed in this study incorporates a double feedback
mechanism (Figure 1), where the design process itself has a feedback loop. The
students in the design team anticipate potential problems during the design
process based on their past experience or training, and make corrections
immediately.

Figure
1: Feedback mechanism during the advanced PD

Figure
2: “Hands-on” learning module design process employed in this study

The
advanced PD process is detailed in Figure 2, where students took a leading role
in project development and teachers assumed the role of  project supervisor. In the advanced PD
framework, a stakeholder’s role is not limited to just providing input into
design discussions based on their existing expertise. As they participate in
the development, prototyping, and testing activities, their knowledge evolves
which facilitates iterative improvement. This paradigm of iterative module
design within a PD framework has not been explored significantly thus far in
the literature and we believe that such a model strongly enhances the overall
teaching quality of the eventual outcome.

Evaluation
of Effectiveness

Figure
3: Knowledge Lab UG SOLE results

The
second year chemical engineering module designed on the principles of advanced
PD was rolled out to students during the Autumn Term of 2016.  Numerical results of the student online
evaluation survey for the past three consecutive years from 2015 onwards is
presented in Figure 3. The quantitative results and textural comments indicate
that student satisfaction dropped during the roll-out year, which can be
attributed to teething problems with the newly commissioned equipment. Results
for the Autumn Term of 2017 show a significant improvement in student
satisfaction for all four evaluated attributes compared to the conventional
module design approach last taught in 2015. Students particularly appreciated
the degree of freedom to explore, and felt more confident in working
independently. As well as promoting a practical understanding of engineering
topics, they also regained a vital sense of enjoyment of their degree studies,
which can easily get lost in a high workload environment.

Conclusion

Our
findings in this study demonstrate that student involvement in the module
design process results in enhanced learner outcomes as the content is
structured in a highly student centric manner. The advanced PD based module
design approach presents the opportunity for students to participate in all stages
of module development, thereby shaping their and their peers’ learning
experience.