Conceptual Mapping of the use of Non-Traditional Processes in

Engineering’s Higher Education

Cleber A. Pereira

, Paulo Oliveira

and Manuel J. C. S. Reis

Federal University of Maranhão, Imperatriz, Brazil

INESC-TEC/Department of Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

IEETA/Department of Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

Keywords: Conceptual Mapping, Engineering Education, Engineering and Computer Tools.

Abstract: In this paper, we shall present a study on the tools most often used as a support in the teaching of engineering

in higher education. We seek to assess which are the current practices and identify the main tools used in the

teaching of electric and computer engineering, highlighting the curricular units in which they are being used.

We seek to contribute towards the improvement of the results obtained in higher education curricula in

engineering. The methodology used is based on a literature review together with the systematization and

presentation of the findings through a conceptual mapping. The results present a conceptual mapping of the

courses in which positive experiences were reported through the adoption of non-traditional teaching

processes. We concluded that both the initiatives that have resorted to new technologies in engineering

degrees, as well as reports of similar experiments in international publications on this topic are both reduced

and ad hoc. Initiatives such as this may contribute towards an improvement of the implemented teaching

processes in engineering.

1 INTRODUCTION

Several solutions have been developed with new

technologies in order to contribute towards an

improvement of the teaching-learning process in

higher education and, according to Thomaz et al.

(2009) these can skilfully be adapted to the students’

needs and be used by the teaching staff.

Specifically, in engineering degrees (Benitti,

2012, Corter et al., 2011, Cortizo et al., 2010,

Fabregas et al., 2011, Garrison and Kanuka, 2004,

Méndez and González, 2010, Tiernan, 2010), these

solutions have proved to enhance students’

performance and they will be the main topic of

discussion in this study.

Several solutions were tested in these curricula.

For instance, in the automation and robotics

curricular units, by resorting to blended-learning (Jara

et al., 2011), in the teaching of JAVA programming

language (Alonso et al., 2009), in curricular units on

introductory studies to programming by using active

learning following the recommendations suggested

by the Bologna Declaration (Fernandez et al., 2011),

in mathematics tests (Macedo-Rouet et al., 2009), all

of them presenting efficient results in terms of the

students level of learning and performance, when

compared to face-to-face teaching.

In the control engineering courses, literature has

reported advancements in the use of remote

laboratories, although there are still some pedagogical

shortcomings that need to be overcome (Dormido et

al., 2008, Gomes and Bogosyan, 2009, Gomes et al.,

2007, Jara et al., 2009, Lazar and Carari, 2008).

Several methodologies, from other fields of

expertise, have been implemented in engineering’s

higher education teaching, namely, “Case Study”,

“Grounded Theory”, “Action Research”, “Problem-

Based Learning” and “Narrative Analysis” (Case and

Light, 2011). In this list is also included “the

Systematic Literature Review” methodology

(Borrego et al., 2014). Some of the texts cited in this

paper use some of these methodologies in

engineering.

This paper seeks to identify the main tools used in

the teaching of engineering, specifically in electrical

and computer engineering, and the curricular units in

which they are being implemented. It will also seek

to identify the best current practices. The main

internal motivation for this research is to contribute

towards the improvement of the results obtained in

308

Pereira, C., Oliveira, P. and Reis, M.

Conceptual Mapping of the use of Non-Traditional Processes in Engineering’s Higher Education.

DOI: 10.5220/0006311903080314

In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2017) - Volume 1, pages 308-314

ISBN: 978-989-758-239-4

engineering degrees offered in universities. The

methodology used is based on a literature review

together with the systematization and presentation of

the findings through a conceptual mapping. This

study may contribute towards the improvement of the

teaching processes used in engineering.

2 SOLUTIONS APPLIED TO THE

TEACHING OF ENGINEERING

Benitti’s (2012) study has made a systematic

literature review of the scientific productions

published between 2000 and 2009. The studies were

selected from the use of the following keywords:

“robotics”, “school” and their variations. The

databases used were: IEEE Xplore; ACM Digital

Library; ScienceDirect; SpringerLink; ERIC; and

Wilson Education. After a categorized selection of

197 articles, Benitti filtered, selected and analysed the

ten studies regarding the teaching processes that have

resorted to experiments with robots. As a result,

(Benitti, 2012, p. 988), the following engineering

courses were assessed: Computer programming,

geospatial concepts and engineering/robotics from

the studies by Barker and Ansorge (2007); Nugent et

al. (2008); Nugent et al. (2009); and the course

Systems and Computation (Sullivan, 2008). In these

studies, involving non-traditional methods, Benitti

(2012, p. 986) has identified the main skills

developed in students and has cited them according to

each author’s respective works: thinking skills;

science processing skills (Sullivan’s, 2008)

evaluation of solution, hypothesis generation,

hypothesis testing and control of variables, problem-

solving approaches and teamwork (Nugent et al.,

2009).

Tiernan (2010) has conducted an experiment with

91 students from industrial automation, for a period

of four years, seeking through the incorporation of

hardware linked programming to increase their

interests in research. By observing and recording the

students’ interest in a graphical-based computer

language for programming control and data

acquisitions, the LabVIEW software. During this

study, the software was used to describe and simulate

physical phenomena by using a mathematical model.

The software allows for the creation of applications

in a short amount of time without the need to have a

deep knowledge of programming languages. The

results have shown that the students’ experiences with

LabVIEW with associated hardware have increased

their interest and enthusiasm for the subject of

industrial automation.

2.1 Experiments using Blended-

Learning (BL)

Garrison and Kanuka’s (2004) article opens this

section because it offers a classical discussion on the

transformative potential of BL in the context of the

challenges of higher education. It presents the

potential of BL as a support for learning and it

discusses the need to rethink and restructure the

learning experience through its transformative

potential. Twelve years after it was written, its

premise “The academic benefit, evidence, and

competitive advantages are clear; only the will and

commitment remains. Blended learning can begin the

necessary process of redefining higher education

institutions as being learning centered and facilitating

a higher learning experience” (Garrison and Kanuka,

2004, p.104) confirms that BL is consistent with the

values of the traditional Higher Education institutions

and it has the proven potential to significantly

improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the

learning experiences.

Cortizo et al.’s (2010) study presents an

application of Mechanical Couplings (MC)

developed for Mechanical Engineering students, by

using the BL approach. This tool allows students to

view simulations of coupling assembly, to access

databases on the technical characteristics of the

different types of couplings, to calculate and chose

the correct coupling for a specific application of

power drive between machine shafts and to perform

self-evaluation examinations. Cortizo et al. (2010)

have performed a detailed experimental analysis in

order to quantify the existing learning differences

between the traditional mode and through the use of

BL. The results showcase that the use of the MC

application, together with BL has increased the level

of knowledge of the students in the experimental

group, who have achieved the highest average mark

in the test. The results of the experiment have shown

that the solution has reduced the level of difficulty

when compared to the traditional mode (Cortizo et al.,

2010, p.1018) and it has increased the level of

knowledge of all the students (Cortizo et al., 2010,

p.1018), thus it can be evaluated as a useful tool in the

pedagogical teaching of mechanical engineering.

Méndez and González (2010) highlight the

ample use of BL in the teaching of courses on process

control in Electrical Engineering curricula. The study

is carried out within this scenario and it includes a

reactive element and a fuzzy logic based controller.

This controller was designed to regulate each

student’s workload, according to his/her activity and

performance. The non-traditional methodology

Conceptual Mapping of the use of Non-Traditional Processes in Engineering’s Higher Education

309

combines the traditional face-to-face classes with the

on-line resources: Modular Object Oriented

Development Learning Environment (Moodle), a

Content Management System (CMS) and the

ControlWeb simulator (Méndez and González, 2010,

p.857). The pedagogical results of the use of this

methodology, based on the students’ feedback, attests

to its efficiency in terms of learning degree,

satisfaction, motivation and performance in the

course.

2.2 Experiments in Interactive Virtual

or Remote Laboratories

In engineering, undergraduate curricula, practical

activities demand laboratory experiments. Laboratory

experiments are fundamental towards the acquisition

of the necessary skills in the specific courses, and

these experiments may reinforce and deepen the

conceptual understanding of the content. Therefore,

next we will be presenting studies by Corter et al.

(2011), Fabregas et al. (2011) and Jara et al. (2011).

When assessing if these critical experiments can

be effectively performed remotely, or by

computational simulation, in an experimental study

carried out throughout many years, Corter et al.

(2011) assessed the learning results through processes

performed in three types of laboratories. The students

performed hands-on operations, remote-based

operations and operations based on practice

simulators. The results suggest that the work with real

data, instead of simulated data, may lead to higher

levels of motivation. They also suggest that learning

with computer mediated technologies can be

improved through a careful design and coordination

of individual and group activities (Corter et al., 2011,

p. 2054). In summary, Corter et al.’s (2011)

experiment has concluded that the new technologies

applied in remote and simulated laboratories may

effectively contribute towards the enrichment of the

understanding of the teaching of conceptual

engineering.

Fabregas et al.’s (2011) study describes, through

a teacher’s orientation, how to transform a local

laboratory in a remote interactive laboratory (RL) to

be used in the teaching of courses in automatic control

systems. A university in Spain has used two software

tools: Simulink for the control area and Easy Java

Simulations (EJS), an authoring tool that allows for

the creation of interactive applications in Java without

demanding special programming skills from the

students. The study highlights its intention of

providing a pedagogical approach to teachers, in

order to facilitate the creation of remote laboratories.

The reported results were pedagogically positive.

Mainly, no statistical measures were used to

specifically evaluate the performance and variance of

the variables in the results.

Jara et al. (2011) have confirmed the

improvements in the learning of robotics and

automatics when the teaching in the classroom is

supported by laboratories with adequate experiments.

In order to minimize the high costs of equipment there

are several low-cost and flexible solutions developed

in order to achieve a better cost-benefit relation and

in order to allow for an effective teaching. Virtual and

remote laboratories are part of this group of solutions.

The study presents an experimental teaching based on

a BL method, by using a virtual and remote robotic

laboratory, the RobUAlab and another empirical

assessment of its efficiency without BL. The

RobUAlab offers a virtual environment which allows

the student to perform experiments with a simulated

robot arm, with the capacity to interact in its

simulated workspace and, with tele-operational

functions to execute the programmed task in a real

robot, identical to the simulated one (Jara et al., 2011,

p.2453). The students experiment in a set of exercises

in the face-to-face classes and, later, they will access

the experimentation environment to finish them

remotely in the RobUAlab. The results from the

evaluation of the proposed educational methodology

attest to its efficiency in terms of the students learning

and performance outcomes.

2.3 Experiments in Electrical and

Computer Engineering

We begin this section by highlighting the

aforementioned studies that were conducted

throughout the undergraduate curricula of electrical

and computer engineering: the study by Corter et al.

(2011), on the different types of remote and simulated

laboratories; Méndez and González (2010) that

highlights the use of BL on the topics of process

control. In the Computer Engineering curriculum,

Sullivan (2008) performed an experiment with 26

students by using observational and experimental

methods to measure the thinking skills and the

science processing skills in solving problems in the

robotics course. The pre/post test results revealed an

increased understanding of the systems.

A recent study by He et al. (2015) has researched

the impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on the

electrical engineering students conceptual

understanding and compared it with the traditional

face-to-face classes. The experiment was performed

on 55 students. The participants completed pre/post

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tests on the topics covered in the study and a learning

assessment research. The results suggest that the

participants with a PBL learning got double the gain

than that of a traditional learning.

Fernandez et al.’s (2011) experiment is

highlighted in a pilot case-study in an introductory

programming course in the undergraduate degree on

Computer Engineering, based on an active learning

strategy. The initiative tests the effect of the

application of the principles of the Bologna

Declaration in adopting teaching methods with

student-centred methodologies. It is understood that

the use of student-centred instructional strategies,

such as active learning, is an excellent initiative with

positive results. Nevertheless, the negative effects of

these kinds of actions will be discussed in the

following section.

2.4 Obstacles and Challenges

In the Electrical and Computer Engineering curricula,

the combination of methodologies and hybrid tools

have been discussed and have presented favourable

results, mainly, from the students’ motivational and

performance point of view.

The use of the term “hybrid” has been typically

associated to the combination of the on-line and face-

to-face instruction components (Garrison and

Kanuka, 2004). In Ward (2004) and Lindsay’s (2004)

rhetoric, in studies with homonymous titles, they refer

to this term as “the best of both worlds”. On the other

hand, in a study performed on the discipline “Society

and Technology”, based on time, Verkroost et al.

(2008) note that there aren’t clear and comparative

proportions between on-line time and face-to-face

time that allow for the definition of the BL, and its

implementation might undergo several variations.

Therefore, Verkroost et al. (2008) discuss the need for

an effective balance in the use of BL in learning.

Fernandez et al. (2011) by performing an

experiment in the introduction to programming

courses in the Computer Engineering curriculum,

discuss the difficulties that both the professors and the

students have in adapting to the teaching methods set

in the Bologna Declaration. The results have shown

good results for the students. However, it highlights

that the teaching system in the engineering curricula

is not fully ready to support the new instructional

process and it may still undergo several adaptations.

In an experimental study by Bowen et al. (2013),

performed with 605 students from the same course in

six public universities, random trials were used. The

results have shown that a hybrid instruction hasn’t

presented a statistically significant advantage when

compared to a traditional instruction. Actually,

students in the hybrid format have reported that they

have spent 0.3 hours more per week, than students in

the traditional format. This difference means that the

students in the hybrid format would spend about 18

percent more of his time studying than the students in

the traditional format. The next section presents a

conceptual mapping of the courses that used support

tools in the traditional teaching of engineering

curricula.

3 CONCEPTUAL MAPPING

A hierarchy diagram was chosen to visually

represent, in statements, the significant links between

the discovered concepts. This is a conceptual map

widely used in knowledge management studies and it

can be understood as a two-dimensional diagram,

whose main function is to display concepts

hierarchically organized and the relations between

them. The connection lines represent the relationship

between concepts (Moon et al., 2011). The computer

software used to create the conceptual map was Cmap

Tools Knowledge Modelling Kit.

This is a methodological tool which uses

assimilation theory to determine what the student

knows or what he/she discovered during the literature

review (Cañas et al., 2000, p. 1-2).

A recent study by Hagemans et al. (2013)

describes the experience of students who visualized

the conceptual map and overcame students who had

only conducted a descriptive analysis. Results show

that using conceptual maps helps to improve learning

and to discover connections between concepts (Wake

and Dysthe, 2007; Arnab et al., 2015; Rawson et al.,

2015; Dias et al., 2015; Alonso et al., 2009).

Based on the findings discussed throughout this

paper, a conceptual mapping of the non-traditional

teaching processes applied to the teaching of

engineering was created (Figure 1). Based on the

mapping it is possible to identify the courses in which

there were reports on the experiments and the main

methodologies used. The systematic vision offered by

figure 1 makes the analysis process of the scenario of

new teaching processes in engineering more dynamic.

The eight main categories were mapped because

they present positive results through the use of non-

traditional teaching processes. It should be noted that

the six main non-traditional teaching processes used

were associated to the courses. The limited amount of

courses found in the literature when compared to the

total volume of courses in a curriculum programme

should also be noted.

Conceptual Mapping of the use of Non-Traditional Processes in Engineering’s Higher Education

311

Figure 1: Mapping of the non-traditional teaching processes applied in engineering.

4 CONCLUSIONS

By analysing these reports on experiments applied in

engineering, none of them mentioned that they were

formally institutionalized processes. Therefore, we

can conclude that the outcomes from the presented

experiments result from individual initiatives by the

teachers of the courses, and not from teaching

patterns discussed and institutionalized in

engineering curricula pedagogical projects.

The conceptual mapping of the courses and

teaching processes, has allowed us to present the

findings in a systematic manner. Since the analysed

literature has shown a tendency for individual

initiatives reported in Electrical and Computer

Engineering, we have chosen to nominally cite each

unit reported in the map. Nevertheless, it is evident to

the reader, that the systematic vision of the mapping

leads to a diagnosis in which there would be a

possibility of a grouping of the courses by affinity

and/or similarity of contents. For example, it should

be noted that the two first courses shown in figure 1,

Computer Programming and JAVA Programming,

are both in the computer programming area, and there

are two others that could be grouped since they

belong to one great area: automation and control. In a

way, these findings allow us to understand that the

effective number of courses that are resorting to new

technologies or new processes, based on what has

been published internationally, has been a limiting

factor in engineering.

The challenges to engineering curricula for the

consolidation of these actions are still big, since it is

clear that there are difficulties that transcend the

classroom environment: the teachers need proper

training and they need to “buy the idea” of changing

from teaching-centred methods to student-centred

methodologies; the courses and institutions need to

institutionalize these methodologies in their

pedagogical projects and bear the burden of its

adaptation and implementation; it is also clear that

most engineering curricula have laboratory

limitations due to their high implementation and

maintenance costs. Therefore, initiatives in the use of

virtual or remote laboratories tend to emerge as a

means of meeting the students’ needs with their

limited resources and, therefore, they are not created

with the sole purpose of improving teaching

processes.

Adapting engineering curricula to the teaching

methods set in the Bologna Declaration, places the

responsibility of this adaptation on both the courses

and the Higher Education Institutions. The adoption

of student-centred active learning methodologies is

still challenging for the traditional teachers and the

process of creating a new culture is always lengthy

and it needs monitoring. It is up to the engineering

curricula (and courses) to be prepared to support the

new instructional context and the various adaptations

that arise from it.

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Regarding the limitations of this paper, we could

not detail the multiple associations and combinations

used in the hybrid teaching methodologies described

here. Nevertheless, this analysis could uncover

functional synergies that may lead to better practices

to be implemented in engineering and which can

become potential topics for future research.

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