Year
2017
Institution
University of Sheffield
The team is made up of nine people, nine different sets of knowledge and skills, brought together to design, implement and sustain the Global Engineering Challenge (GEC). Led by Trish Murray who is a Faculty (of Engineering) University Teacher specialising in teaching and learning.
Michael Wright assists Trish and together they support and deliver numerous teaching initiatives across the Faculty. Stephen Beck was the Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (FDLT) when GEC was devised; that role is now filled by Rachel Horn and Stephen is Head of Multidisciplinary Education. Rob Howell is Assistant FDLT. Rachel also teaches Civil Engineering, while Rob and Stephen teach Mechanical Engineering. Sue Armstrong heads up the new employability hub, as well as leading on recruitment and admissions. Moving outside of the Faculty, Emma Packham works in the central alumni team and Sam Farley is a post-doctoral researcher working on the Behaviours in Teams (BIT) project and is based in the psychology department. Finally, and based in London, Dan Craddock is Education Projects Manager with Engineers Without Borders.
Impact of work
Over six years, 6,800 first year students have participated in the GEC, 117 PhD students have facilitated and over 100 alumni have contributed their time. Surveys indicate 60% of students used GEC in job applications while NSS comments often cite GEC as most valuable. As a direct result of showcasing a successful model, students in all faculties at the University of Sheffield now engage in analogous multi-disciplinary, employability focused activity events, under the Achieve More umbrella. Team members have also contributed to HE events on large scale curriculum innovation, particularly with regard to universities wanting to implement the EWB Challenge.
Plans for the future
In the future, the team, including several facilitators, will review the stakeholder feedback and collaboratively update and modify the materials. Better integration of projects and the design process is needed. Most exciting however, is the progress of the BIT research project, the initial results of which will be fed into the 2018 GEC, ensuring more students become better team workers and hence more employable.
Michael Wright assists Trish and together they support and deliver numerous teaching initiatives across the Faculty. Stephen Beck was the Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (FDLT) when GEC was devised; that role is now filled by Rachel Horn and Stephen is Head of Multidisciplinary Education. Rob Howell is Assistant FDLT. Rachel also teaches Civil Engineering, while Rob and Stephen teach Mechanical Engineering. Sue Armstrong heads up the new employability hub, as well as leading on recruitment and admissions. Moving outside of the Faculty, Emma Packham works in the central alumni team and Sam Farley is a post-doctoral researcher working on the Behaviours in Teams (BIT) project and is based in the psychology department. Finally, and based in London, Dan Craddock is Education Projects Manager with Engineers Without Borders.
Impact of work
Over six years, 6,800 first year students have participated in the GEC, 117 PhD students have facilitated and over 100 alumni have contributed their time. Surveys indicate 60% of students used GEC in job applications while NSS comments often cite GEC as most valuable. As a direct result of showcasing a successful model, students in all faculties at the University of Sheffield now engage in analogous multi-disciplinary, employability focused activity events, under the Achieve More umbrella. Team members have also contributed to HE events on large scale curriculum innovation, particularly with regard to universities wanting to implement the EWB Challenge.
Plans for the future
In the future, the team, including several facilitators, will review the stakeholder feedback and collaboratively update and modify the materials. Better integration of projects and the design process is needed. Most exciting however, is the progress of the BIT research project, the initial results of which will be fed into the 2018 GEC, ensuring more students become better team workers and hence more employable.