By: Dr. Zaki Yamani Bin Zakaria, Centre for Engineering Education (CEE)
Engineering education researchers around the world have virtually gathered in a Engineering Education Research (EER) Big Meet Up on the 14th of May 2020. The meeting which was the first of its kind, conducted via Zoom, hosted by University College London (UCL), and co-hosted by Purdue University, Aalborg University, University of Western Australia, Virginia Tech, University College London and our own University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
The event was a staggered 3 sessions, uniting more than a total of 350 participants from 6 continents. Each session had two to three keynote presentations from EER experts as well as breakout sessions consisting of networking and specific topics such as Evaluation and Assessment, Reviewing Journal Articles, Culturally Responsive Teaching, etc. Detailed topics of the keynotes can be seen at the end of this article.
In the first session, which started at 7am (Malaysia time), UTM Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) Research Fellow, Dr. Nor Farawahidah Abdul Rahman, gave her keynote presentation titled “Making Sense of Academic Change for Engineering Educators’ Transition Towards Student-Centred Learning”. Her interesting keynote speech captured the attention of participants and triggered exciting live scholarly discussion after her presentation. Dr. Farawahidah’s presentation can be viewed on CEE Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WouRUjJfw5U&t=3s).
The CEE’s participation as the co-host and Dr. Farawahidah’s keynote has successfully put UTM in the spotlight as one of the main global player in EER, at par with other partner universities co-hosting the event.
The keynotes for the event are:
Session 1:
Making Sense of Academic Change for Engineering Educators’ Transition Towards Student-Centred Learning.
-Dr Nor Farahwahidah Abdul Rahman, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Student Experience and Social Supports in Online Engineering Courses During COVID-19.
-Dr Kerrie Douglas, Purdue University
Session 2:
Examining Engineering Ethics Education: Towards a Holistic Model of Engineering Education.
-Diana Adela Martin, TU Dublin
What’s the Problem with Engineering Education?
-Prof James Trevelyan, University of Western Australia
SESSION 3:
To Address’, or ‘Not to Address’ the SDGs in Engineering Education? That’s No Longer the Question!
-Dr Aida Guerra, Aalborg University
Creative Ways of Knowing Engineering
–Dr. Diana Bairaktarova, Virginia Tech
What is ‘Grit’ and How Has it Been Studied in Engineering Education? Findings of a Systematic Literature Review.
-Dr Inês Direito, University College London