A student investigating a potentially unsafe stairwell.

It is crucial that students know engineering codes of practice and how to apply them in the real work environment.

Delivery of content in a classroom setting is often dry and uninteresting to the student. We are faced with the challenge of how to transform the student’s learning experience from humdrum to interesting and meaningful.

In this paper, the author shares his experience in encouraging students to work on the topic “Refurbishment for Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings” through the use of a project-based method.

The paper was presented at a recent CDIO conference in Singapore.

Read the complete paper:

» Facilitating Independent Learning using Project-Based Method
[PDF, 9 pages, 1.12 MB. Copyright © CDIO™. Used with permission.]

Author

Mok Thai Koon is a lecturer in the School of Engineering,
Ngee Ann Polytechnic

What is CDIO?

CDIO stands for Conceiving — Designing — Implementing — Operating.

According to CDIO.org,

The CDIO™ INITIATIVE is an innovative educational framework for producing the next generation of engineers. The framework provides students with an education stressing engineering fundamentals set in the context of Conceiving — Designing — Implementing — Operating real-world systems and products. Throughout the world, CDIO Initiative collaborators have adopted CDIO as the framework of their curricular planning and outcome-based assessment.

The 5th International CDIO Conference was held at Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore, June 7 – 10, 2009.