Engineers need to match complex theoretical and practical knowledge with good team skills and communications skills to thrive in their fields of work. Two members of staff from the Faculty of Engineering have been experimenting with new technologies to enhance these and other skills and make the learning experience more engaging for their students.
The game itself is an irrelevance. It's all about the problem you are posing them. The purpose is about teaching students to think in groups, make decisions in groups, and communicate as a group.
Dr John Robinson from the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering has been using interactive whiteboards in his seminar work to enhance interaction from undergraduates with difficult concepts faced during experiments.
Dr Ed Lester from the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering talks about several visual learning initiatives he has undertaken including the famous 'Budgie' (left) - a team-building 3D environment based on minesweeper games - and an interactive chemical engineering plant.
Dearing Building, University of NottinghamJubilee Campus, Wollaton Road Nottingham, NG8 1BB
telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4424 fax: +44 (0) 115 846 8401 email: vll@nottingham.ac.uk