At present the University of Limerick has the sole responsibility for educating engineering and technology teachers for the Irish second level system. The course takes the form of a four-year concurrent model degree program that integrates educational theory and engineering. The program underwent a comprehensive review in 2005, providing the opportunity to build elements of the CDIO philosophy into it.
The CDIO framework holds many standards and values that are not only applicable to engineering education but also to an initial teacher education course of study. The key aspects of CDIO such as concrete learning experiences, motivation, collaborative learning and active learning are all attributes that are seen as essential to effective education.
Engaging potential teachers in a constructivist education approach has the capacity to reform engineering pedagogy and support more applicable learning activities. This paper discusses the effects of a project-based approach on the cognitive and psychomotor development of a cohort of 136 first-year students on the revised program. The research also included a qualitative analysis of affective learning and examined intrinsic motivation to engage in ‘learning for learning’s sake’.
Both empirical evidence and statistical analysis were employed in analysing the results. Qualitative as well as quantitative analyses were carried out on the attitudes and learning of the students.
It was noted that some students experienced difficulties associated with the unfamiliar demands of performing in a dynamic, co-operative, higher cognitive learning environment. Student attitude and preferred learning style were identified as important factors relating to the effectiveness of their learning
On the whole, it was found that the CDIO philosophy is generally suited for the education of engineering and technology teachers.
2nd International CDIO Conference, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden, 13 – 14 June 2006