Exploring Engineering Students’ Perception on the Effectiveness of Community Projects

Abstract

In this endemic phase, it is more common to have more online classes as students and advisors worldwide are more prone to choose several technology aids to teach and learn at Higher Education institutions. In this study, Entrepreneurially Minded Learning through university-community engagement in Engineering education worked as the base for students to prepare in an English course for completing their community projects. This study investigated the perceptions of 24 second-semester foundation students in applying engineering knowledge. Consultation with their advisors about their plans is crucial for students to execute their projects throughout the 12 weeks of the semester. In this study, a working methodology on community project execution involved Phase 1 (Planning and Design), Phase 2 (Analysis, Monitoring, and Delivery), and Phase 3 (Evaluation). Semi-structured interview sessions elicit responses from the students. The benefits of community projects are an increased sense of social responsibility, awareness of future avenues, more recent platforms fully utilised for documentation purposes, and increased engagement. The challenges include the limitation to conducting community projects online, lack of skills in working in online groups, and low community engagement. Students' engagement with the community via community projects will assist them in applying their academic knowledge to solving challenges from the actual world. Students needed support from the advisors to complete the task assigned successfully to nurture their skills to apply knowledge gained from their community projects at their future workplaces.

Keywords: Entrepreneurially Minded Learning; university-community engagement; community projects; engineering students; semi-structured interview

References

Amaya-Gómez, R., Dumar, V., Sánchez-Silva, M., Romero, R., Arbeláez, C., & Muñoz, F. (2019). Process safety part of the engineering education DNA. Education for Chemical Engineers, 27, 43–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2019.02.001

Armstrong, A. G., Mattson, C. A., & Lewis, R. S. (2021). Factors leading to sustainable social impact on the affected communities of engineering service learning projects. Development Engineering, 6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deveng.2021.100066

Awang-Hashim, R., Kaur, A., & Valdez, N. P. (2019). Strategizing inclusivity in teaching diverse learners in higher education. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 16(1), 105–128. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2019.16.1.5

Bennett, D., Sunderland, N., Bartleet, B. L., & Power, A. (2016). Implementing and sustaining higher education service-learning initiatives: Revisiting young et al.’s tactics. Journal of Experiential Education, 39(2), 145-163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825916629987

Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1999). Reflection in service learning: Making meaning of experience. Educational HORIZONS, 77(4), 179-185.

Brookfield, S. (2013). Powerful techniques for teaching adults. Wiley Imprint.

Caniglia, J., Borgerding, L., & Meadows, M. (2017). Strengthening oral language skills in mathematics for English language learners through Desmos® technology. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 12(5), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i05.6947

Caruso, C. (2014). Understanding Y. John Wiley & Sons.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.

Department of Higher Education Malaysia. (2019) Service learning Malaysia: University for society. Ministry of Education Malaysia.

Felten, P. (2016). On the threshold with students. In R. Land, J.H.F. Meyer, M.T. Flanagan (Eds). Threshold concepts in practice. Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-512-8_1

Jamieson, M. V., & Shaw, J. M. (2019). Teaching engineering for a changing landscape. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 97(11), 2870–2875. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.23626

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Educational Technology, 38(5), 20-23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44428478

Krueger R. A. & Casey M. A. (2009). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA.

LaPorte, D., Kim, E., & Smith, J. (2017). Engineering to help communities or students’ development? An ethnographic case study of an engineering-to-help student organization. International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering, Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship, 12(2), 103–117. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijsle.v12i2.6593

Mackenzie, S. L. C., Hinchey, D. M., & Cornforth, K. P. (2019). A public health service-learning capstone: Ideal for students, academia and community. Frontiers in Public Health, 7(10). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00010

Magaldi, D., & Berler, M. (2020). Semi-structured interviews. In V-Zeigler-Hill & T.K. Shackelford (Eds.). Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (pp. 1-6) Springer. https://doi/org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3-857

Mendes, T. de M. C., Ferreira, T. L. dos S., Carvalho, Y. de M., Silva, L. G. da, Souza, C. M. C. de L., & Andrade, F. B. de. (2020). Contributions and challenges of teaching-service-community integration. Texto & Contexto - Enfermagem, 29. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-265x-tce-2018-0333

Newman, J. L., Dantzler, J., & Coleman, A. N. (2015). Science in action: How middle school students are changing their world through STEM service-learning projects. Theory into Practice, 54(1), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2015.977661

Nishimura, M., & Yokote, H. (2020). Service-learning as a means to understand socio-economic privilege, inequality, and social mobility. In C. Sanger, & N. Gleason. (Eds.). Diversity and inclusion in global higher education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Pease, J.F., Dean, J.H., & Van Bossuyt, D.L., (2014, November). Lean design for the developing world: Making design decisions through the use of validated learning techniques in the developing world. Proceedings International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Canada, 11. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2014-36612

Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the Covid-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital Science and Education, 2, 923-945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y

Ruth, A., Hackman, J., Brewis, A., Spence, T., Luchmun, R., Velez, J., & Ganesh, T. (2019). Engineering projects in community service (EPICS) in high schools: Subtle but potentially important student gains detected from human-centered curriculum design. Education Sciences: Towards Excellence in Engineering Education, 9, 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010035

Sunder, S. (2018). Engineering design and society. In E. Subrahmanian, & T. Tsao. (Eds). Engineering a better future. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91134-2_7

The KEEN framework. (2019). Engineering unleashed. https://engineeringunleashed.com/framework

Wang, J., & Patten, E., & Shelby, R., & Ansari, F., & Pruitt, L. A. (2012, June). Leadership and service learning improves confidence in engineering skills in women. Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--21635

Wong, K. K. (2022). Covid-19 pandemic: Our relationships, environment, and health. UCL Open Environment, 4. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000045

Yusof, N., Tengku Ariffin, T. F., Awang Hashim, R., Nordin, H., & Kaur, A. (2020). Challenges of service-learning practices: Student and faculty perspectives from Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 17(2), 279–309. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2020.17.2.10