Title :
The nuts and bolts of cooperative learning in engineering
Author :
Mourtos, Nikos J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Aerosp. Eng., San Jose State Univ., CA
Abstract :
A great number of engineering students work alone. But in industry, teamwork is required most of the time. Incorporating cooperative learning (CL) into an engineering program gives students an opportunity to practice problem solving and communication skills in a “simulated” professional environment. The paper briefly discusses the motivation behind using CL in engineering courses. Then, the essential elements to make CL successful in the classroom are examined and examples of how these elements have been incorporated into engineering courses taught by the author are given. Problems that have been encountered along with possible fixes are also mentioned
Keywords :
engineering education; classroom; communication skills; cooperative learning; education; engineering courses; engineering students; problem solving; professional environment; teamwork; Aerospace materials; Aircraft; Airplanes; Electric breakdown; Fasteners; Process design;
Conference_Titel :
Frontiers in Education Conference, 1994. Twenty-fourth Annual Conference. Proceedings
Conference_Location :
San Jose, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-2413-7
DOI :
10.1109/FIE.1994.580621