Workshop teaching: an experiment in engineering education

Conventional lectures have been replaced by a scheme of structured peer group discussions in teaching part of an honours degree course in electrical engineering. Some of the benefits of small group tutorials can be achieved without the associated heavy demands on staff time. Active involvement in the learning process encourages the student to take greater responsibility for his own learning and helps to develop communication skills. Student response to the scheme has been evaluated by detailed questionnaires to allow comparison with a conventionally taught course. The experiment has been well received by the students and has had no adverse effects on their examination performances. The method is particularly appropriate for teaching groups that are mixed with regard to prior knowledge of the subject