Exploring the reasons given by South African students for studying engineering.

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz; published in the International Journal of Engineering Education, 1998

This paper reports on an investigation into the reasons students give for studying engineering. The data was obtained from free-form responses of a sample of first year engineering students at three tertiary institutions in the Western Cape. It was found that male and female, black and white South African students enter the engineering profession for different sets of reasons. The choice of engineering discipline also appears to be substantially different for black and white students. One category of reasons, Social Identity, not previously reflected in studies of this kind, clearly indicates that career choice is influenced by the socio-political environment. These results have implications for initiatives designed to attract previously underrepresented groups into
engineering careers.

An investigation into chemical engineering students' understanding of moles and the use of concrete activities to promote conceptual change.

Co-authored with Duncan Fraser; published in International Journal of Science Education, 1999

First year chemical engineering students’ understanding of the mole was investigated and an intervention designed to improve their grasp of this fundamental concept. Students’ ideas were initially elicited in a series of group interviews. These findings were checked against a multiple-choice test which was developed and administered to the whole class. The intervention comprised a series of activities with a focus on `tangible objects’ which could provide students with a visual/experiential point of reference. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments indicated a strong positive effect of the intervention. This approach now forms part of the first year curriculum at the University of Cape Town. Although these students’ problems were focused on the concepts of gmol, lbmol, and kmol, the misconceptions identified were found to link strongly to those previously reported in the literature for gmol, which suggests a broad applicability of the results obtained.

Activities to enhance the understanding of the mole and its use in chemical engineering.

Co-authored with Duncan Fraser, published in Chemical Engineering Education, 1999

Why NOT engineering? The process of career choice amongst South African female students.

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz and Matseliso Tshabalala; published in International Journal of Engineering Education, 2000

This paper seeks to inform current initiatives to attract more women to study engineering.  The pool of suitably qualified students at UCT was investigated, and from this group an interviewee sample was drawn of top achievers in school mathematics and physical science who had elected to study courses other than engineering.  The interviews yielded information on the process of career choice amongst these students.  Findings concerned the universality of medicine as an initial choice, and the current attraction towards commerce.  Engineering was only considered by students who ultimately chose B.Sc. degrees, and these were the only students who had a positive experience of school physical science.

Students' metacognitive development in an innovative second year chemical engineering course.

Co-authored with Dick Gunstone and Alison Lewis; published in Research in Science Education in 2001

In this paper the metacognitive development of students in a second year chemical engineering course (which had such development as an explicit aim) is investigated. Journal data from the class were analysed and a framework comprising our different areas of metacognitive development was arrived at. Within each area, key shifts in approach were identified. The first area (category 1) concerns students’ knowledge and awareness (conceptions) of learning, and the important development in this area was from a focus on solving problems towards a stronger valuing of conceptual understanding. The second and third areas deal with aspects of control. The second area (category 2a) is that of organising one’s learning, and here students were seen to develop from an uninformed focus on discipline and time management, towards a more metacognitively informed use of resources. The third area (category 2b) is monitoring of learning, with the key shift here from naïvely accepting outside judgements, to using them strategically for purposes of self-assessment. The fourth area (category 3) involves students’ sense of a purpose for learning beyond the subject. Important developments here were both in terms of a career goal, as well as personal growth. Data from interviews with five students largely confirmed the validity of these categories, as well as illustrating that different students showed development in different areas.

The challenges of promoting and assessing for conceptual understanding in chemical engineering.

Co-authored with Duncan Fraser; published in Chemical Engineering Education in 2002

Metacognitive development as a shift in approach to learning: an in-depth study.

Co-authored with Dick Gunstone; published in Studies in Higher Education in 2002

In this article it is argued that metacognitive development can be viewed as a shift in the approach to learning used by a student. This theoretical position is used to investigate the metacognitive development of a group of students on a course which was aiming to develop deep approaches and conceptual understanding. Considerable diversity was found in the approaches used by students, and also in the degrees to which those not initially using a conceptual (deep) approach were able to develop this approach. In those students initially using an algorithmic approach, one was able to make this transition fairly early on in the course, while others changed to different degrees at later stages. The students using information-based  pproaches did not display any appreciable metacognitive development during this course. The study confirms that the promotion of metacognitive development (i.e. the use of deep approaches) is not easily achieved, and suggests certain aspects of the course environment that are either supportive of or detrimental to metacognitive development.

Women in Engineering: Beyond the Stats

This is the editorial for a special issue of the International Journal of Engineering Education which I co-edited with Jeff Jawitz; published in 2002

Educational paradigms and engineering educators in South Africa.

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz; published in Higher Education in 2003

In this response to Waghid (2000) the authors question the validity of conclusions reached from an examination of the proceedings of an engineering education conference in SouthAfrica. The authors argue that these papers do not represent the views of engineering educators in general. Furthermore they query the way in which Waghid uses reference to teaching methods in these papers to deduce the theoretical perspective of the presenters. It is suggested that the views of the educators involved in this conference and others like it in South Africa, can be characterised as falling within a broad interpretivist (constructivist) perspective. Finally, the authors agree that an engagement with a critical perspective would contribute significantly to the transformation of the culture of engineering education in South Africa.

Approaches to learning in a second year chemical engineering course.

Co-authored with Dick Gunstone; published in International Journal of Science Education, 2003

Students’ approaches to learning in a second year chemical engineering course were investigated by means of a qualitative research project which utilized interview and journal data from a group of 11 students. Three approaches to learning were identified in this context: a conceptual approach (similar to the classic deep approach), in which the intention is to understand concepts; an algorithmic approach, in which the focus is on calculation methods; and an information-based approach, in which the intention is to gather and remember information. The latter two approaches can both be considered forms of the surface approach in that the fundamental intention does not involve understanding. This paper presents an analysis of students’ responses to a series of conceptual questions in which the use of particular approaches is identified. The research presented in this paper supports the notion that particular forms of deep and surface approaches might be found in specific contexts.

Going deeper than deep and surface approaches: A study of students' perceptions of time.

Co-authored with Dick Gunstone; published in Teaching in Higher Education in 2003

This paper supports Paul Ramsden’s call to look beyond students’ approaches to learning towards their perceptions of the educational context. However, we argue that Ramsden’s suggestions for an analysis of student perceptions are somewhat limited, and present an method which is more qualitatively and linguistically grounded. In the present study, this method was used to analyse students’ perceptions of time in a second year chemical engineering course. Regardless of approach to learning, all students displayed two distinct ways of talking about time, one reflecting a perception of ‘being in control’ and the other a perception of ‘being out of control’ of time. Where students using a conceptual approach differed to the others was in the way they used perceptions of ‘being in control’, specifically in the way they chose to allocate time. For those not using a conceptual approach, the highly time-pressured environment seemed to militate against the adoption of a conceptual approach.

Factors influencing learners' choice of Mechanical Engineering as a career.

Co-authored with Brandon Reed; published in African Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in 2003.

This study examines the factors that influenced first-year students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town to follow a career in mechanical
engineering. The data were collected over two years from first year students during the first week of each academic year as part of a questionnaire that asked various questions relating to the students’ choice of what and where to study. A qualitative analysis of the responses resulted in ten categories of influence being developed: "exposure to engineering career", "school subjects", "socialisers", "if not, then", "specific career plan", "career rewards", "flexibility and challenge", "physical activities", "intellectual activities" and "social identity". These were subsequently grouped into four macro-categories: "societal influences", "personal career vision", "product related activities" and "social/civic  responsibility". A quantitative analysis showed significant differences between the responses on the basis of race and gender. The results of this study show that different factors influence particular groups of learners during their career choice process. Focused interventions around these factors can serve to encourage more learners to follow a career in mechanical engineering.

A critical look at innovative practice from the student perspective.

This is a chapter in the book "Effective Learning and Teaching in Engineering" edited by C. Baillie & I. Moore, published by RoutledgeFalmer in 2004

For the novice teacher looking for advice, or the experienced teacher hoping to do something new, there is certainly no shortage of suggestions on how to improve one’s teaching practice, or novel ideas to apply in one’s course.  There are more conferences, books, societies, magazines, and articles on the web than even a team of people could hope to ingest in a lifetime.  Indeed this very book contains an excellent collection of current and useful exemplars of innovative practice.  What is possibly less written about is the very common experience of finding out that things don’t work out quite as one has planned.  Although there are often very positive initial student responses to a new and different thing happening in their course, with time it might often become apparent that the dramatic planned for change in student learning is somewhat elusive, at least for part of the class.  The present chapter explores student responses to a second year chemical engineering course where the lecturer had adopted a range of innovative teaching practices with the intention of promoting better learning.  In particular, a closer look is taken at instances where student learning outcomes did not match the lecturer’s intentions, with the hope that this might provide useful insights for engineering educators who are themselves embarking upon change in their classroom practice.

Approaches to Learning: A Critical Examination of Inventory Responses from Third Year Chemical Engineering Students

Published in the proceedings of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics and Science Education 2004 Conference, pp. 102-110

This paper reports on an investigation which analysed the responses of 32 third year chemical engineering students to an approach to learning inventory.  The analysis showed a striking homogeneity in response with generally high scores on scales indicating a deep approach and metacognitive control.  This was however at odds with the largely poor learning outcomes displayed by these students in the course under scrutiny in the project.  Furthermore, an analysis of students who gave responses at odds with the majority of the class showed that these were not the failing students, as might be predicted by student learning theory, but that these were frequently quite successful students.  A final analysis of interview data from one of these ‘outlier’ students showed how in her case at least she was certainly not a surface learner but that language difficulties might be the reason for her particular response.  This study raises questions about the validity and utility of student learning inventories, but also raises questions about the general theoretical constructs that underpin these research approaches.

Using situated cognition theory in researching student experience of the workplace.

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz, published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching in 2004

It has been proposed that situated cognition theory, in which learning is conceptualized as induction into a community of practice through the activity of legitimate peripheral participation, offers an appropriate theoretical perspective for examining issues of gender in science education. This study critically engages with this proposal by means of an  investigation of the vacation work experiences of a group of South African final-year civil and chemical engineering students. Issues of race and gender appeared prominently and spontaneously in focus group and interview data. An analysis of these data using the situated cognition framework allowed for a deeper understanding of these issues and their impact on
learning. It was found that access to legitimate peripheral participation was critical for good learning outcomes (associated with positive identity formation) while denial of this access (as sometimes experienced by black and female students) appeared to be related to less effective learning and poor feelings of self-worth.

Between deep and surface: Procedural approaches to learning in engineering education contexts.

Co-authored with Delia Marshall, published in Studies in Higher Education in 2004

This article describes two approaches to learning (in addition to the classic deep and surface approaches) identifed in studies of student learning in engineering contexts. The first study identified the `procedural deep' approach in a group of engineering foundation programme students in the UK, while the second study identified the `procedural surface' (originally termed algorithmic) approach amongst second-year South African chemical engineering students. Both these approaches involve a strategy of focusing on problem solving, but they have respectively deep and surface intentions (the former involving the intention to understand and the latter not). From
both studies it was clear that the approaches students use are adaptations to particular course contexts, and it is suggested that a course focus towards a procedural deep objective might preclude the adoption of a deep approach.

An investigation of chemical engineering students' understanding of phase change.

Co-authored with Hemant Gopal, Jacques Kleinsmidt and Paul Musonge; published in the International Journal of Science Education in 2004

Based on a purposive sample of 15 second-year chemical engineering students, this study investigates students’ conceptions of evaporation, condensation and vapour pressure. During individual interviews the students were questioned on three tasks that had been designed around these topics. Qualitative analysis of student responses showed a range of conceptions in each area, including some misconceptions. A key underlying misconception was the belief that evaporation and condensation require a temperature gradient in order to take place. Many students changed their initial (incorrect) answers when presented with further physical evidence as the interview progressed. The study points to the importance not only of practical work, but of associated conceptual discussions that allow students to reflect on and refine their conceptions.

Smile nicely, make the tea - but will I ever be taken seriously? Engineering students' experiences of vacation work.

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz and Nazeema Ahmed; published in the International Journal of Engineering Education in 2005

This study investigates the vacation work experiences of a group of final year civil and chemical engineering students at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.  Situated cognition theory, with its conceptualization of learning as induction into a community of practice through the activity of legitimate peripheral participation, was used to analyze focus group and interview data.  Issues of race and gender appeared prominently and spontaneously in students’ accounts of their experiences.  Access to legitimate peripheral participation was associated with positive identity formation in the role of engineer-to-be, while denial of this access severely affected learning and feelings of self-worth.

'Approaches to learning' research in higher education: A response to Haggis.

Co-authored with Delia Marshall; published in the British Educational Research Journal in 2005

Engineering graduates' perceptions of how well they were prepared for work in industry.

Co-authored with Rosanna Martin, Bryan Maytham and Duncan Fraser; published in the European Journal of Engineering Education in 2005

This study investigated howwell chemical engineering graduates perceive they were prepared for work
in industry.To this end, sixteen interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of recent University of Cape Town chemical engineering graduates. Qualitative analysis of the interview data showed that graduates felt that overall, they were well prepared for work in industry. They perceived their strengths to be their technical background, problem solving skills, formal communication skills and life-long learning abilities. The following areas of weakness were also identified: work in multi-disciplinary teams, leadership, practical preparation and management skills. The use of interviews for data collection is a significant departure from the methods used in other studies in this area. The rich and contextual data gathered from the interviews justified this choice and contributed to the identification of issues not previously mentioned in the literature. For example, an unexpected finding of the study was that there was a clear link between the technical and nontechnical attributes of engineering graduates, a result which has clear implications for the design of undergraduate engineering programmes.

Learning through simulation: Student engagement.

Co-authored with Samantha Streicher, Kate West, Cedric Linder and Duncan Fraser; published in Chemical Engineering Education in 2005

Issues facing engineering education in South Africa

Published in the Proceedings of the African Regional Conference on Engineering Education, Pretoria, 2006, pp. 13-30

Just over ten years into the new democracy, there are a host of challenges facing engineering education in South Africa.  On the demand side, the situation is very positive.  The government has recently issued increased calls for skilled graduates, in particular in engineering, in order to meet the infrastructural needs of the country.  The economy is booming, and the demand from industry for skilled professionals across all demographic groups is high.  Some of the greatest challenges reside in the supply side of the equation.  There is a very small pool of school leavers that are suitably qualified to enter engineering programmes, and of these only a small subset are choosing to study engineering.  When this group enter higher education institutions, many of them experience real difficulty due at least in part to the poor school backgrounds that some of them have come from.  There have been a range of educational innovations in order to address this situation, including bridging and extended degree programmes, but the situation remains generally problematic.  This paper provides an in-depth overview of this range of issues that have been identified as impinging critically on engineering education in South Africa.  The broad terrain is sketched in terms of national and international contexts.  The overview draws on key policy documents by the various stakeholders, as well as identifying responses and positions that have been adopted by institutions.  An analysis of the current situation is then used to identify key areas where interventions are needed. 

Metacognitive development: A view beyond cognition.

Co-authored with Dick Gunstone; published in Research in Science Education in 2006

A series of studies were conducted to investigate students’ metacognitive development in a second year chemical engineering course. The first of these was an exploratory study involving observation together with some limited interviewing. This was followed by a major study with two phases, the first of which involved a series of individual interviews with eleven students over the duration of the course, and the second of which involved a follow-up interview with each student two years later. In the first phase of the major study a theoretical framework characterising metacognitive development as a shift in approach to learning was utilised. The present paper draws on the findings of the second phase of the major study to both confirm the validity of this framework and also point to some of its shortcomings, specifically regarding the necessity of a certain emotional state in order for metacognitive development to take place, and the importance of the formation of a professional identity. It is suggested that metacognitive development needs to be characterised in broader terms than the usual cognitive focus in order to more fully account for students’ experiences of learning.

Using variation to enhance learning in engineering

Co-authored with Duncan Fraser, Sharrol Allison and Heather Coombes; published in the International Journal of Engineering Education in 2006

This paper reports on an attempt to enhance the learning outcomes obtained from a computer simulation aimed at extending students' understanding of distillation. The approach taken draws on a contemporary education perspective known as variation theory. The design uses the notion of a learning study to identify the key aspects of the learning situation. In-depth interviews were used to gain insights into the learning outcomes of the redesigned simulation experience. The overall
finding is that the students were able to draw on their previous knowledge and expand it in ways that made them feel positive about the experience.

Pressure for fun: A course unit for increasing chemical engineering students' excitement and interest in mechanical parts.

Co-authored with Will Scarbrough; published in Chemical Engineering Education in 2006

Alienation and engagement: Exploring students' experiences of studying engineering.

Published in Teaching in Higher Education in 2007

This article reports on an investigation of students’ experiences of learning, using a framework that focuses on the concepts of alienation and engagement. Thirty-six third year chemical engineering students were interviewed about their learning experiences. Alienation is defined here as the absence of a relationship that students might desire or expect to experience. Using this focus, six possible ‘relationships’ were identified: to one’s studies; to the broader university life; to home; to the career; to one’s classmates; and to the lecturer. In each category a range of both alienated and engaged experiences were identified. With regard to the latter two categories, important dealienating strategies were noted, and in particular the role that lecturers can play in facilitating
these strategies.

Rethinking identity at the core of scientific and technological literacies: Insights from engineering education research and practice in South Africa.

Published in the Proceedings of the Linnaeus Tercentenary Symposium: Promoting Scientific Literacy: Science Education Research in Transaction, Uppsala, 2007, pp. 95-99

Alienation and engagement: Development of an alternative theoretical framework for understanding student learning.

Published in Higher Education in 2008

In this paper it is suggested that the themes of alienation and engagement offer a productive alternative perspective for characterising the student experience of learning in higher education, compared to current dominant perspectives such as that offered by approaches to learning and related concepts. A conceptual and historical background of the concept of alienation is presented, followed by an overview of some contemporary perspectives. Drawing on this literature, a framework is then developed for characterising student learning. It comprises three categories, referring to the alienation resulting from 1. entering the higher education community, 2. fitting into the higher education community, and 3. staying in the higher education community. Each category has an associated set of theoretical tools that can be drawn upon in analysing this aspect of the student experience.

Education theory: A toolkit for the engineering education scholar

Published by the UK Engineering Subject Centre in 2008

This guide has been produced to complement and develop the Engineering Subject Centre’s existing range of resources about learning and teaching theory. It is aimed at newcomers to the field, such as: engineering teachers who want to be able to use education theory and research findings to inform their teaching; and aspiring engineering education researchers who want to launch their own projects.
Using a view of a theory as a set of ‘thinking tools’, the guide offers a selection for building up a tool kit. Six ‘tools’ have been identified. The selection is the author’s personal choice
and the tools were chosen for their usefulness in engineering education research. Tools 1-3 broadly cover learning as acquisition, tools 3-6 look at learning as participation:
Tool 1: Concepts
Tool 2: Ways of experiencing
Tool 3: Approaches to learning
Tool 4: Community of practice
Tool 5: Identity
Tool 6: Discourse.
The guide has an informal tone to make it as accessible as possible for those who are new to education research. Each section provides a brief introduction to the tool, including
a case study example and further reading. Wherever possible, references and further notes on terminology are in the footnotes. A detailed reference section is provided at the
end of the guide. This structure enables the reader to engage with the text on either an introductory or more theoretical level, depending on their needs.

The 'no problem' Discourse model: Exploring an alternative way of researching student learning.

Co-authored with Delia Marshall; published in the International Journal of Education Research in 2008

In this paper we explore an alternative way of characterising the student learning experience, drawing on sociocultural perspectives on learning. Here, learning is not merely the application of an approach to a cognitive task, but a social process of identity formation. In particular, we draw on Gee’s concept of Discourse models to identify the implicit theories students use to make sense of their learning and assessment experiences. From interviews with third year engineering students, we identified what we termed the ‘no problem Discourse model’, in which students construct an upbeat portrayal of their experience of a course, despite experiencing crises induced by assessment events. Through a process of justification the seriousness of the crisis is denied. This Discourse model ppears to have its roots in a popular Discourse of self-actualization. There was evidence of co-construction of this model during the student learning interviews. This suggests implications for the roles that teachers can play in either maintaining or challenging the Discourse models that are adopted by students.

A critical review of the educational philosophies underpinning Science and Engineering foundation programmes.

Co-authored with Bruce Kloot and Delia Marshall; published in the South African Journal of Higher Education in 2008

More than a decade prior to the official dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, a number of universities launched foundation programmes to assist disadvantaged students. This
article focuses on science and engineering foundation programmes, locating them within their political and institutional context and then tracing the evolution of their
educational philosophy. But foundation programmes only represent one strategy for dealing with educational disadvantage. It is therefore compared to an alternative model
explored in the early 1990s which emphasised the ‘infusion’ of academic development principles into the mainstream. This provides a backdrop for considering the educational effectiveness of the foundation programmes that have recently proliferated as a result of the Department of Education’s latest funding strategy.

Learning as acquiring a discursive identity through participation in a community: Improving student learning in engineering education.

Co-authored with a large group of researchers from CREE; published in the European Journal of Engineering Education in 2009

In this paper, we propose that learning in engineering involves taking on the discourse of an engineering community, which is intimately bound up with the identity of being a member of that community. This leads to the notion of discursive identity, which emphasises that students’ identities are constituted through engaging in discourse. This view of learning implies that success in engineering studies needs to be defined with particular reference to the sorts of identities that students develop and how these relate to identities in the world of work. In order to achieve successful learning in engineering, we need to recognise the multiple identities held by our students, provide an authentic range of engineering-related activities through which students can develop engineering identities and make more explicit key aspects of the discourse of engineering of which lecturers are tacitly aware.We include three vignettes to illustrate how some of the authors of this paper (from across three different institutions) have applied this perspective of learning in their teaching practice.

Approaches to Learning

Co-authored with Delia Marshall, published in the The Routledge International Handbook of Higher Education (pp. 9-21). London and New York: Routledge Falmer.

The experience of interacting with technological artefacts

Co-authored with Brandon Collier-Reed and Cedric Linder; published in the European Journal of Engineering Education in 2009

This article reports on an investigation into the different ways that pupils interact with technological artefacts. The results are discussed in the context of the need for first-year ‘introduction to engineering’ courses to developways to provide students with an environment that facilitates their meaningful interaction with technological artefacts. Fifteen South African pupils, selected to ensure variation with respect to their socio-economic backgrounds, were interviewed after having interacted with a structured technological activity. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenographic approach to obtain an understanding of their interactions with technological artefacts from their perspective. The outcome of the analysis was a set of categories that characterise the key aspects of the different ways in which the interaction was
experienced. The findings show that the interaction with a technological artefact can be through direction, through instruction, through tinkering, or through engaging.

Communicating your findings in engineering education: the value of making your theoretical perspective explicit

Co-authored with Jeff Jawitz; published in the European Journal of Engineering Education in 2009

The authors observe that many research papers in engineering education do not explicitly state the theoretical
perspective underpinning their work. In this article they argue for the value of theory in assisting researchers in communicating their research findings. Three theoretical perspectives that can be used to support one’s research are described, namely; positivism, constructivism and critical inquiry, and in each case examples of research questions that best match the particular framework are given. Researchers are advised to be aware of the limitations of each perspective and to use the one that best assists them in understanding and solving the problems they wish to address.

A critical engagement with research into higher education

This is the editorial of a special issue of the journal Studies in Higher Education which I co-edited with Suellen Shay and Paul Ashwin; published in 2009.

Rethinking ‘disadvantage’ in higher education: A paradigmatic case study using narrative analysis

Co-authored with Delia Marshall; in press for publication in 2010 in Studies in Higher Education

In this paper we explore the use of narrative analysis to provide methodology for student learning research with a sociocultural orientation.  The narrative which is the primary focus of this paper is drawn from a study in which a series of individual interviews was conducted with a class of senior engineering students.  The interview with a particular student emerged as a ‘paradigmatic’ case in that it represented a rich example of student success against a background of disadvantage.  The analysis presented in the paper leads to a questioning of some of the commonly held views on disadvantage in higher education.  It is argued that the coping strategies developed in a ‘disadvantaged’ social background could form useful resources for succeeding in higher education, and that the construction of identity could be crucial for mobilising these resources.  Questions are consequently raised about the extent to which these aspects of personal growth are supported by the formal curriculum and the professional workplace.