This paper was presented at the 2008 Engineering Conference - Innovation Good Practice and Research in Engineering Education.
Since the introduction of a new degree programme in Product Design and Development (PDD) in 2004 a study of student learning style preferences has been undertaken to profile the first year intake on the three different degree programmes within the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast. A broadening of the range of acceptable subjects for entry and the acceptance of students without ALevel mathematics onto the PDD programme suggested that these students might prefer to study in a manner different to previous “generations” of engineering undergraduates.
As well as identifying characteristic differences between disciplines the study provided information which is used across the degree programmes to enhance student learning and improve students’ self awareness of learning style preferences and strategies.
With the objective of improving the range of student skills and abilities required of professionally competent engineers individual learning style preferences have been used in the formation of project groups. The profiling of learning styles within student cohorts has also provided information that has been used to adjust the methods of assessment and target areas where students require most development in order to achieve a more balanced learning style combination.
The paper also discusses the experience of forming groups with both balanced and unbalanced learning style preferences student reflections on their experiences of working in such groups and measured changes in student learning style preferences as a result of the changes in teaching and assessment methods.
