Towards deeper comprehension in higher engineering education: rethinking "in theory yes, but not in practice"
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
In the economic pressure of recent decades, many universities have invested in increasing the number of accessed and graduated students. However, this has led to another problem: there is not enough higher learning in higher education. According to generally accepted view, the problem lies in the eagerness of overplaying immediate skills in engineering education. To manage with the situation we propose that special attention is paid to logical reasoning behind the models employed in elementary engineering education. The idea is based on the hierarchical nature of physics, which enables a consistent method to avoid the risk of overplaying the immediate skills. In this paper, we seek for higher learning by proposing such a method and presenting a case study of solar electricity. When modelling the nature, on each level of hierarchy certain laws of physics lay the foundation for explanations there. We call them the cornerstones of modelling. Due to the hierarchical nature of physics, the cornerstones on a certain level of hierarchy are only built from the ones on the lower level of higher abstraction. When we stand above the cornerstones, they appear as unchallenged rules. But most importantly, if we take a hierarchical step towards fundamental models and look underneath the cornerstones, instead of unchallenged rules, they appear as testable properties. This epiphany about the hierarchy of physics enables a consistent method for deeper understanding in education. In the end, we seek for higher learning by challenging the meaningfulness of a common utterance ?in theory yes, but not practice?.
Authors and Affiliations
Aki Korpela| Department of Electrical Engineering, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Tampere, Finland, For correspondence: aki.korpela@tamk.fi, Timo Tarhasaari| Electromagnetics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland, Lauri Kettunen| Electromagnetics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland, Risto Mikkonen| Electromagnetics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland, Hanna Kinnari- Korpela| Department of Electrical Engineering, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Tampere, Finland
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8080
- DOI -
- Views 426
- Downloads 25
Challenges faced by teachers implementing socio-scientific issues as core elements in their classroom practices
Teachers may face considerable challenges when implementing socio?scientific issues (SSI) in their classroom practices, such as incorporating student?centred teaching practices and exploring knowledge and values in the c...
Adult science learners’ mathematical mistakes: An analysis of responses to computer-marked questions
Inspection of thousands of student responses to computer-marked assessment questions has brought insight into the errors made by adult distance learners of science. Most of the questions analysed were in summative use an...
Proof construction and evaluation practices of prospective mathematics educators
This study was conducted with 93 freshmen and 82 senior prospective mathematicians and mathematics teachers in order to investigate how they construct and evaluate proofs and whether there are any significant differences...
Classification of end-of-chapter questions in senior school chemistry textbooks used in Nigeria
Textbooks are a prominent part of science teaching and learning. For science teachers and students, textbooks are the major source of information for planning and classroom practice. In addition to the content of textboo...
A physics laboratory course designed using problem-based learning for prospective physics teachers
In general, laboratories are exercises with a primary focus on the verification of established laws and principles, or on the discovery of objectively knowable facts. In laboratories, students gather data without compre...