Client based service projects offer many advantages to instructors, students and host communities. However, instructors must carefully choose the projects in order to achieve the benefits that come with this pedagogical tool. The purpose of this research was to investigate the perception of engineering technology students on how different service projects influence performance and perceived skills. A modified perceived skill model was used to measure the perceived effect of the team based service projects on: motivation to learn, contribution to research knowledge, skills and personal benefit, and project as a learning device. The projects were either client based or non-client based. In addition, they were categorized as either engineering, non-engineering, or some engineering projects. The non-engineering were the projects with no engineering content, whereas those with some form of engineering content were classified as some engineering. From the results, it appears that all the project types and categories were highly perceived by the students as contributing to their perceived skills. They were also highly perceived as great learning tools. Additionally, the projects with engineering content (client based and non-client based) provided a significantly higher perceived motivation to learn. However, there was no significant difference in the exam performance.
- Pedagogy,
- perceived skill,
- project-based learning,
- service learning
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/corinne-brion/17/
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The Journal welcomes manuscripts based on the original work of the authors with a specific focus on projects, programs, research and pedagogy that involve service learning in engineering, humanitarian engineering, and social entrepreneurship. A primary purpose of the Journal is to foster inquiry into rigorous engineering design and research and direct those efforts toward solving problems of marginalized communities - along with entrepreneurial application if appropriate. The examination of cultural appropriateness is emphasized along with the application of appropriate technologies and entrepreneurial application of sustainable solutions. Focus is also placed on associated pedagogy and the dissemination of project results as the Journal seeks to nurture service learning in engineering as a distinct body of knowledge.