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Evaluation ProjectsengCETL has embedded evaluation and success criteria into all new projects undertaken by the Centre, thus providing feedback to the academic community on the innovative teaching support currently being undertaken at Loughborough. |
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Learning Spaces
The Engineering Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (engCETL) at Loughborough University was founded in March 2005 to enhance the student learning experience by enhancing, improving and establishing innovative new links between industry and academia. The first stage of establishing the Centre involved the creation of a sustainable, innovative, high quality new learning spaces, with first class resources that are comparable or better than an industry working environment. The intention of such an environment is that it will encourage industrial participation in the centre's activities and facilitate a strong team-working ethos amongst the students.Our External Consultant, Ivan Moore, evaluated the use of the engCETL Learning Space over the past year in order to identify the use and benefits of the space and the ways in which its full potential could be realised. The flexible, well designed and equipped space is highly regarded by all users, including students who think it “way better than the rest” . A final report on findings and recommendations from the evaluation has been produced 
and a set of possible actions has been outlined .
Over the coming year, we will be working to:
- Further increase awareness of the engCETL spaces and their facilities.
- Provide increased training of available equipment.
- Trial extending opening hours for students during certain periods.
- Research into how teaching practice has changed as a result of the new space.
- Use the lessons learned to help input into the design of future learning spaces.
Previous research into our learning spaces have included an interactive presentation at the Symposium on Social Learning Space: Redesigning Universities - Tuesday 20 March 2007 - Warwick University 
. Additionally, the engCETL hosted the afternoon of the East Midlands CETLs evaluation day (20th February 2007) encouraging participants to consider how they might evaluate their own learning space.
Learning@Uni
Collaboration with: Peter Willmot and Tony Sutton – Wolfson School
Student reticence to engage with traditional Higher Education learning activities, unless driven by assessment, indicates an attitude to learning which inhibits independent and lifelong learning. In an attempt to redress this, a short series of lectures and workshops has been introduced within a first year Engineering Module. These learning activities seek to give students an understanding of different learning styles, including their own preferred learning styles, and the holistic design of a module in which lectures, tutorials and coursework are all important elements in the learning process. With the support of the engCETL, work was undertaken to evaluate these newly introduced learning activities. A student focus group examined the course’s impact and confirmed that the need to support students in making the transition from UK secondary to tertiary education is real. The verbatim responses reveal some of the perceptions and concerns of new students and have led the way to further enhancement in the future. The findings of the study were presented at the International Conference on Engineering Education in September 2007. (Willmot, P., Sutton, A. and Bamforth, S.E., ''Engaging Twenty-first Century Learners'', Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Education, Coimbra, Portugal, September 2007, ISBN 978-972-8055-14-1)
