Enhancing Computing Student Employability Skills Through Partnership Working in STEM Outreach

Enhancing Computing Student Employability Skills Through Partnership Working in STEM Outreach - Springer:


Scott Turner
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-29166-6_10


Published in Software Engineering Education Going Agile Part of the series Progress in IS pp 67-71

Abstract

Student volunteering is growing in the UK and elsewhere, and there is an ongoing debate about whether it is really “self-evidently a ‘good thing’” or there is a greater need for reflection to determine whether this statement is true (Holdsworth and Quinn, Studies in Higher Education, 35(1), 113–127, 2010). This paper presents a personal reflection of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) volunteering as a potential route to increasing Computing student’s employability.

References

1.

STEMNet (2015) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network [online] Available at: http:// www. stemnet. org. uk/  Accessed on: 24thJanuary 2015

2.

Sinclair J, Allen A, Davis L, Goodchild T, Messenger J, Turner S (2014) "Enhancing student employability skills through partnership working in STEM outreach; the University of Northampton approach " HEA STEM Annual Teaching and Learning Conference 2013: Enhancing the STEM Student Journey, University of Edinburgh, 30th April-1st May 2014

3.

Holdsworth, C., and Quinn, J. (2010). Student volunteering in English higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 35(1), 113–127.CrossRef

4.

Brewis, G., Russell, J., and Holdsworth, C. (2010). Bursting the bubble: Students, volunteering and the community. Research Summary.

5.

Junkbots (2015) Junkbots [online] Available at: http:// junkbots. blogspot. co. uk/  Accessed on: 24th January 2015.

All views are the authors, and may not reflect the views of any organisation the author is connected with in any way.

Transnational education: now the agreements have been signed, what next?

Dr Terry Tudor, School of Science and Technology has recent authored a post on Transnational Education on the Higher Education Academy's Teaching and Learning Blog 

There is rising interest in transnational education (TNE) globally, with a growing number of both students and providers. The UK is a leading provider of TNE. However, despite some success, there are a number of challenges to be overcome. In this post Terry Tudor (FHEA, Senior Lecturer, University of Northampton, terry.tudor@northampton.ac.uk)  outlines various key factors that should be considered in developing and implementing TNE programmes including a focus on the student experience, being aware of the local cultural norms, ensuring good administrative processes are in place, and building the collaboration on existing friendships.

To read more on this go to www.heacademy.ac.uk/transnational-education-now-agreements-have-been-signed-what-next




All views are the authors, and may not reflect the views of any organisation the author is connected with in any way.

NORTHANTS ENGINEERING TRAINING PARTNERSHIP (NETP), A MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE, INDUSTRY – UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

Recent paper published by Dan Bailey and Dr Jonathan Adams at The International Conference on Engineering Education 2012 Turku Finland July 30 – August 3, 2012

Proceedings can be found at: julkaisut.turkuamk.fi/isbn9789522162946.pdf

Daniel C. M. Bailey, daniel.bailey@northampton.ac.uk
Jonathan P. Adams, jonathan.adams@northampton.ac.uk
Twenty-three years ago the University of Northampton along with a number or local engineering companies including British Timkin, Cosworth, Cummins, Express Lifts and KAB Seating formed a partnership to provide industry experience for undergraduate students. The founding aim of the NETP was: “to create a pool of ‘industry ready’ Engineers to support the Northamptonshire area”.
The NETP set up a paid placement scheme where students would spend a year split between three companies, attending University one day per week to continue with their academic studies. It is estimated that the NETP has offered over 500 placement opportunities since its inception.
In recent years the NETP has developed to meet the changing needs of both industry and Higher Education (HE). Changes have included the expansion in the level and range of methods of engagement with the University and other stakeholders, including; schools, colleges, local government and support organisations. To reflect this wider remit new mission and vision statements were recently formulated.
Mission: To create a pool of industry ready engineers of the highest calibre and position the NETP as a unique example of good practice and collaboration between Academia and Industry adding value to all stakeholders.
Vision: Aspire to increase membership and diversity by providing a platform for full student placements, formal and informal networking, sharing of good practice and inspiring students and Partners alike.
This paper will evaluate why the NETP has been sustainable and how it has developed to meet the changing needs of educators, employers and students. Particular areas of focus will be; how the NETP has input into skills and knowledge and course / curriculum development; how it has supported graduate recruitment, enterprise and professional skills development; and how the NETP has supported research and local economic development. 

TEACHING ULTRASONICS USING SPREADSHEETS

Recent paper published by Professor Phil Picton at The International Conference on Engineering Education 2012 Turku Finland July 30 – August 3, 2012

Proceedings can be found at: julkaisut.turkuamk.fi/isbn9789522162946.pdf

The University of Northampton, phil.picton@northampton.ac.uk

Whenever an ultrasonic wave encounters a boundary between two media it is partially reflected and refracted, as any acoustic wave would be. Unlike light, the wave also undergoes mode conversion so that in the general case a single incident wave could produce two reflected waves and two refracted waves. The angles which define the path of the wave are determined by Snell’s law and are easily calculated. The relative amplitudes, on the other hand, require quite complicated formula when the angle of incidence is anything other than 0 degrees. This problem gets compounded when the angle of the incident wave goes beyond the first critical angle. At this point the angle of the refracted wave becomes imaginary and the equations to calculate the relative amplitudes become complex. This paper describes a tool that has been developed, using a spreadsheet, which performs the calculations for all incident angles. The user selects the media and the type of incident wave and the resulting waves are shown graphically as well as numerically. The tool was developed primarily as part of an undergraduate course on ultrasonic testing, but could be used more widely. 

Doctoral funding Calls from the HEA

Calls for HEA Doctoral Programme open today information taken from the HEA website http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/news/detail/2012/doctoral_programme_2012

• 
  The Higher Education Academy is inviting bids from UK higher education institutions to host one or more doctoral studentships for the academic year 2012-13.

The Doctoral Programme forms part of the HEA's strategy to undertake a significant and extensive study to develop pedagogical knowledge and evidence based practice in Higher Education. Five doctoral studentships are available in the coming academic year.

Calls open today and the closing date for submissions is 5pm on 31 August 2012.

Applications should relate to discipline-specific learning and teaching research or to interdisciplinary/generic pedagogical studies. They should show a clear benefit to either practice or to policy on practice.

Applications should be aligned with one or more of the HEA's themes: employability, assessment and feedback, flexible learning, internationalisation, retention and success (including widening access, gender, and transition issues), reward and recognition of teaching, education for sustainable development.

For more information about the HEA Doctoral Programme, or to apply, please click here.http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/doctoral-programme

A Participatory Approach to Improve the Management of E-waste in Nigeria

An abstract from the 7th China – Europe International Symposium on Software Industry Orientated Education to be held 23-24th May 2011 at School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton, UK. For more details can be found at this link.

A Participatory Approach to Improve the Management of E-waste in Nigeria
Margaret P Bates[a], Kathleen M Holley[a] and Oladele Osibanjo[b]
a Centre for Sustainable Wastes Management, The University of Northampton, Northampton, UK NN2 6JD
b Basel Convention Regional Coordinating Centre for Africa for Training and Technology Transfer, University of Ibadan, Nigeria


Abstract
Approximately 125 million computers are discarded annually, with most ending up in landfill sites. The number of waste computers is high because of the short lifespan of personal computers (PCs) (Kiatkittipong et al. 2007). The typical life of a PC in the work place is approximately 2-3 years, while in the home it is 3-5 years, with an additional two and a half for second use (Kiatkittipong et al. 2007; Osibanjo and Nnorom 2007). As a result of the rising quantity of waste, within recent years there has been growing debate about the export of computers to Africa, and other developing countries, and even calls for banning this activity. Using the City of Lagos, Nigeria, as a case study, this paper describes a project which employed a participatory approach involving a range of stakeholders to address the issues of export and the environmental and financial lessons learnt from the importing and (mis)management e-waste and Waste and Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) into Nigeria.


Details of the conference can be found at: http://www.computing.northampton.ac.uk/~landt/conference.html

Problems First, a new chapter

Two members of the Computing Division of the University of Northampton have contributed a chapter to the book  Software Industry-Oriented Education Practices and Curriculum Development: Experiences and Lessons  edited by Drs. Matthew Hussey, Xiaofei Xu and Bing Wu.  ISBN: 978-1609607975 IGI Global to be published later this year.

Problems First

Gary Hill and Scott Turner

ABSTRACT

This chapter considers the need to focus initial programming education on problem-solving, in advance of programming syntax and software design methodology. The main vehicle for this approach is simple Lego based robots programmed in Java, followed by the programming of a graphical representation/simulation to develop programming skills. Problem solving is not trivial (Beaumont & Fox, 2003) and is an important skill, central to computing and engineering.

An approach will be considered, illustrated with a series of problem-solving tasks that increase in complexity at each stage and give the students practice in attempting problem-solving approaches, as well as assisting them to learn from their mistakes. Some of the problems include ambiguities or are purposely ill-defined, to enable the student to resolve these as part of the process.

The benefits to students will be discussed including students’ statements that this approach, using robots, provides a method to visually and physically see the outcome of a problem. In addition, students report that the method improves their satisfaction with the course.

The importance of linking the problem-solving robot activity and the programming assignment, whilst maintaining the visual nature of the problem, will be discussed, together with the comparison of this work with similar work reported by other authors relating to teaching programming using robots (Williams, 2003). 

Robots and Graphical Programming: Xi'an China

Two members of the computing division recently presented a paper "Innovative use of Robots and Graphical Programming in Software Education " at  6th China Europe International Symposium on Software Industry Oriented Education (CEISIE2010) Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an China.

Abstract: Problem solving is an important skill for a computer scientist. Mindstorm based robots have been used previously, for teaching programming to computing and engineering students here we look at problem solving. These approaches focus upon the development of problem solving skills and not on learning a new programming language from the outset. Therefore, initially, any programming is kept simple with the minimum of commands, with „objects‟ unknowingly used, as these are later introduced/learnt during the programming stage of the computing module. This work suggests that using LEGO robots within the teaching of problem solving and the resulting java GUI emulation has some benefits for the students when learning to program. 

More details can be found in the following article :

Turner S and Hill G (2010) "Innovative use of Robots and Graphical Programming in Software Education" Computer Education Ser. 117 No. 9 pp 54-57 ISSN: 1672-5913