CBL IN ENGINEERING - STUDENTS USE OF A LEARNING-RESOURCE ON PHASE-DIAGRAMS

Part of the Engineering Materials course at the University of Southamp ton has been replaced by a computer package. P. resource-based approac h to system design has been implemented using Microcosm, an open archi tecture, Microsoft Windows based, hypermedia environment. Asymetrix To ol-book has been used in conjunction with Microcosm to produce a tutor ial shell. Evaluation of the students' response to the application has been carried out in collaboration with the Department of Psychology a t Southampton. Aeronautical and Ship Science engineering students comp leted the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI) which indica tes the characteristics of the students' learning approaches. Some of the students then]lad two traditional tutorial sessions replaced by tu torials during which they used the new application. The application wa s implemented as part of the students' general education on phase diag rams. Responses from a Phase Diagrams Inventory, which included commen ts on both content and application usability, revealed that the studen ts felt positively about using the package. These responses have been examined in relation to the students' initial responses to the RASI. O verall, surprizingly little relationship was revealed between the RASI and the attitude inventory. Students' performance in assessment tests later in the course revealed no adverse learning outcome from using t he computer-based learning resource. The application has been further developed in response to results from this study, and is now replacing a laboratory class that previously covered the same topic for all fir st year engineers taking this course, approx. 300 students. This proje ct has demonstrated that resource-based learning can provide an effect ive learning environment for studying engineering materials.