In this contribution I would like to share my experience
with the blank-slate design of Engineering 1 (first delivery in 2020-2021
AY), the first course all engineering students take as they hit their
university studies. In this exercise, part of a wider curriculum renewal effort
at the School of Engineering, I decided to employ a project-based approach to develop
professional skills while cultivating community building. Students played their
role as “engineers in the making” since day 1, and inspired to deliver on 4 different
group projects. Student teams were allowed to set their own objectives based on
their interests and strengths, creating a safe environment where the whole team
could explore their own capabilities as well as test their limits by
interacting with their peers. Assessed reflective elements helped students
nurture their self-awareness as individuals, and recognise the potential
inherent to teams. The excellent level of interaction and coordination achieved
by the teams is exemplified by the final group videos published in the
Engineering 1 Media Hopper Replay channel https://media.ed.ac.uk/channel/RGM%2BSUBMISSIONS/190276703.
This approach helped to create a community of more than 400 learners with very
diverse interests and backgrounds (e.g. students from all engineering
disciplines and from other Schools) and fully compatible with the virtual
environment. I hope this community of engineering freshers will last over their
university studies and beyond.