What students learn form IPD projects
Year: 2006
Editor: S. Vajna
Author: van Schenk Brill, D.; Kater, K.
Abstract
This paper descibes the results of an on-going investigation in the learning effects of integrated development projects at Fontys University of Applied Sciences. In three subsequent semesters the students were asked how they rated their competencies at the start of the project as well as at the end of it. The student vonluntarity filled out a questionnaire. It was a remarkable outcome that a lot of students tended to gibe themselves lower ratings in the end. So at the end of the second semester a number of students were also interviewed in order to find out more about this. It appeared that if they met any difficulties in for instance communication or co-operation during the project, that they interpredet this as a decrease in competencies. This required a different interpretation of the outcomes of the questionnaries. This has already been reported by von Schenk Bril et al. 2006 [SCH-06]. In the third semester students were explicitly asked to mention an eventual increase in competencies and also a possible contribution for this effect. The investigations showed that co-operation in general and in multidisciplinary teams in particular, co-operation with companies and also working accoirding to plans are the four objectives that are recognized mostly by the students. Only a few fectors the actually contribute to, or block, the learing effects have been defined; these are subjects of further inbestigation.
Keywords: Integrated Product Development (IPE), educational projects, multisicipline, multilevel, cpmpetencies