Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable

Development in Higher Education Institutions

 What do Engineers do?
• Engineers architect/plan, design, develop, manufacture, test,
install, operate, and maintain technological products and
systems.
• Engineers provide services using technological products.
• Groups of engineers and non-engineers solve socially
relevant complex technical problems.
• Engineers are required to operate and behave as per well-
defined professional and ethical standards.
 Good Engineer
Characteristics of a good engineer considered important by
the industries:
• Have sound knowledge of engineering sciences and
technologies.
• Ability to solve well defined and ill-defined problems.
• Have awareness of customers’ needs and market trends.
• Have an interest and awareness in all facets of
engineering activities.
• Ability to work in a team.
• Ability to document, plan and communicate effectively.
• Willingness and ability to learn on the job.
 Nature of Formal Programs
Higher Education Formal Programs
• Are of two to four years duration
• Offered as two semesters per year
• Carry predefined credit load
• Have well defined curricular components
• Have predefined assessment procedures
• Have predefined methods of grading
 Undergraduate Engineering Programs in India

are required to impart

• Knowledge

• Skills

• Attitudes

That facilitate the graduates of 12th Standard to acquire the characteristics of a good engineer
• Are offered as per the regulations of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

• Are offered by Tier 1 (Academically Autonomous) and Tier 2 (Academically Non-

autonomous) Institutions.
• At present more than 90% of engineering colleges are academically non-autonomous, i.e.,
Tier 2 institutions.
Engineering Education practiced recently
Engineering Education in OBE
 Education
• Education, in its broad sense, refers to any act or experience that
has formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an
individual. Education in this sense never ends; we truly learn from
experiences through our lives.
• Education, in its technical sense, is the process by which society,
through schools, colleges, universities and other institutions,
deliberately transmits its cultural heritage – its accumulated
knowledge, values and skill – from one generation to another.
• Education, in our context, is concerned with intentional learning
like in schools, colleges and universities.
 Education
Philosophy of Education 

• To educate people wisely we must know what we educate them to become.

• To know this it is necessary to ask what can be the purpose of life and what sort life it should be. This

leads to the necessity to consider education philosophically.

• Educational philosophy involves the application of formal philosophy to education.

Philosophy of Education

• One can look at education from the view of any of following philosophies:

▫ Idealism

▫ Realism

▫ Pragmatism

▫ Existentialism

▫ Analysis
Students learn well when

 They are clear about what they should be able to do at the end
of a course (Course Outcomes)
 Assessment is in alignment with what they are expected
to do (Assessment in alignment with Course Outcomes)
 Instructional activities are designed and conducted to
facilitate them to acquire and demonstrate what they are
expected to do (Alignment among Instruction,
Assessment and Course Outcomes)
 Critical Thinking
 
 Critical thinking refers to the deep, intentional and structured thinking process
that is aimed at analyzing and conceptualizing information, experiences,
observation, and existing knowledge for the purpose of developing original and
creative solutions for the challenges encountered.
 Critical thinking involves analyzing, evaluating, and thinking with a view to
improving it.
 
Problem Solving
 Problem solving would involve several cognitive processes. We may need
conceptual knowledge to analyze the issue. Then, one can Evaluate different
approaches and then finally Create a valid solution.
 The order in which specific cognitive processes and knowledge subtypes get used
would depend to a great extent on the particular type of problem being solved
and/or the subject matter within which the problem was posed.
 Thus, Problem solving involves Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create
processes.
Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain General
 Bloom’s Taxonomy: Learning Domains
Any given task tends to be generally dominant in one of
the three psychological domains: cognitive, affective, or
psychomotor.
• The cognitive domain deals with a person's ability to
process and utilize information in a meaningful way.
• The affective domain relates to the attitudes and
feelings that result from or influence the learning
process.
• The psychomotor domain involves manipulative or
physical skills.
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Learning Domains
 Knowledge
 The problem of characterizing knowledge is an enduring question of
philosophy and psychology
 Knowledge is organized and structured by the learner in line with a
cognitivist (Cognitivism is a learning theory that focusses on how
information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind)-
constructivist(the theory that says learners construct knowledge rather
than just passively take in information) tradition.
 Knowledge is domain specific and contextualized.
 
Categories of Knowledge
 Factual
 Conceptual
 Procedural
 Metacognitive
Factual Knowledge

• Basic elements students must know if they are to be acquainted with the discipline
or solve any of the problems in it
• exists at a relatively low level of abstraction

Subtypes of Factual Knowledge

• Knowledge of terminology (e.g., words, numerals, signs, pictures)
• Knowledge of specific details (including descriptive and prescriptive data) and
elements

Samples of Factual Knowledge

• Terminology: Signal-to-noise ratio, low-pass filter, VCVS, CCCS, power factor etc.
Specific details:
• Power supply frequency in India is 50 Hz
• Semiconductor devices fail above 120C
• Ball grid array packaging can provide for more than 200 input-output pins
• TI and Analog Devices are two semiconductor manufacturers making a wide variety
of analog ICs
Conceptual Knowledge
• A concept denotes all the entities, phenomena, and/or relations in a
given category or class by using definitions.
• Concepts are abstract in that they omit the differences of the things in
their extension
• Concepts are also the basic elements of propositions, much the same way
a word is the basic semantic element of a sentence.

Conceptual Knowledge includes

• knowledge of categories and classifications, and the relationships
between and among them
• schemas, mental models, or implicit or explicit theories

Samples of Conceptual Knowledge

• Force, acceleration, velocity, mass, voltage, current, temperature,
entropy, stress, strain
• Kirchhoff’s laws
• Laws of thermodynamics
Procedural Knowledge
• It is the “knowledge of how” to do
something
• It often takes the form of a series or
sequence of steps to be followed.
• It includes knowledge of skills,
algorithms, techniques, and
methods, collectively known as
procedures
• It also includes knowledge of the
criteria used to determine when to
use various procedures.
• It is specific or germane to particular
subject matters or academic
disciplines

Samples of Procedural Knowledge

Metacognition
Metacognition is
• Thinking about one’s own thinking
• The ability to assess our own skills,
knowledge, or learning
• A person's awareness of his or her
own level of knowledge and thought
processes (Stephen Chew)

Metacognitive ability affects

• how well and how long a student
studies
• how much and how deeply students
learn
• is knowledge about cognition in
Structure of CO Statement
 Action: Represents a cognitive/ affective/ psychomotor activity
the learner should perform. An action is indicated by an action
verb, occasionally two, representing the concerned cognitive
process(es).
 Knowledge: Represents the specific knowledge from any
one or more of the eight knowledge categories
 Condition: Represents the process the learner is expected to
follow or the condition under which to perform the action
(This is an optional element of CO)
 Criteria: Represent the parameters that characterize the
acceptability levels of performing the action (This is an
optional element of CO)
Examples
Sample 1
Calculate major and minor losses associated with fluid flow in piping networks
Action: Calculate (Apply)

Knowledge: major and minor losses associated with fluid flow in piping
networks (Conceptual and Procedural)
Condition: None
Criteria: None
 
Sample 2

Determine the dynamic unbalanced conditions of a given mechanical system of

rigid bodies subjected to force and acceleration
Action: Determine (Apply)
Knowledge: Dynamic unbalanced conditions (Conceptual and
Procedural)
Condition: given mechanical system of rigid bodies subjected to force and
acceleration
Criterion: None
Sample 3

Understand the effect of all the parameters in voltage controlled oscillators

through simulation using TINATI.

Action: Understand
Knowledge: effect of all the parameters in voltage controlled oscillators
(Conceptual)
Condition: using simulation using TINATI
Criterion: None

Sample 4
Determine the root of the given equation, accurate to second decimal place,
using Newton-Raphson method

Action: Determine (Apply)

Knowledge: root of the given equation (Conceptual and Procedural)
Condition: using Newton-Raphson method
Locating Sample COs in RBV Taxonomy Table
 
Knowledge Categories
 
     
Cognitive           Design
Fundamental Criteria &
Processes       Meta- Practical instrumen
Design Specification
Factual Conceptual Procedural cognitive Constraints ta- lities
Principles s

Remember                

Understand   S3            

 
  S1, S2, S4 S1, S2, S4          
Apply

Analyze                

Evaluate                

Create                
 Instructional System Design - ISD

• ISD model presents a process a teacher or instructional

designer can use to plan and prepare for instruction,
• Different Instruction Design theories differ in the process
used to apply those theories to particular situations.
• Examples of ISD models include ADDIE or its variants.
 Instruction Design
Direct Instruction
• Face-to-Face instruction in traditional classroom
setting.
• Continues to be the most commonly used approach
to instruction, particularly in formal programs.
• The content to be delivered, in fixed time, is generally
quite vast in formal programs.
• The instructional schedules are fairly rigid.
• Direct Instruction is perceived by many to be the
most efficient in terms of resource utilization under
the given constraints.
 Instruction Design
One common concern:
• Students admitted to an Engineering program are relatively
homogeneous.
• Still, significant differences do exist in the cognitive
abilities of students, in the level of their entry-level
competencies, and in their motivations.
• It may be very difficult to accommodate these differences in
Direct Instruction.
• We need special approaches to address slow learners as well
as fast learners!
 Instruction Design
Merrill’s Five First Principles of Learning
The five first principles of learning as stated by Merrill:

• Task-Centered Principle
• Activation Principle
• Demonstration Principle
• Application Principle
• Integration Principle
Instruction Unit based on Merrill’s Principles
 C o m p e te n c y Class Lab
IU CO5-C4: Design precision rectifiers and DC voltage regulators. (Hrs)2 (Hrs
0
12 )
C Design circuits that perform analog linear signal processing functions including
O5 amplification, summing, differentiation and integration, and non-linear signal processing
functions including log and anti-log amplification, current sensing, rectification and dc
voltage regulation using passive and active devices.

Class Activity Tim Teaching activity Mode of

Session e Teaching
(Mi Precision rectifiers are necessary for
Relevance 3
n) low-voltage AC t o D C c o n v e r s i o n . DC PPT
voltage regulators are required in creating
a stable DC voltage source for electronic
1 circuits

Activation 1 Macro-model of a diode, characteristics of Quiz and

0 Op Amps, zenor diode and current booster PPT

Demonstration 3 Explain the behavior of half-wave and BB/

1 0 full-wave rectifiers and precision Simulate
rectifiers, and simulate their behavior
Application 1 1 Simulate a precision half-wave circuit BB
5 and demonstrate its precision over the
input voltage range 10 mV to 5 V
Demonstration 2 35 Explain the characteristics and parameters
of voltage regulators, operation and design Discussion
of linear voltage regulator, and the low drop-
out regulator.
2 Application 2 15 Design a linear voltage regulator
Integration 10 Discuss the role of feedback around an Op
Amp in achieving two important signal
processing applications including
precision rectification and voltage
regulation
 Transaction Model of Direct Instruction

Phase B: Practice

1. Guided
Practice
2. Independent
Practice
3. Periodic
Review
Phase C: Assessment & Evaluation
Includes Formative Assessment and
Phase A: Presentation Summative Assessment and
Evaluations.
Presentation phase, the first phase, consists of:
1. Review
2. What Phase D: Monitoring & Feedback
3. Why 1. Cues and Prompts
4. Explanation 2. Corrective Feedback &
5. Probe & Respond Reinforcement
 Tagging COs with PSOs
 If the PSOs are written well there should not be any ambiguity
regarding the PSO(s) addressed by the course under consideration.
 All the COs of a course typically address the same PSO(s).
Analog Circuits and Systems - Credits: 3:0:1
 

Lab
POs/ Class Sessions
  Course Outcome CL KC
PSOs Sessions
(Hrs)
Understand the characteristics of linear one-port PO1, PO10,
CO1 U F, C 3 0
and two-port signal processing networks PSO1

Model one-port devices including R, L, C and

diodes, two-port networks, and active devices PO1, PO10,
CO2 U C 9 4
including amplifiers, Op Amps, comparators, PSO1
multipliers, BJTs and FETs

Understand how negative and positive feedback

CO3 PO1, PSO1 U C 4 4
influence the behaviour of analog circuits

Design VCVS, CCVS, VCCS, CCCS, and PO3, PO4, C, P,

CO4 DC and SMPS voltage regulators Ap 10 4
PO5, PSO1 C&S, PC
PO3, PO4, C, P,
CO5 Design analog filters Ap 8 8
PO5, PSO1 C&S, PC
Design waveform generators, phase followers PO3, PO4, C, P,
CO6 Ap 6 8
and frequency followers PO5, PSO1 C&S, PC
Total Hours of instruction 40 28
 Engineering Education – Present Challenges
Engineering education is under severe pressure these days!
 Expectations from all the stakeholders are changing very rapidly.
 Industry, Accreditation bodies, and society in general are demanding that engineering
graduates must demonstrate, at the end of the program, not just memorized technical
knowledge, but higher-order competencies.
 Such expectations as captured in the Program Outcomes (POs) specified by NBA include
aspects of professional practice like communication, team-work, life-long-learning etc.
 Even the technical competencies stated in the Program Outcomes specified by NBA include
“problem formulation”, “solving complex engineering problems”, “research literature” etc.
•  Further, Metacognitive processing including self-monitoring, self-regulated learning is
valued highly in current work places and students do not get opportunities to improve their
abilities in this direction.
• Most of the problems faced in the actual profession are fuzzy, open-ended, and complex.
Current demands from industry insist that students be trained in solving such realistic
problems.
• These concerns cannot be addressed by the traditional approaches to engineering education!
Increasingly, institutes are turning to other approaches including Project based instruction,
Problem based instruction, Experience based instruction etc to address the above-mentioned
 Nature of Courses in an Engineering Program
• Most of the courses offered in engineering programs are designed and
offered in well-defined frameworks.
• Solution of open ended problems is attempted in engineering
programs mostly through projects and sometimes through
assignments where time for solving is not a major limitation.
• Assessment items in class tests and semester end examinations
dominantly belong to the Remember, Understand and Apply
cognitive levels.
• When the assessment context is identical to instructional context,
intended higher level cognitive processes may get reduced to
remember level!