Scientia Education Academy Lecture Series
Join Professor Sami Kara on an insightful journey through the fifteen years of his experience with the first-year engineering students and reflect on what's changed in terms of contextualising their learning to the disciplines and industries
In industry, engineering graduates face real-life problems on a daily basis and they are expected to solve these problems by using their knowledge acquired during their education. Students require specific engineering skills as well as graduate capabilities, including problem solving skills, critical thinking, teamwork, discipline-oriented communication, research and the ability to learn independently. Yet the teaching is traditionally often very didactic and encourages rote learning. Thus, students can be unprepared for the workforce, and unable to integrate and apply their knowledge in an industrial setting. First year in a student’s life is particularly challenging as they go through a transition from high school to university learning style, and therefore it is critical that they contextualise the relevance of their learning in the discipline context.
Professor Kara will be talking about his experience with the first-year engineering students over the last 15 years and about his attempts to engage them in the learning process. He will explore how using and implementing various concepts, such as blended learning, project-based learning, role playing, research in teaching, or industry engagement can help students contextualise the relevance of their learning with a continuous improvement process in relation to their profession and industry.
Learn more about Professor Sami Kara
Scientia Education Fellow, Sami Kara is a professor in the School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering. He is the founder and academic-in-charge of the Sustainable Manufacturing & Life Cycle Engineering Research Group, and also the co-director of the Joint German-Australian Research Group on Sustainable Manufacturing. Since joining UNSW in 2001 with a long track record in industry, he has involved various administration roles in the school and the faculty while maintaining a very high standard of teaching and research.
Sami’s passion and commitment for teaching and supervision has been recognised with numerous awards including; UNSW Innovation in Teaching and Education Technology (ITET) Fellowship (2003), UNSW Vice-chancellor’s Postgraduate Teaching Award (2004), UNSW Faculty of Engineering Carrick Citation Nomination (2007), UNSW Faculty of Engineering Dean’s Teaching Award (2009), UNSW ARC Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision Award (2012), UNSW Postdoctoral Academy Supervisor of the Year Award (2012), UNSW Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Award (2012), UNSW ARC Excellence in PG Research Supervision Award (2013), and OLT - Australian Awards for University Teaching (2014). Read more.