NCKU professor uses e-learning platform to reform teaching methodology
Tainan, Taiwan, December 10, 2013
Dr. Huei-Huang Lee, a professor from the Department of Engineering Science at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has used the university’s online e-learning system Moodle to further share knowledge and learning experience and to discuss what the students can learn in the course.
Lee uses resources online alongside the university’s e-learning platform, commonly known as the Moodle system, to hold discussions and debates with students outside the classroom.
The freedom enjoyed by students in the internet world has led to remarkable learning performance among students, according to Lee.
Each week, Lee assigns a chapter to the students to read and prepare, and a discussion forum will be set up for the class discussion.
He said that, in the discussion forum, the students may post their questions, help or answer other students' questions, or share their comments.
“In addition to taking part in the discussion, I rate each posted article with 1-5 stars. The sum of the ratings becomes the grade of a student's performance for that week,” Lee added.
Lee noticed that students not only feel comfortable to post questions in the forum but also enjoy helping other students or sharing their comments with others.
Lee began experimenting with this teaching method in his “Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)” graduate course since 2010.
Approximately 50 students would take this course annually, where each of them has to submit a 300-500 word short article, which can be completed in a short time period, and actively participate in discussion as well.
Lee revealed his insights in teaching and said that the conventional curricula rely too much on mathematics to teach the concepts of engineering mechanics.
For students who are good at engineering thinking but not good at mathematical thinking, Lee said that using graphics-based CAE tools is often a better way to reduce the dependency on mathematics by a substantial extent.
“Although there will be times when discussions will deviate from the main topic of the course, such discussions represent a good time for heart-to-heart dialogues with students,” Dr. Lee said while stressing that using internet to share his experience can make interaction with students easier and more relaxed.
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Dr. Huei-Huang Lee, a professor from the Department of Engineering Science at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has used the university’s online e-learning system Moodle to further share knowledge and learning experience and to discuss what the students can learn in the course.
Lee uses resources online alongside the university’s e-learning platform, commonly known as the Moodle system, to hold discussions and debates with students outside the classroom.
The freedom enjoyed by students in the internet world has led to remarkable learning performance among students, according to Lee.
Each week, Lee assigns a chapter to the students to read and prepare, and a discussion forum will be set up for the class discussion.
He said that, in the discussion forum, the students may post their questions, help or answer other students' questions, or share their comments.
“In addition to taking part in the discussion, I rate each posted article with 1-5 stars. The sum of the ratings becomes the grade of a student's performance for that week,” Lee added.
Lee noticed that students not only feel comfortable to post questions in the forum but also enjoy helping other students or sharing their comments with others.
Lee began experimenting with this teaching method in his “Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)” graduate course since 2010.
Approximately 50 students would take this course annually, where each of them has to submit a 300-500 word short article, which can be completed in a short time period, and actively participate in discussion as well.
Lee revealed his insights in teaching and said that the conventional curricula rely too much on mathematics to teach the concepts of engineering mechanics.
For students who are good at engineering thinking but not good at mathematical thinking, Lee said that using graphics-based CAE tools is often a better way to reduce the dependency on mathematics by a substantial extent.
“Although there will be times when discussions will deviate from the main topic of the course, such discussions represent a good time for heart-to-heart dialogues with students,” Dr. Lee said while stressing that using internet to share his experience can make interaction with students easier and more relaxed.
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