Designing Engineering Curricula Based on Phenomenographic Results: Relating Theory to Practice

Engineering education research generates many insightful findings on learning and teaching of engineering concepts. These research findings need to be translated into practical implementations in the classroom to help students to achieve better learning outcomes. This paper describes a project by research scholars specializing in educational technologies. The aim of the project was to use the analyses of three phenomenographic studies to plan teaching and learning activities in engineering classrooms. The phenomenographic studies focused on the practice of engineering design across disciplines, sustainable design, and cross-disciplinary practice. The teaching-learning plans draw on curriculum, instructional, and technological innovations to facilitate understandings of engineering design identified in the phenomenographic studies. The paper contributes by relating theory to practice and demonstrates ways of utilizing research findings in the design of teaching-learning activities for engineering students.