Students' and Teachers’ Perceptions of CDIO-based Communication Activities

CDIO-based curriculum and course design involves many components that need to be integrated in projects, laboratory work and classroom activities. Communication is one such component that is both an integrated skill as well as a cognitive tool throughout the CDIO-cycle of any activity. However, comparatively little research has been done on students’ actual perception of communication and communication activities in integrated content and language (ICL) environments. In this study, student statements about communication and communication activities have been collected via interviews and surveys from students at a mechanical engineering programme. These statements are compared with statements from content teachers at the same programme. Results suggest that students and engineering faculty share a basic perspective that communication activities should focus on a few key genres that students will use in their future profession. Consequently, there seem to be good reasons for identifying and practising the use of so-called apprenticeship genres. However, the focus on a few genres is problematized as some students show frustration when encountering genres unfamiliar to them. The paper therefore also discusses the potential need for a role where communication teachers facilitate not only communication activities but also students’ perception of communication and communication activities in order to better prepare them to confidentlyengage in various types of communicative situations both in their further studies and in their future roles as engineers.

Proceedings of the 9th International CDIO Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 9 – 13, 2013.