Alternative Design of the Tollbar End Junction

Alternative Design of the Tollbar End Junction

Civil Engineering

China / United Kingdom

Overview

Students from Coventry University Year 4 MEng Civil Engineering joined students from South China University of Technology (SCUT) to form collaborative learning groups. Students complete a design project to make real-world improvements to the Tollbar End Junction near Coventry Airport. The international groups used Open Moodle, e-mail, Skype and Learnium to communicate in their globally dispersed teams and complete the design and Civil Engineering project using the BIMM technique.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate appreciation of the importance and impact of cultural diversity in team-based engineering professional practice
  2. Demonstrate an ability to think globally and consider subject-specific issues from a variety of perspectives and contexts

Interactive Activities

Task 1: Project Design
SEPT 2014 – FEB 2015

  • Mixed groups of CU and SCUT students are created for the competitive Tollbar Junction Highway design project.
  • The ‘Outstanding Design of Tollbar End Junction Improvement’ competition is sponsored by engineering companies and assessed by an expert panel:
    • Waterman Group, Regional Director
    • Morgan Sindall, Head of Engineering Services
    • Bridges Pound Ltd, Project Engineer
    • Hyder, Technical Director
  • Students engage in weekly Skype group meetings with international peers to discuss, research, review, critique and prepare design project

Task 2: Submission
FEB 2015

  • Final submission of the alternative design reports

Task 3: Presentations
May 2015

  • Group presentations of designs to academic partners and industry sponsors
  • Panel of industry and Coventry University staff assess group projects based on design, cost-effectiveness, creativity and sustainability factors
  • Winning teams are awarded certificates of achievement from sponsors and the opportunity for graduate training

Task 4: Reflective Evaluation

  • CU and SCUT students reflect on their intercultural experience in group discussions facilitated by prompts/questions pre-agreed by both sets of project leaders
  • Discussions provide opportunity for international peer feedback and perspectives

CU Context

Course: MEng Civil Engineering
Module: Integrated Projects (Level 4)
Participants: 38