A community effort Teaching design skills at UKZN
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E D U CAT I O N
Teaching design skills at UKZN:
Prof Malcolm Jaros
a community effort
OVERVIEW sion forums, file sharing, and anonymous
Department Civil Engineering In response to criticism that many peer evaluation, and the students submit,
University of KwaZulu-Natal engineering graduates are “unemploy- with their portfolio, a spreadsheet that
jaros@ukzn.ac.za able”, or lacking in marketable skills, directs the examiners' attention to evi-
the capstone Civil Engineering Design dence of their compliance with each of
Project at the University of KwaZulu- the specific outcomes required by the
Natal has been transformed over the Engineering Council of South Africa
Prof Derek Stretch
Department Civil Engineering past five years. To the original Design (ECSA 2004) for professional accredita-
University of KwaZulu-Natal Project module, for which students tion purposes.
stretchd@ukzn.ac.za “independently research a relevant civil Feedback from the professional com-
engineering issue and produce a profes- munity has been favourable and it is
sionally presented portfolio”, has been concluded that the transformation has not
added an introductory Group Phase. In only improved the quality of graduates
Prof Christina McLeod
Department Civil Engineering teams of eight the students spend the as potential engineers, but has done so in
University of KwaZulu-Natal first month of the final semester of the a structured manner that has eased the
mcleodc@ukzn.ac.za BSc Eng programme compiling a feasi- work load on the academic staff.
bility design report for a multi-faceted
civil engineering development of cur- INTRODUCTION
rent local interest. Engineers who were As the South African society grows in size
involved in the design of the develop- and in lifestyle expectations, well-trained
ment present its principle features and civil engineers are needed to build, main-
constraints and provide site-specific tain and improve physical infrastructure
information. These same engineers, or while addressing environmental sustain-
their suitably qualified colleagues, sub- ability challenges.
sequently serve as external examiners of As a consequence of the inadequate
the students’ final design portfolios. The educational opportunities available
objectives are to broaden the conceptual to their forebears, few young South
approach to engineering design, ad- Africans interact with technologically
dress social, ethical and environmental successful role models. The dominant
concerns regarding sustainability, and social imperative to improve the life
to involve potential future employers of quality of a large proportion of the
the students in the completion of their population absorbs resources that could
academic education. otherwise be used for advancement of
An internet Learning Management the technologically gifted. Rather than
System (Moodle 2013) is used for discus- strengthen teaching methods to im-
62 September 2013 Civil Engineering
prove pass rates in secondary education, are experienced mentors of graduates- details the critical local shortage of
challenging course content is trimmed in-training but, typically, not qualified adequately trained engineers and tech-
and “higher grade” mathematical or educators. nologists and provides clear evidence of
scientific subjects are discarded and To participate and flourish in a global the dependence of sustainable economic
replaced by “literacy courses”. market of trans-national collaboration and social development in South Africa
Universities tasked with trans- and joint ventures it is essential that the on the number, quality and demographic
forming ill-prepared matriculants into quality of local engineers is continuously distribution of trained civil engineering
engineering graduates are over-reliant monitored and upgraded. To this end, professionals.
on procedural teaching methods that the accreditation requirements (ECSA
disengage the students from their envi- 2004) of the Engineering Council of South ECSA ACCREDITATION OF THE CIVIL
ronment and stifle the self-confident and Africa have been realigned to the out- ENGINEERING BSc Eng PROGRAMME
creative attitude that is the hallmark of a comes and objectives of the Washington AT UKZN
successful professional engineer. Accord of 1989, to which ECSA was All tertiary education programmes in
This article describes how voluntary admitted as a full signatory in 1999 South Africa that lead to the award of
assistance from experienced design engi- (International Engineering Alliance 2013). degrees required to register as Pr Eng
neers, some retired or employed outside are audited quinquennially by ECSA. At
academia, has alleviated staff shortages SUPPLY AND DEMAND UKZN the Civil Engineering BSc Eng
and encouraged graduates-to-be to engage The number of pre-qualified applicants programme was audited in 2008 and the
with the communities that they will serve for enrolment as civil engineering 2013 audit was in progress at the time of
and the environment that they will be students at UKZN has consistently writing this article. The audit evaluates a
expected to improve. exceeded the annual limit of 100 ac- wide range of qualities (ECSA 2004) that
ceptances that is constrained by the engineering programmes must exhibit
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND size of available lecture venues and in order to meet the standards required
The University of KwaZulu-Natal has, on the limited number of teaching staff. for accreditation, including enrolment
five campuses and across all disciplines, a All completing students are believed criteria, course content, laboratory equip-
total student population of over 40 000 of to have found permanent employment ment, computing and teaching facilities,
whom over 9 000 are postgraduates in South Africa within three months administration, documentation, staffing
(UKZN 2013). In the years immediately of graduating, unless they were either levels and qualifications, assessment
preceding the creation of UKZN by the foreign nationals without work permits criteria and exam pass rates. Of special
merging in 2004 of the University of or had opted to continue with post- interest here are the ten mandatory
Natal, Durban (UND) with the University graduate education. Criticism by em- competencies expressed as Exit Level
of Durban-Westville (UDW) and other ployer bodies of the quality of tertiary Outcomes (ELOs) that must demon-
institutions of tertiary education, the education has become muted in relation strably be attained by every graduate from
two Durban universities offered similar to more strident complaints regarding the programme. The ELOs may be briefly
four-year BSc Eng programmes in civil the quality of primary and secondary paraphrased as the ability to competently:
engineering, although UDW experienced schooling. While imperfections in the 1. Identify, assess, formulate and solve
difficulty in maintaining programme ac- South African education system as a concrete and abstract engineering
creditation. whole are being addressed at national problems that require judgement to
UND had some ten academics government level the education of civil deal with uncertainty.
teaching classes of between thirty and engineers has relied upon support from 2. Apply, from basic principles, math-
forty students, UDW about half as many. utility providers, local government ematical and scientific knowledge
The class sizes doubled following the bodies and commercial organisations to the solution of open-ended engi-
merger, and continue to grow, but the either directly through endowments neering problems.
combined staff complement dwindled and and salary subventions or indirectly 3. Creatively plan and execute the engi-
morale suffered under the perception that through organisations such as the South neering design process to recognise
academic standards were at risk, if not African Institution of Civil Engineering and meet user needs within appli-
already compromised. (SAICE), the South African Federation cable social, legal, health, safety and
Research has been strongly pro- of Civil Engineering Contractors environmental constraints.
moted at UKZN, diverting the attention (SAFCEC) and Consulting Engineers 4. Design and conduct investigations
of the thinly stretched academic staff South Africa (CESA). and experiments, after critical review
from the teaching of undergraduates. For UKZN civil engineering this sup- of existing related knowledge, to
This research-centred ethos is expected port is a reflection of sustained engage- advance understanding of a phenom-
to improve long-term sustainability by ment over several decades by academic enon and recommend a course of
attracting and developing new teachers leaders with alumni and the engineering action.
and academic leaders, but until that community, invigorated in 2008 by the 5. Select and use appropriate engi-
eventuates it has been necessary, and SAICE report “Numbers and Needs” neering methods, skills and tools,
also beneficial in engineering and (Lawless 2008) compiled and promoted including numerical modelling, and
related disciplines, to augment the by Allyson Lawless FRAE, who graduated to critically evaluate the accuracy,
teaching staff by engaging active or from UND in 1973 and became president meaning and relevance of the end
retired professional practitioners who of SAICE in 2000. The report starkly results.
Civil Engineering September 2013 63
6. Communicate effectively both in The 2008 audit was successful to the rational and efficient substitute for the old
writing and orally, with engineering extent that civil engineering at UKZN and has improved uniformity of assess-
audiences and the community at was found to have actively engaged ment standards across portfolios that vary
large, using appropriate language, the 2004 version of the ECSA E-02-PE: in subject matter and complexity.
drawing and audio-visual skills. Standards (ECSA 2004) and was the first
7. Demonstrate critical awareness of BSc Eng programme (together with an THE CIVIL ENGINEERING
the impact of engineering activity associated programme of Agricultural DESIGN PROJECT
on the social, industrial and physical Engineering) to achieve an unconditional The two 24-credit capstone modules
environment, i.e. to incorporate sus- five-year accreditation in terms of these of the final semester have always been
tainability into the design process. standards. However, acclaim was not regarded as showpieces of the ability of
8. Work effectively as an individual, in unanimous. The exit report of the au- the students, as individuals with minimal
teams and in multidisciplinary en- diting team highlighted weaknesses that supervision, to conduct scientific re-
vironments, accepting support from needed attention, and the reaction of the search (Dissertation) and engineering
and assisting group members while academic staff, and especially of their as- design (Design Project). Students were
making a specific individual contri- sisting professional practitioners, to the traditionally allowed, under the guidance
bution. emphasis on assessing compliance with of a nominated Supervisor, to select and
9. Engage in independent learning the ten ELOs was not encouraging. The develop their own topics and, broadly
through well-developed learning wording and format, if not the intent, of speaking, each topic was unique. That
skills by sourcing, critically evalu- the ELOs were unfamiliar and there was a is largely still true for the Dissertation,
ating and organising information suspicion that their purpose was to mask but the transition to the outcomes-based
with initiative in complex or ill- a lowering of standards that would be ex- assessment system and specifically the
defined contexts. acerbated by loading the staff with unnec- need, in terms of ELO 8, to demonstrate
10. Act professionally and ethically in essary administrative tasks. Resentment the ability “to work effectively … in teams
the exercise of judgement, identifying was fuelled by the requirement, lacking a and in multidisciplinary environments”
and accepting responsibility for common set of criteria, to make both an motivated the addition of the preliminary
working within personal boundaries “outcomes based” and a “quality mark” group phase to the individual Design
of competence. assessment of each student. This conun- Project.
Evidence of compliance with each of the drum was resolved (Stretch 2007) by com- The Design Project is themed each
ten Outcomes is required from every piling an assessment questionnaire for year on a multi-faceted development of
student, either in the Design Project or the Design Project (and another for the current public interest. The development
the concurrent Research Dissertation Dissertation) in which the questions were may be in the planning stage, out to
to which the final semester is devoted, worded in the terminology of the ELOs, tender, under construction or fully com-
although most of the Outcomes would but the responses were weighted and ag- missioned. Key requirements are that the
have been addressed to varying degrees gregated in a spreadsheet that mimicked purpose and characteristic features of the
in previous years and evidenced in the the “quality mark” assessments of the development have been widely publicised,
assignments and externally moderated traditional system. Experience in usage that an extensive database of design
examinations of the three “major” mod- and improvements in the functionality features and constraints (geotechnical,
ules of the penultimate semester and two of the spreadsheets have since persuaded environmental and survey reports) are
“minor” final year modules (see Table 1). the examiners that the new system is a accessible (preferably in the public do-
Table 1 Outcomes addressed in externally moderated exit-level modules
Credit ECSA
MODULE DESCRIPTOR MODULE MARK DISTRIBUTION
wt. Outcomes*
Semester 1 Not moderated Moderated
Ground & Structural Group work 20%
16 Final Exam 60% 1, 2 & 3
Engineering Tests 20%
Water & Environmental
16 Test & assignments 40% Final Exam 60% 1, 2 & 3
Engineering
Transport & Environmental
16 Test & assignments 40% Final Exam 60% 1, 2 & 3
Management
Professional Practice 8 Test & assignments 40% Final Exam 60% 8 & 10
Semester 2 Not moderated Moderated
Management of
8 Test & assignments 40% Final Exam 60% 7 & 10
Construction Contracts
Group work 25% All except
Design Project 24
Individual 75% 4&9
Dissertation 24 100% All except 3
* Outcomes that are addressed in each module but summatively assessed only in the Design Project and Dissertation
64 September 2013 Civil Engineeringmain) to the students, and that significant the fourteen weeks available for simul- student to “rank the members of your
elements of the development have been taneous completion of the Design and Group, including yourself, from highest
designed by locally based engineers who the Dissertation. Instead, the peer pres- to lowest” in each of seven categories
are willing and qualified to familiarise the sure and group dynamic was found to that can be captioned respectively
students with their design topic, arrange accelerate progress and to significantly as Innovator, Researcher, Calculator,
site inspections, seminars and Q & A ses- improve the quality of work over that of Illustrator, Draughtsman, Editor and
sions where appropriate and, ultimately, previous years. The submission date for Motivator. The “radio-button” format of
to act as External Examiners. Recent the Design has now been brought for- the Questionnaire does not allow two
Projects were: ward by three weeks, making more time persons to receive the same rank in the
2010: Greenfield development of a resort available for completion of the research same category. For any one category this
village incorporating a river estuary. Dissertation. is unfair where several members have
2011: New town centre with a commuter The demands on the voluntary contributed equally, but across the seven
rail terminal beneath a multi-storey Supervisors and Mentors have also been categories it is not difficult to adjust re-
shopping centre, bus and taxi-ranks, reduced. After an introductory workshop sponses to compensate for such injustices
adjacent to a hospital and a wetland. and site visit on the first two days of the or even to ensure that all members in the
2012: Dig-out harbour with facilities to semester, during the group phase all stu- Group receive the same overall ranking.
trans-ship 12 million containers per dent queries are channelled through the That the APA contributes only 2½%
annum. Module Facilitator who acts as Supervisor to the aggregate grading does not detract
For each Project eight specific Design to the entire class. from its purpose of promoting team ef-
Topics were identified of which four were fort. The key element is that the students
structural (reinforced concrete, steel- Enhanced student interaction and engagement are made aware, before they start the
framed, post-tensioned concrete and The Module Facilitator (and Supervisors Group phase, of the criteria that will
geotechnical) and four civil engineering or Mentors) normally respond only to be used to assess their performance as
(transport, hydrodynamic, reticulation messages received through an online team members. This may help the Group
and waste treatment). The class was di- forum that delivers the messages simulta- achieve a better overall grade mark, but
vided into groups of eight and the Topics neously to the student's particular group it also counters the tendency of weaker
distributed by negotiation between the or, if of a more general interest, to the students, in a group work situation, to sit
eight group members. The group had four entire class. The enforced team interac- back and wait for others to carry the load.
weeks to assess the data provided, identify tion helps most students, especially the
and source further information and com- introverted, to explore new ways to find Broader attention to sustainable development
pile a Feasibility Report that described the solutions and reduces the time demand Two of the three exit level “major” mod-
essential features and constraints of the on the Supervisors who can more use- ules include environmental engineering
development. Crucially, the report had to fully respond to less frequent and better and environmental management, but
include detailed design briefs for each of formulated appeals for guidance. Students few of the Design Topics maintain this
the eight Design Topics, developed from who have difficulty communicating their focus on engineering for sustainable
descriptions of the client’s requirements problems to a Supervisor can often find development. While it would normally
as defined jointly by the module coordi- solutions through discussion with peers be inherent in the design of a wastewater
nator and the external examiners. who, if they cannot help directly, can treatment facility, and Green Star rat-
Three days after delivering the printed suggest ways to pursue the query through ings attract much attention in the design
copy each group made an audio-visual other channels. of habitable structures, sustainability
presentation of their report to the exam- is seldom a prominent element in the
iners who determined a common group The Learning Management System (LMS) and design of, for example, a railway bridge.
mark constituting 20% of the aggregated Anonymous Peer Assessment (APA) Environmental legislature is complex and,
course mark plus an individual 5%, of The LMS (Moodle 2013) is an inter-active at the design and planning stage, sustain-
which half was determined by anony- website that encourages and records peer ability requirements need to be consid-
mous peer assessment by the members communication and access to a common ered on a multi-disciplinary basis that
themselves and half by the examiners' database. In addition to these typical pro- is of too broad a scope to be dealt with,
perceptions of the contribution made by ject management functions it has special in the time-scale of the Design Project,
each member to the group effort. The features that particularly enhance the by individual students. The Group phase
groups then disbanded and the students Group phase of the Design. encourages the consideration of sustain-
continued to complete their Design Topic After delivery of the Group reports able development at a higher level and on
portfolios as individuals, in the traditional all students are required to each submit a broader base than is warranted in the
fashion. an APA of the members of their Group Individual phase.
through the Questionnaire facility
ADVANTAGES ACCRUING FROM THE (Questionnaire 2013). All of the students ASSESSMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL
GROUP PHASE have, in a previous semester, participated PHASE OF THE DESIGN PROJECT
Improved productivity in a similar APA designed to address Self-assessment by the students
Introduced essentially to meet ELO 8, concerns regarding invasion of privacy, or With the completed Design Portfolio,
the Group Phase was initially perceived “spying on their friends”. each student includes a self-assessment
by the students as four weeks lost from The APA Questionnaire requires the in the form of a five-page spreadsheet
Civil Engineering September 2013 65workbook on which the criteria relating granted a seven day “upgrade period” hours of oral examination. Under these
to each of the eight Outcomes are in which to provide additional sup- conditions it became a simple matter to
briefly paraphrased. For each Outcome porting evidence of compliance. find eight External Examiners and eight
the student identifies the section of the Supervisors, each willing to deal in a
portfolio where evidence of compliance Advantage of having Eight Design Topics structured fashion with ten students ex-
can be found (Figure 1). The Examiners' When the students had a wide choice of ecuting similar design briefs over a period
task is to check the evidence and enter design topics it was difficult to find, for of seven weeks, reduced from the original
into the spreadsheet a quantitative as- each individual student, a Supervisor, eleven weeks by the separately supervised
sessment of the extent to which each an Internal and an External Examiner. and assessed four week Group phase.
Outcome has been met. The assess- A complex task for a class of 40 students It also became feasible for the module
ments are automatically aggregated becomes unmanageable with class sizes Coordinator to overview all eight of
(Figure 2) and reported on a covering of 80 or more. Within the limited pool of the eight-hour oral examination ses-
summary sheet. If all eight Outcomes qualified External Examiners, few were sions, at which the Internal and External
have clearly been adequately addressed willing to assess more than two design Examiners jointly agreed assessments,
then the student is awarded a final portfolios and, with dozens of Examiners to effectively normalise the quality of
mark that includes those marks previ- assessing unrelated designs, the quality marking across the Eight Design Topics.
ously awarded in the Group phase. If of the marking was sometimes erratic.
at least one Outcome has clearly not The single standardised Outcomes-based CONCLUSIONS
been met then the student has failed assessment procedure, embedded into The BSc capstone Civil Engineering
the module. If it is uncertain whether the self-assessment workbook, made it Design Project module at UKZN has
one or, marginally, two Outcomes possible to grade-mark ten portfolios been modified, primarily to include an
have been met then the student is in a total of 24 hours, including eight initial Group phase but also to produce,
Figure 1: Details provided by student of evidence of compliance with Outcome 2
Figure 2: Explanation and summary of aggregated Outcome and "quality" mark
66 September 2013 Civil Engineeringfor each student, detailed evidence of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES
compliance with eight targeted ECSA It is a pleasure to acknowledge the ECSA 2004. E-02-PE: Standards
Outcomes. These changes have further substantial contributions made by our for Accredited BSc(Eng)/Beng
served to: partners in the local civil engineering Programmes. Engineering Council
NNimprove the students’ understanding of industry to the development of the of South Africa, http://www.ecsa.
what they should deliver and how that Design Project as outlined above. Their co.za/documents/040726_E-02-PE_
will be assessed, participation in the mentoring of students Whole_Qualification_Standard.pdf
NNrelate the Design Project to current, and the external examination process is International Engineering Alliance 2013.
high-profile, local developments “in the key to the success of this initiative. They http://www.washingtonaccord.org/
real world”, include Abdool Satharia, Alan Spence, Washington-Accord/signatories.cfm
NNbring sustainable development to Allan Vorster, Andrew Aucamp, Andrew Jaros, M & Stretch, D 2013. Can Civil
the forefront of the design process Mather, Andrew Scott, Barry Kriel, Carlos Engineering Students be Taught
(Outcomes 3 and 7), Esteves, Cary Kroeger, Clint Chrystal, Design Skills? EESD13 Conference:
NNdevelop and assess each student’s Clive Wilson, Corrie Meintjes, Dave “Rethinking the Engineer”,
ability to function as an effective team Allpass, Gary Hooper, Gary Visser, Geoff Cambridge, September 2013.
member (Outcome 8), Purnell, Gons Poonan, Graham Simpson, Lawless, A 2008. Numbers & Needs
NNbuild peer assessment into the grading Grant ListerJames, Hugh Ahrens, Jan in local government. South African
process and encourage student interac- Jefferiss, Jim Woodward, Joe Brahmin, Institution of Civil Engineering. ISBN
tion, Johann McLeod, Josh Padayachee, Ken Number: 978-0-620-39928-9
NNfacilitate participation of experienced Schwartz, LeeZane Greyling, Linda Ness, Moodle 2013. https://moodle.org
practising and retired professional de- Lionel Moore, Malcolm Mitchell, Mark Questionnaire 2013. http://docs.moodle.
sign engineers, Howard, Mick Sugden, Pieter Boorsma, org/24/en/Questionnaire_module
NNengage employer bodies in the final Rob Pigott, Rob Sander, Rob Young, Stretch, D E 2007. Assessment Process
phase of the education of potential em- Rod Stretch, Rod Tifflin, Russell Davies, for ECSA Exit Level Outcomes.
ployees, and Shaun Dixon, Simon Scruton, Stefano CESC – AO/1/2007 UKZN, 2013,
NNhandle greatly increased student num- Corbella, Tex Westgate, Tony Smith, http://www.ukzn.ac.za
bers with a reduced staff complement. Wiero Vogelsang.
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