Four Case Studies of Adapting Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Abstract

Four different instances of enquiry-based learning (EBL), developed in a School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, are described. Key decisions in the design of these activities are detailed, emphasising flexibility in approach. Although the activities took place in broadly the same environment, the local contexts required subtle tailoring. The design decisions taken in each case are described and general overviews from integrative evaluations are provided. An emergent distinction between the forms of EBL developed was between those that focused on generic or specific skills and those that focused on content knowledge; these may be termed project-based learning and problem-based learning respectively. The influence of the focus of the activity on the design decisions is described.