Evaluating the case for employing E-Portfolio tools during the Final Year Engineering Project

Abstract

The Final Year Project is an integral part of an engineering degree programme. At the University of Bradford's School of Engineering, Design and Technology (SoEDT), the project spans two semesters and is worth 30 credits or the equivalent of 300 hours of work. A student works under the guidance of a supervisor on a particular topic that usually involves some experimental activity, and is required to apply a variety of personal and technical skills as part of the project process. At Bradford, the Final Year Engineering Project (FYEP) concludes with summative assessment, in terms of a technical report and poster presentation, both of which occur at the end of the second semester. For most students the FYEP represents a new way of working, while the nature of supervision can vary from hugely rewarding to very disappointing. There is possible scope for improving the FYEP experience, from the perspectives of supervisor and student, through the use of e-portfolio tools, which make use of the Web to provide the means for maintaining communication, monitoring progress and developing a student¿s skills portfolio. If e-portfolio tools are to be considered as a possible integral part of the FYEP process, then an appreciation of the current FYEP experience among students and supervisors must first be gained. In this paper, quantitative and qualitative results are presented based on face-to-face semi-structured interviews with academic supervisors and responses to on-line questionnaires from supervisors and final year engineering students at the SoEDT. The results provide an insight into the practices and techniques employed as part of the FYEP, and identify where training is needed to develop particular project skills. The results provide a basis for the development of an e-portfolio application that supports the FYEP experience, which is introduced to conclude the paper.