SENG

Improving Time Management for Students through the Use of an Educational Game

Project Overview
Project Title	Improving Time Management for Students through the Use of an Educational Game
Project Leader	Prof David Rossiter
School / Dept	SENG / COMP
Project Duration	Jan 2004 - Sept 2004
Project Description	Time management is a major problem encountered by students entering university and it impacts greatly on their learning. For instance, they do not always start working until the deadline is near, resulting in a rushed and poor quality assignment. They have to stay up late, attending early morning lectures with minimal attention or even missing them completely. This project aimed to cultivate an appreciation of effective time management which was achieved through an entertaining but educational game-style simulation.The time management program was similar to the popular ‘Sims’ set of games. Students interacted with the main (simulated) game character ‘Sim’, helping it to perform the major daily tasks they themselves were required to do. In working through this simulation, they learnt how to plan their time effectively.
Project Outcome	The major outcome of this project was the educational software which teaches time management in an original and engaging manner. Project website : http://www.cs.ust.hk/time_management/ Essential parameters in time management are embodied as different entities and attributes in the game. A conference paper named, “Improving time management for students through the use of an educational game” on the project was presented at the Teaching & Learning Symposium 2004.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report Project-end Review by Project Leader
Adaptation	Full Project

Promoting Active Learning through Just-in-time-teaching and Peer Interaction

Project Overview
Project Title	Promoting Active Learning through Just-in-time-teaching and Peer Interaction
Project Leader	Prof Rudolf Fleischer
School / Dept	SENG / COMP
Project Duration	Aug 2002 - Jun 2004
Project Description	Students always have to learn information in class by rote and then regurgitate it in the examination. This project planned to use teaching methods which encouraged students to learn actively and deeply. Instead of going through course materials in class, students worked on their own. Class time was used to engage them in active learning by requiring students to study materials in groups in advance, which they then had to post questions on the web, spending class time to address the questions posted and running the quiz in class and having students responded using PRS handsets.
Project Outcome	A web-based course support system for COMP272 was implemented, built on top of WebCT. This enabled a more smoothly implementation of the Just-in-time Teaching paradigm which fostered active and deep learning among the students.The system could also be used for other courses.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Progress Report: First \| Second \| Third \| Final Report
Adaptation	Full Project

Using the Internet and Wireless Technologies to Achieve Interactive Delivery of Lectures

Project Overview
Project Title	Using the Internet and Wireless Technologies to Achieve Interactive Delivery of Lectures
Project Leader	Prof Gary Chan
School / Dept	SENG / COMP
Project Duration	Sep 2002 - Dec 2004
Project Description	Traditionally, students interact with instructors in classroom lectures. Yet it is not convenient or cost-effective for those students who are working, have access/mobility difficulties, live in a remote area, or experience social isolation such as during the SARS outbreak. With the popularity of broadband Internet connection and wireless medium (Wi-Fi and 3G), a platform for interactive online lectures was developed. This project, "Cyberclassroom," offered a similar experience to traditional teaching but with students connected through the Internet. They may raise questions to their instructors anywhere, anytime using their PCs or laptops over the Internet or wireless medium. Real-time videos, audios and whiteboards were also streamed to the end users. The system was scalable to hundreds of students and made use of current off-the-shelf computing products and state-of-the-art networking techniques. It was cost-effective, breaking geographical limitation in attending lectures. Initial feedback from students using the system was positive and encouraging.
Project Outcome	A system termed “Cyberclassroom” for large-scale delivery for multimedia stream was developed, so that students distributed in the Internet may attend lecture interactively with the instructor and their peers. A paper entitled “ Island Multicast” was presented at the IEEE (i.e. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering) ICC (International Communication Conference) on 20-24 Jun 03. Island Multicast is a tool for global delivery of multimedia streams to a large number (~1000) of users in a scalable manner. A paper entitled “ Cyberclassroom: a large-scale interactive distance-learning platform” was presented at the Teaching and Learning Symposium organized by CELT in May 04. Island Multicast was adopted to support the Cyberclassroom project.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Progress Report: First \| Second \| Third \| Final Report
Adaptation	Full Project

Enhancing Learning through Online Audio Communication

Project Overview
Project Title	Enhancing Learning through Online Audio Communication
Project Leader	Prof David Rossiter
School / Dept	SENG / COMP
Project Duration	Sept 2002 - Jun 2003
Project Description	Internet technology now allows communication to move beyond text. What may serve Internet based teaching better is to support communication through non-textual formats. Bearing this in mind, this project developed a tool supporting Internet-based audio communication. The GONG system (http://www.cs.ust.hk/gong/) being accessible by students and instructors, supported both real-time communication and immediate access to the full history of recorded communications, extendable with further recordings at any point in time. GONG was especially useful for language learning since it provided students the chance to practice language in an easy environment e.g. at home at their own pace. But it also had potential use for an online course where learners were working from different locations.
Project Outcome	Development of the Gong system by releasing an initial version, and then building additional features and fixing bugs through a series of improvements, all released through the Internet: Versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.3.0, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.3.3. Main features of the developed Gong system: i) Text/audio board inside a browser; ii) groups of people can talk to each other with text and/or audio chat; and iii) a web-based administration module provides ease in managing the system. Working with CL3, Language Center, and the Computer Science Department to try out the Gong software in real-world environments. Forthcoming - extension of the Gong system by 10 Final Year Project students from the Computer Science Department.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report
Adaptation	Full Project

Development of the Visualization and Simulation Models in Material Technology and Failures Related Courses

Project Overview
Project Title	Development of the Visualization and Simulation Models in Material Technology and Failures Related Courses
Project Leader	Prof Jang-Kyo Kim & Prof T Y Zhang
School / Dept	SENG/ MECH
Project Duration	Jan 2004 - Dec 2004
Project Description	The project aimed to stimulate students’ self-learning ability instead of being spoon-fed. By using videos and animations, they would understand the subject and its industrial applications better. By viewing the multimedia on the Internet, students could enjoy learning the material at home or anywhere. The use of a discussion forum facilitated the collection of students’ commonly encountered questions, so that instructors could spend more time on explaining them.
Project Outcome	Development and refinement of seven animations as originally planned. Production and refinement of four videos. Applications of the visualization and simulation models in the course offered in Fall 2004, MECH242 Engineering Materials II.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report
Adaptation	Full Project

Developing Visual Tools for Crystal Structures and Reciprocal Lattice

Project Overview
Project Title	Developing Visual Tools for Crystal Structures and Reciprocal Lattice
Project Leader	Prof Yang Leng
School / Dept	SENG / MECH
Project Duration	Jan 2004 - Jun 2005
Project Description	Teaching crystal structures is always challenging. Students find it difficult to visualize 3D atomic arrangements by studying 2D diagrams. It is also hard to picture the reciprocal lattice space of a crystal structure, which is essential in grasping electron diffraction patterns.The best answer is to devise a computer assisted tool which allows students to view 3D crystal structures in cyberspace. The project aimed to develop visual tools of 3D crystal structures and reciprocal lattices in cyberspace. Two groups of tools were developed, one for crystal structures showing specific 3D configuration and the other for reciprocal lattices generating certain crystallographic orientation image of a specific crystal structure and parameters input by users.It was hoped that visual aids of these 3D crystal structures and reciprocal lattices would increase students’ understanding of the subject.
Project Outcome	Developed software of 3D models of calcium phosphate crystal structures. Developed software of 3D models of crystallographic planes of metallic crystals. Developed software of reciprocal lattices of crystal structures.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Progress Report: First \| Second \| Final Report Project-Cend Review by Project Leader
Adaptation	Full Project

Web-based Interactive Tool for Visualization of Structural Analysis with Finite Element Simulation

Project Overview
Project Title	Web-based Interactive Tool for Visualization of Structural Analysis with Finite Element Simulation
Project Leader	Prof Ricky Lee
School / Dept	SENG / MECH
Project Duration	Jan 2005 - Dec 2005
Project Description	The original project generated some finite element based visualization and simulation for structural analysis. The products of this project were a set of animation files in AVI format. However, and the users needed to acquire the AVI files first and then played them in a sequential mode for presentation. The proposed project was an adaptation to the previous by developing a web-based interactive tool. This interactive tool served as an interface between the end users and the products of the original project. The main features included a pull-down menu, index search, multi-frame animation, and online tutorials/rating/feedback. The major objective of this project was to faster students’ self-learning.
Project Outcome	The major outcome of the present project was a HTML-based source code that has the features of tabling contents, schematic annotations, rendering of animations, on-line rating and feedback. During the project period, the following deliverables were implemented: developing a web-based interactive tool for the intended functions, incorporating all functions into a course website, releasing the draft version of the web tool to MECH101 students for the trial run, improving the web page layout based on the feedback from the trial run, releasing the final version of the web tool to CIVL231 students for evaluation and conducting the final survey and summarize the statistics.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report
Adaptation	Adaptation from 3D Visualization and Simulation of Structures using Finite Element Analysis for Teaching

Team-based Supplemental Instruction in an Engineering Course on Grand Challenges

Project Overview
Project Title	Team-based Supplemental Instruction in an Engineering Course on Grand Challenges
Project Leader	Prof Neil Mickleborough and Prof Edmond Ko
School / Dept	SENG / CIVL & E²I
Project Duration	Jan 2012 - Dec 2013
Project Description	The project proposed an approach in which students were recruited and trained as 'peer team coaches'. The idea was to take the Supplemental Instruction model for senior students acted as role models to junior students, and extended it to team-based learning. It aimed at developing students' problem-solving, teamwork, leadership , pedagogical and coaching skills.
Project Outcome	The project led to an enhancement in student learning. After the course, students were able to demonstrate problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership skills. Peer tutors acquired pedagogical and coaching skills. Deliverables include: Training materials for peer tutors Assessment rubrics Sharing of project results within HKUST to promote the inquiry-based pedagogies
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report Project-end Review by Project Leader
Adaptation	Full Project

Leadership Development for Engineering Students

Project Overview
Project Title	Leadership Development for Engineering Students
Project Leader	Prof Kam Tim Tse
School / Dept	SENG / CIVL
Project Duration	Feb 2012 - Jan 2014
Project Description	The project aimed to strengthen the leadership training of students in the present curriculum by organizing group projects that were designed based on real consultant projects. The project teams were established from engineering students of various years; which senior students were the team leaders who had to mobilize the teammates from junior students to complete the projects.
Project Outcome	The major outcomes and deliverables of the project are: a set of lecture note on leadership attributes and skills; three sets of questionnaires to measure the leadership skill, styles and matrix; leadership rubrics particularly suitable for engineering students.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report Project-end Review by Project Leader
Adaptation	Full Project

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The Development and Use of General and Discipline Specific Problem Sets to Enhance the Achievement of Learning Outcomes in the Course “Introduction to Computing with Excel VBA” and Development of Assessment Methodologies for Engineering Programming Skills

Project Overview
Project Title	The Development and Use of General and Discipline Specific Problem Sets to Enhance the Achievement of Learning Outcomes in the Course “Introduction to Computing with Excel VBA” and Development of Assessment Methodologies for Engineering Programming Skills
Project Leader	Prof John Barford
School / Dept	SENG / CBME
Project Duration	Nov 2011 - Jun 2013
Project Description	This project developed discipline-specific problem sets to compliment the learning outcomes in the course "Introduction to Computing with Excel VBA". It stimulated student’s interest in programming by the use of selected problem sets which directly related to material covered in subsequent discipline specific core courses. This interactive learning of engineering programming skills in the classroom environment served as a precursor to developing an online teaching module. In addition, the corresponding assessment methodologies to assess engineering programming skills would be developed.
Project Outcome	Development of Engineering Problem Sets in Selected Core Courses in CBME and Civil and Environmental Engineering, which build on and enhance the course material of Introduction to Computing with Excel VBA. Improvement in student learning by application of 1). Motivating students to replace abstract computer programming concepts with targeted applications that are interesting and practical. Development of rubrics to evaluate students' engineering programming skills.
Status	Completed
Project Documents (Only accessible by HKUST users)	Project Plan Final Report Project-end Review by Project Leader
Adaptation	Full Project

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