Möbius – Technical Foundation Year Södertälje
The project's objective was to develop and implement digital control tests in mathematics and physics for two courses within the technical foundation year in Södertälje. Additionally, the project involved creating digital materials within these courses, enabling students to self-assess and evaluate their understanding of the subjects they had been studying.
Background and problem definition
We have conducted two digital control tests in each of the foundation year courses Mathematics (ML0021) and Physics (ML0022). For these tests, we used the tool ”Möbius” integrated into Canvas. We have developed self-assessment exercises, providing students with weekly feedback on their learning progress. Additionally, we developed and conducted preparatory exercises in Möbius to train students to handle the tool’s functionalities. Many students also showed interest in interactive online exercises during the course. This project aims to incorporate the tests and training into other courses.
What we want to achieve
Our goals are teacher development in engineering education using interactive online learning materials, and the advancement of data-driven engineering education. We want to develop and implement digital control tests for both mathematics and physics, as well as digital preparatory tasks for physics laboratory work. In addition to this we want to develop digital teaching activities and establish an optional interactive calculation workshop (VIRS).
Challenges
The main challenge has been getting other teachers interested in adopting our methods in their courses. We offered ready-made control exams to administer in Flemingsberg, but too few students completed them. The lack of interest may be related to the campus relocation, but the same low interest exists among the teachers at KTH Campus. The shortage of tailored courses focusing on the use of Möbius in engineering education could also be an organisational issue. Mixed groups have been shown to produce the best results, still there is a lack of collaboration between the IT department and teachers involved in pedagogical development.
Suggestions for improvement
There are many development opportunities in the project that we would like to implement in other courses as well. Particularly, creating level-adapted exercises in Möbius for students to practice at their current level. We also want to design different exercise tasks, implement them in teaching, and develop adaptive exercises. Another way to improve the project would involve testing continuous examination weekly and compare the results with the final exam after the completion of the course.
Results and lessons learnt
We have gained valuable experience in planning and conducting digital activities and examinations in Möbius. To implement the use of the tool in other courses, teaching staff need to be involved in the project. During the spring, to continue developing the project, we think it is important to more clearly connect teaching, learning, and examination. There is also need for system support and a closer collaboration between teachers and the IT department.
Next step
We would like to organise a pedagogical workshop for teachers on teaching with interactive online learning materials. Ideally, we would organise it like a further education course. At the same time, we seek to engage research teams focusing on Learning Analytics to collaborate on designing a further education course for teachers centered on data-driven engineering education.