It’s 3 a.m.; you stare at your computer screen. You stare at the words and equations scattered across your notes, barely registering. You struggle to recall seeing the material in the tutorials, or in the lectures. The exam is in 12 hours and you still have to get through 5 chapters. You’ve barely practiced any assignments. You’re going to have to pull an all-nighter. Your eyes are blurry and your eyelids are fighting to stay open. The sentences stretch across your screen, unfamiliar and endless. You’re not sure you covered this in class at all. You’re not sure if coffee has any effect on your body anymore. After so much time, how could you know so little?
Sound familiar? Know that you’re not alone. A number of academic literature indicates that many engineering students learn material more efficiently when they are able to apply concepts in a practical context. Even if students are able to understand the course concepts – after spending far too long trying to learn the material through purely theoretical analysis – they do not retain their knowledge, making it necessary to relearn when they encounter it in more advanced courses. This is a vicious cycle. Students who often have trouble understanding course material from a purely lecture-based instruction method are finally able to comprehend these concepts one or several semesters later, when they have been exposed to it through co-op, where they are able to apply theory to concrete, real world problems or situations. Too little, too late. If there was only a way to duplicate that experience while you were studying the course material…
Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE) is a group that operates within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. WCDE works to reconcile the chasm between the theoretical knowledge taught in class, and the experience gained from real-life engineering. Having worked as a WCDE last term, I can promise that we continuously strive to meet our goal of bridging the gap between the conceptual and practical. As an electrical engineering student, I can vouch for the usefulness of case studies in making theoretical, disconnected information from class understandable by tying it with practical situations. WCDE creates engineering design cases for courses throughout the engineering curriculum. The case method of teaching, a staple in business schools, has been cited as an effective method of instruction due to its basis on real-life situations. Used with great success by business schools, engineering programs at Waterloo have been integrating them into their own curriculums to enhance and engage engineering students.
How do we do this? WCDE creates engineering cases from student work term reports and projects. These cases complement and enhance traditional lectures, allowing for students to demonstrate knowledge of course concepts in a practical context. WCDE’s case studies tap into the large pool of student work term reports. And you can help!
WCDE is always on the lookout for interesting work term reports (WTRs). Writing is not your strength? No problem! Our team at WCDE takes WTRs that you have already completed, and converts them into case studies. Having your WTR turned into a case study benefits you by:
- Providing you with a chance to have your work be published
- Contributing to the enhancement of education at the University of Waterloo
- Giving you additional credits for your resume
You’ll be credited as an author for your contributions, and you barely have to lift a finger! If you’re keen on participating more heavily in the case development process, you can participate in the case writing opportunities we have every semester (entry for our current opportunity ends on April 15). The winning entries each receive $500, so watch out for these opportunities! Finally, if you want to improve your WTRs, WCDE offers a variety of services and assistance for WTR writing. Let WCDE show you that learning doesn’t have to be painful!
WCDE can be reached by email at design@design.uwaterloo.ca. Visit our website at uwaterloo.ca/engineering-cases/students/case-writing-competition/ or come see us in E5 2112 for more information!
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