PhD Defence by Deborah Carberry

Principal supervisor
Associate Professor Ulrich Krühne
DTU Chemical Engineering

Co-supervisor
Professor John Woodley
DTU Chemical Engineering

Examiners
Professor Krist Gernay (Chairman)
DTU Chemical Engineering

Professor Rainer Krull
Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany

Associate Professor Gerardo Perozziello
University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Italy

Chairperson at defense
Researcher Marina Yovkova Linova
DTU Chemical Engineering

Popular summary

The engineering industry has matured to the extent that one can consider its principles and use cases as well established.  This maturity is echoed in the undergraduate education system where competency frameworks are stable.  However, digital tools and digital realities are emerging with the capacity to reinvent the concept of the classroom, and this raises questions about the University’s approach to the future of engineering education.   

This PhD study explored new value propositions for systems engineering education via the design of several digital and game-based instructional tools.  Noting the key challenges throughout these design projects, the study concluded that several bottlenecks in the adoption of instructional innovation at research-led universities are related to teaching strategies and sector-wide cultural practices.       

With a view to lowering the resistance among teacher-researchers to engage in novel instructional systems design, the thesis set out to develop a multi-stakeholder collaboration tool. 

This tool, called The IPS Board, is inspired by the movement for visual collaboration tools, an example of which, is Business Model Generation.     

Benchmarking the IPS Board against the Passow Portrait of general engineering competencies, it was observed that what is unique about the IPS system is that it supports syllabus design. 

Using the IPS Board to evaluate three digital reality design options for a Pilot Plant training tool, the IPS system indicated that VR Simulators are a good choice for training people how to respond in emergencies, that a VR Explorer application is a good candidate for building familiarity with an environment and for practising new skills in performing operations, whilst a VR Narratives application is a good option for introducing users to new subjects via visual demonstrations.   

It is envisioned that the IPS board can contribute to a wider strategy to increase novel instructional design at situated universities.