ACTIVE LEARNING IN NAVAL ARCHITECTURE

Knowledge of naval architecture is a fundamental requirement for those working in the marine industry. The ability to design and construct marine vehicles requires the understanding of many theoretical principles. In a naval architecture course, the breadth and depth of content to be covered is very broad. There is always a danger that educators will resort to delivering every lesson in transmission mode, adopting a “tell-all” approach that focuses only on the development of theoretical knowledge. This paper describes the changes made to the learning design of a module, Naval Architecture I, offered by the School of Engineering in Ngee Ann Polytechnic to enhance learning. This module is a foundational module taken by learners without background knowledge in this area of discipline. The key change involved a shift from the traditional “tell-all” approach to one that is more constructivist and experiential. Lessons were re-designed to include activities that encouraged active engagements from learners in learning. Opportunities to develop learners in their personal and professional skills such as e-competency, teamwork and communication were also woven into the lesson. The paper will describe (1) a change in laboratory experience to support theory-to-practice progression by getting learners to physically construct a model of the hull-form, verify their computations and discuss any variations observed. (2) the use of a ship simulation tool to stimulate learners‟ interest and more importantly help them visualise various parts of a marine vehicle, an important experience that brings in the context for what they are going to study in the rest of the module. (3) an activity to encourage self-directed learning and reflection through concept maps. The paper will also discuss learners‟ feedback and response to the changes.