Keynote

Complex Problem Solving and PBL in Engineering Education

Three major challenges, sustainability, fourth industrial revolution, and employability, will require new types of engineering competences embracing interdisciplinarity, complex problem solving and humane interaction. Engineering students should be able to analyse various types of problems and to come up with sustainable solutions. But how do engineering institutions respond to these challenges? One of the responses is student-centred learning and in particular problem- and project-based learning (PBL) and in this keynote, and in this keynote, I will present variations of PBL ranging from discipline problems to complex problems and from smaller projects to mega-projects. More coherent curriculum models are emerging with clear progression of student-centred activities and including new competences of being able to develop personal learning trajectories.

The Speaker

Anette Kolmos is Professor in Engineering Education and PBL, Director for the UNESCO category 2 Centre: Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability. Chair holder for UNESCO in Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education, Aalborg University, Denmark. Guest professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology 2012-2017 and Guest Professor at UTM University Technology Malaysia 2011-2013. President of SEFI 2009–2011 (European Society for Engineering Education). Founding Chair of the SEFI-working group on Engineering Education Research. Was awarded the IFEES Global Award for Excellence in Engineering Education, 2013 and the SEFI fellowship in 2015.

During the last 20 years, Dr. Kolmos has researched the following areas, primarily within Engineering Education: gender and technology, project based and problem- based curriculum (PBL), change from traditional to project organized and problem- based curriculum, development of transferable skills in PBL and project work, and methods for staff development. She is Associate Editor for the European Journal of Engineering Education and was Associated Editor for Journal of Engineering Education (ASEE). Involved in supervision of 21 PhD projects and published around 250 publications. Member of several organizations and committees within EER, national government bodies, and committees in the EU.

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Recorded Keynote

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