Photos and videos of the April 2022 KwaZulu-Natal flooding damage prompted a literature search about ‘natural disasters as potential authentic learning experiences’ through university coordinated community engagement interventions. Occupational field practitioners, the community of practice, could possibly engage pro bono in order to provide expertise, supervision and guidance to students.
Strimel (2014) observe that seldom students are provided with authentic experiences that allow opportunity for solving real-life complex engineering design problems, which have meaning both to them and greater society. Design briefs are used in technology and engineering education to offer hands-on, problem-based learning opportunities to students, but may lack both in authenticity and true real-world problem-solving experiences. Natural disasters, however, happen at the intersection between humans and nature, say Strimel (2014), who adds that the engineering community holds the key to diminishing the threats (or impact) of natural hazards.
When faced with a current real-life issue, such as the flooding damage, students are provided with opportunities to analyse the issue at hand and define a problem based on the situation. They “can then focus on using the engineering design process to solve the problem while developing new knowledge that is essential in designing and creating a quality innovative solution”, say Strimel (2014: 9).
Authenticity is extremely important, because it eliminates students questioning why they are learning stuff. “In an authentic learning experience, students are doing work that is real and has meaning to them” say Strimel (2014: 9). It encapsulates the significant difference between ‘learning about engineering principles’ and ‘learning to be an engineer’. From a constructivist learning theory perspective real-world situations are important parts of a strong educational process, in that it allows students with opportunities to apply knowledge to real situations, and may provide a sense of accomplishment.
Strimel, G. (2014). Authentic education by providing a situation for student-selected problem-based learning. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 73 (7), 8-18. Abstract accessible from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1049199
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