Applications are invited for a PhD in Engineering Education based in the Remote Laboratories led by Prof Tim Drysdale. The co-supervision team comprises of Prof Tim Stratford, and Dr Jonathan Terry.
Remote laboratories allow students to do practical work with real equipment, in real-time, from anywhere by connecting to the equipment through a web-browser. At the University of Edinburgh, we are leading the creation of an open-source digital infrastructure for remote laboratories (https://practable.io) and coupling physical and software developments with educational research to translate leading education theory into practice. This addresses the requirement for institutions to deliver more experiential learning, to more students, over a wider geographic area, together with developing much-needed alternative approaches for feedback and authentic assessment in the higher education sector.
The successful candidate will develop and evaluate remote laboratory-based teaching exercises for large classes of engineering students (>450) at the University of Edinburgh, which will then go on to be used around the country and further afield. We currently deliver traditional laboratories over a wide range of engineering teaching with examples including labs on the strength of materials, chemical processes, renewable energy devices, dynamics, microcontrollers, electronics, and control systems amongst others. Our remote experiments either complement or extend these, with examples including harmonic motion, rotational position and velocity control, strain in truss structures, electromagnetic measurements, and forthcoming experiments in microcontroller programming and electronic sensing.
Our Remote Laboratories activity has dedicated technical support for mechanical and electronic design and production, so the work in the PhD can concentrate on research aspects such as designing the educational activities, implementing customised user interfaces (javascript), new digital assessment methods (python), and undertaking mixed method evaluations such as surveys and focus groups. Optional extension work includes cloud infrastructure (go) and/or microcontroller firmware (C/C++). Effective communication skills are important because you will be interacting students, academic, staff, etc. Your developments will generate internationally leading engineering education research in areas such as digital pedagogy, learning analytics, evaluative judgement and authentic assessment.
The position will be closed as soon as a suitable candidate has been found.
Further Information:
[1] D.Reid, J. Burridge, D. Lowe, T. Drysdale "Open-source remote laboratory experiments for controls engineering education," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education. February 2022. doi:10.1177/03064190221081451
[2] T. D. Drysdale, S. Kelley, A.-M. Scott, V. Dishon, A. Weightman, R. J. Lewis & S. Watts "Opinion piece: non-traditional practical work for traditional campuses," Higher Education Pedagogies, 5:1, 210-222, 2020, DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2020.1816845
[3] Introduction to the concept of remote laboratories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSQtI9PPjok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUkluy3aL0
The University of Edinburgh is committed to equality of opportunity for all its staff and students, and promotes a culture of inclusivity. Please see details here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity
Closing Date:
Friday, April 12, 2024
Principal Supervisor:
Prof Timothy Drysdale
Assistant Supervisor:
Prof Tim Stratford
Eligibility:
Essential criteria
- 2:1 or higher degree (or International equivalent) in a numerate subject, possibly supported by an MSc Degree. Further information on English language requirements.
- strong digital literacies, including software development (any language)
- strong communication skills Desirable criteria
- experience of programming in javascript/vue.js, python, go, and/or C/C++
- informal or professional teaching experience
- digital education experience or qualifications
Funding:
Tuition fees + stipend are available for Home/EU and international students.
Further information and other funding options .
Informal Enquiries: