The third Annual Symposium on Science and Engineering Education was successfully held at the end of June 2023 in the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. The symposium is a significant activity of the Faculty’s Science and Engineering Education Research Group (SEE). It aims to share and present the research outcomes on teaching and learning in science and Engineering.

This year, 13 academic staff and students both from UNNC and UNUK were invited to give speeches. The topics included their practice and research on in-class engagement, students’ motivation, digital teaching techniques, gamification and more.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Dr Sherif Welsen, who is the Head of SEE research group and also an Associate Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In his opening speech, Dr Welsen highlighted the importance of the SEE research groups and stated: “SEE research group serves as a beacon of excellence, drawing together academics from various Faculty of Science and Engineering departments. Our mission is clear: to identify, study, and research a wide range of questions related to teaching, learning, and assessment. By doing so, we strive to develop comprehensive solutions that address the demands on the education process and contribute to advancing our university and faculty”.

Dr Gavin Lai, Associate Professor in Manufacturing Engineering, Dr Adam Rushworth, Assistant Professor in Materials and Manufacturing, Amarpreet Gill, Design Studio Tutor in Product Design and Manufacture and Dr Sherif Welsen shared their research of advanced teaching methods, such as using educational games, VR and AR technologies to enhance the in-class engagement and motivate students’ interest in the study. Academic staff from various departments of Faculty of Engineering in the UNUK also shared their insights on delivering foundation engineering modules, developing vertical curriculum, and using AI in education.

Through the welcome speech, Professor Philip Seltsikas, UNNC Vice Provost for Education and Student Experience valued high to the actions and efforts the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FoSE) has put in the previous years, such as digital and online teaching, future education, to create a better learning environment for students.

The Annual Symposium is a platform for teachers from different disciplines to exchange their teaching philosophy and strategies and share their teaching practice in the science and engineering areas. It also provides them with an opportunity to better understand the student’s ideas in teaching and learning.

Professor Dave Towey, Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience (ESE) introduced that the faculty conceived the idea of the science and engineering education research group four or five years ago. Hoping to create a communication platform for teachers who have passion and responsibility for teaching, so that they can work together to solve the problems in senior education.

Worth to mention, this year, three undergraduate students, Gege Zhang and He Sun from Computer Science, and Yipeng Xu from Mechanical Engineering were invited to share their experiences in doing Faculty Undergraduate Research Placement (FURP) and how it benefit their academic studies. Ishioma Egun, a PhD candidate from Chemical Engineering has also shared her perspective on enhancing female participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The Science and Engineering Education (SEE) research group was founded by Dr Sherif Welsen in 2021. The group aims to create a pool of academics, who are involved in the education process from different departments in the faculty of science and engineering, to come together to identify, study, and research a broad range of questions related to teaching, learning, and assessment. The group also promotes a wide range of research that addresses the demands on the teaching and learning process and contributes to the solutions to significant challenges the faculty/university is facing.